Digital Fundraising Assets Every Nonprofit Needs to Build Trust and Raise More Online
- Jacobs Branding Graphics & Website Designs
- Jun 22
- 9 min read
Digital fundraising is not just about having a donation button. It is about having the right pages, tools, and trust-building assets working together so people can give more easily, more confidently, and more consistently.
A strong fundraising website is not built around one button. It is built around the full experience that helps someone trust your nonprofit enough to give.
A digital fundraising asset is anything on your website or in your digital donor journey that helps a supporter understand, trust, and act.
Most small nonprofits do not need every digital fundraising asset at once. They need the right foundational ones first. The goal is not to build everything overnight. It is to build the assets that remove the most friction first.
Key Takeaways
A donation button is not a digital fundraising system. Nonprofits usually need a set of website pages, follow-up tools, and trust-building assets working together.
M+R’s 2025 Benchmarks found monthly giving made up 31% of online revenue in 2024, while one-time giving was flat and overall online revenue rose 2%. That means the digital fundraising assets supporting recurring gifts matter more than ever.
Payment flexibility matters too. M+R found PayPal was available on 76% of nonprofit donation pages, while Apple Pay appeared on 47% and Google Pay on 40%.
Donor confidence also matters. Giving USA’s analysis of the 2025 Bank of America philanthropy study found 93% of affluent households are more likely to give when they believe their contribution will make a difference, and 62% monitor impact before making another gift.
For small nonprofit teams, the goal is not to build every possible asset at once. It is to build the right core assets first, then expand the system intentionally.
Table of Contents
Digital Fundraising Is More Than A Donation Button
Why Digital Fundraising Assets Matter More Than Many Nonprofits Realize
What Counts As A Digital Fundraising Asset
The Core Fundraising Assets Every Nonprofit Website Should Have
Which Fundraising Assets Small Nonprofits Should Prioritize First
Why Donation Pages Alone Are Not Enough
What Today’s Donor Behavior Suggests Nonprofits Need Online
How These Assets Support Multiple Funding Streams
A Simple Digital Fundraising Asset Checklist For Small Nonprofits
👉Digital Fundraising Is More Than A Donation Button
A lot of nonprofits know they need stronger online fundraising, but that phrase can get vague really fast.
Sometimes it sounds like the answer is “get more website traffic.” Sometimes it sounds like “fix the donation page.” Sometimes it turns into a list of tools that may or may not actually solve the problem.
From where I sit as someone who designs websites and marketing graphics for nonprofits and small businesses, digital fundraising usually works better when people stop thinking about it as one page or one button and start thinking about it as a system.
Because that is what it really is.
A digital fundraising system includes the pages, tools, messages, and trust-building pieces that help someone move from interest to confidence to action. A donor may first land on your homepage, then read an impact page, then click into a campaign page, then visit the donation form, then read a confirmation page, then get a follow-up email. Every one of those touchpoints is part of fundraising.
This is also part of a much bigger digital issue many nonprofits are trying to solve. If your website has a donation button but still is not doing a great job supporting trust, donor journeys, and different fundraising paths, that usually points to broader website strategy problems. I explore that more in The Biggest Digital Challenges Nonprofits Face and How to Fix Them.
📌Why Digital Fundraising Assets Matter More Than Many Nonprofits Realize
Digital fundraising assets matter because donors are making faster decisions online, but those decisions are still built on trust.
M+R’s 2025 Benchmarks found monthly giving accounted for 31% of online revenue in 2024, while overall online revenue rose 2% and one-time giving remained flat. That matters because it shows online giving is not just about one-time appeal traffic anymore. More nonprofits are relying on digital systems to support ongoing donor behavior.
The giving experience itself also matters. M+R found PayPal was available on 76% of nonprofit donation pages, with Apple Pay on 47% and Google Pay on 40%. That tells me donors increasingly expect more flexibility than a basic form with one payment option.
And for donors making larger or more considered gifts, trust becomes even more important. Giving USA’s summary of the 2025 Bank of America philanthropy study found 93% of affluent households are more likely to give when they believe their contribution will make a difference, and 62% monitor impact before making another gift. In plain language, that means your digital fundraising assets are not just there to make asking easier. They are there to make believing easier.
If your nonprofit feels like online fundraising should be working better than it is, the issue is often bigger than one missing page or one weak call to action. A lot of organizations are dealing with the same mix of website clarity, donor trust, messaging, and fundraising structure challenges at the same time. I talk more about that in The Biggest Digital Challenges Nonprofits Face and How to Fix Them.
📄What Counts As A Digital Fundraising Asset
This is where I think a lot of nonprofits get stuck.
They hear “fundraising assets” and think only of software or donation plugins. But digital fundraising assets are broader than that.
A digital fundraising asset can be:
a donation page
a recurring giving page
a campaign landing page
a major donor landing page
an impact page
an annual report page
a donor FAQ page
a thank-you page
an email signup form
a donor welcome email
a recurring donor confirmation sequence
a page that explains stock gifts, DAF giving, or other giving options
In other words, it is anything digital that helps a supporter understand, trust, and act.
That matters because not every donor is ready to give the second they land on your site. Some need more context. Some need more emotional connection. Some need stronger proof. Some need a different giving path entirely.
💻The Core Fundraising Assets Every Nonprofit Website Should Have
This is the section where digital fundraising strategy becomes practical.
If your nonprofit is still trying to figure out whether your website is supporting the right funding priorities, Grants vs Recurring Donations: What Your Website Should Support First helps clarify why recurring giving often deserves more visible support online.
A Clear, Easy-To-Use Donation Page
This is still the foundation. Your main donation page should be easy to find, easy to understand, and easy to complete.
That page should usually have:
one clear purpose
a simple layout
obvious giving options
minimal form friction
strong reassurance and trust signals
A donation page should not feel like a dead end or a generic form stuffed into the site.
A Recurring Giving Pathway
If monthly giving now makes up 31% of online revenue, recurring support is not something to bury. M+R also found 90% of nonprofits include monthly giving as an option, but one-time giving is still pre-selected on most donation forms. That means a lot of nonprofits technically offer recurring giving without really prioritizing it.
A stronger recurring giving pathway might include:
a monthly giving toggle that is easy to notice
a dedicated recurring giving page
language explaining why monthly support matters
donor-centered impact examples tied to monthly amounts
Campaign Or Appeal Landing Pages
A campaign page helps match the message to the moment.
If you are sending an email, running a Giving Tuesday appeal, promoting an event, or sharing a year-end campaign, a dedicated landing page usually gives you a clearer path than sending everyone to the homepage or the generic donation form.
Campaign pages work best when they:
focus on one message
connect the story to one clear ask
reduce distractions
match the language donors clicked on
Major Donor Or Leadership Giving Pages
Not every donor is making the same kind of giving decision. If your nonprofit wants to support larger gifts more intentionally, How to Create Landing Pages for Major Donors breaks down what that kind of donor page should include.
Trust-Building Pages
This is the part nonprofits sometimes underestimate.
If donors increasingly monitor impact and want confidence in where their money is going, then pages like these matter:
annual reports
impact pages
leadership or board information
financial transparency pages
stories that connect outcomes to real people
Those pages may not “convert” in the same obvious way a donation page does, but they often support the confidence that makes the donation happen in the first place.
Thank-You And Follow-Up Assets
A donor journey does not end at the gift confirmation screen.
A stronger system includes:
a thoughtful thank-you page
a confirmation email
a next-step invitation
a welcome sequence for recurring donors
a simple path back into the mission
This matters because donor retention starts after the gift, not just before it.
🔎Which Fundraising Assets Small Nonprofits Should Prioritize First
Not every nonprofit needs everything all at once.
For small teams, the goal is to build the highest-value assets first.
Here is the order I would usually recommend:
Priority Level | Asset | Why It Comes First |
1 | Main donation page | It supports the most immediate online giving action |
2 | Recurring giving support | It helps build more stable revenue over time |
3 | Trust-building content | It helps donors feel confident enough to act |
4 | Campaign landing pages | The improve specific appeals and promotions |
5 | Follow-up and email nurture assets | The support retention and deeper engagement |
6 | Major donor or advanced giving pages | Important, but often stronger after the basics are in place |
That order will not be perfect for every nonprofit, but it gives small teams a realistic place to start.
💰Why Donation Pages Alone Are Not Enough
A donation page is important, but it cannot carry your whole digital fundraising strategy by itself.
A lot of nonprofits are asking that one page to do too much:
tell the story
build trust
explain impact
answer questions
present giving options
capture the gift
retain the donor
That is a lot.
The reality is that many donors are not ready to give the first second they arrive. Some need an impact story first. Some need to understand your monthly giving option. Some need to read why this campaign matters now. Some need to know who leads the organization. Some need a major donor page instead of a general donation page.
So yes, your donation page matters. But when it is doing all the work alone, that usually means other important fundraising assets are missing.
🔑What Today’s Donor Behavior Suggests Nonprofits Need Online
Current donor behavior suggests that nonprofits need digital fundraising assets that are more intentional, more flexible, and more confidence-building than they were a few years ago.
Giving USA’s summary of the Bank of America study points to a donor environment where impact and transparency matter more, and where giving vehicles such as DAFs and similar tools are increasingly mainstream among affluent households. That means some supporters may want more than just “give now” — they may want options, confidence, and evidence.
M+R’s payment and giving data points in the same direction. If nonprofits are offering more alternative payment methods, recurring options, and more nuanced giving experiences, that is because the online giving environment has matured. The donor experience now matters more at every step.
M+R also found that for every 1,000 fundraising emails sent, nonprofits raised $58, which was a 10% decrease from 2023. That does not mean email is dead. It means fundraising performance depends on the full journey those emails are sending people into. The page experience still matters.
🤝How These Assets Support Multiple Funding Streams
Different assets support different types of giving.
A stronger recurring giving page supports monthly donors.
A major donor page supports larger gift conversations.
A campaign page supports time-sensitive appeals.
An impact page supports trust for donors across every level.
A transparent annual report page supports both funders and supporters.
That is why one website should not behave like there is only one kind of donor.
The goal is not to build a messy website with too many pages. It is to build a clearer system with better paths.
✅A Simple Digital Fundraising Asset Checklist For Small Nonprofits
If I were helping a small nonprofit clean this up, I would start with something like this.
Must-Have First
a clear donation page
recurring giving visibility
trust-building content
one strong email signup or follow-up asset
a few clear fundraising calls to action across the site
Strong Next Steps
campaign-specific landing pages
a major donor page
better payment flexibility
donor FAQs
more thoughtful thank-you and welcome flows
Questions To Ask
Is it easy to give?
Is it easy to trust us?
Is it easy to choose monthly giving?
Is it easy to understand what support accomplishes?
Is it easy to know what to do next?
That is really what a good digital fundraising system does. It removes friction at each step.
🌟Conclusion About Digital Fundraising
If your nonprofit website has a donate button but not much else supporting the donor journey, the problem may not be effort. It may be missing assets.
A stronger digital fundraising system is not built from one page alone. It is built from the combination of trust, clarity, giving options, follow-up, and the right fundraising paths for different kinds of donors.
For small teams, the goal is not to build everything overnight.
It is to build the right pieces first.
And usually, that starts with making giving easier to understand, easier to trust, and easier to act on.
✨FAQS About Digital Fundraising
What Are Digital Fundraising Assets For Nonprofits?
Digital fundraising assets are the pages, tools, and trust-building elements that help supporters give online, stay engaged, and move through the donor journey more clearly.
What Is The Most Important Fundraising Asset A Nonprofit Should Have?
Usually a clear, easy-to-use donation page, followed closely by recurring giving support and trust-building pages that help donors feel confident.
Do Small Nonprofits Need Campaign Landing Pages?
Yes, especially for specific appeals, events, year-end giving, or fundraising pushes. A focused campaign page usually creates a clearer path than sending everyone to a general donation page.
Why Do Nonprofits Need More Than A Donation Page?
Because not every donor is ready to give immediately. Some need more context, more proof, a recurring giving explanation, or a more tailored path before they act.
Should Nonprofits Have Separate Pages For Recurring Giving Or Major Donors?
In many cases, yes. Different donors are making different decisions, and separate pages often support those decisions more intentionally.
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