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Support our work with a
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LINC is a project of
the National Center for Law and Economic Justice.
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Download this techtip in pdf format
Attracting donors to your website and describing your work in a way that will make them feel generous is no easy feat. Think carefully about how to attract potential donors to your site, and get in touch with LINC if you are a low-income led economic justice organization that would like to reassess and perhaps overhaul your website.
If you just want to know how to add a button that will allow people who come to your website to donate, here are a few suggestions:
Network For Good
* No setup fee
* No monthly fee
* 3% per transaction fee |
Network For Good has compiled a database of all 501(c)3 nonprofits that submit 990 forms to the IRS. This means that any 501c3 organization is already "pre-registered" with Network For Good. They can also coordinate Electronic Funds Transfers (EFT) which wire donations directly into your bank account. Network For Good is inexpensive, but all it does is facilitate donations. |
Groundspring DonateNow
* Setup fee $129 - $199
* $15 - $25 per month
* 3.0 % per-transaction fee |
With DonateNow you can customize your donation pages (with the $199 setup fee), offer premiums or subscriptions and accept recurring payments. This service is a good choice for groups that expect to receive close to 100 online donations per month, or need some of their custom features. Their monthly fee is reduced to $15 for groups with an annual budget of less than $250,000. |
PayPal
* No setup fee
* No monthly fee
* 2.2-2.9% per-transaction fee |
While PayPal doesn't specifically target nonprofits, its basic e-commerce services can be used quite effectively as a basic online donations solution for nonprofits. If you have a fiscal sponsor rather than your own 501c3 PayPal can still process your donations. PayPal can handle subscriptions and recurring donations. Unlike Groundspring's DonateNow and Network For Good, Paypal doesn't let you customize the look of your donation pages once donors leave your site. Also, PayPal is more persistent about advertising PayPal's services to your donors. |
Verisign
* Setup fee $180
* $20 per month
* no per-transaction fee |
Verisign's Payflow Link package includes 500 donations per month--more than enough for a small grassroots group. Additional services like recurring billing are available for a fee. Like PayPal, Verisign doesn't target nonprofits specifically. |
These prices were accurate as of July 2005 and are likely to change over time. Stay up to date by checking in with LINC's Circuit Riders at our Grab Bag: http://www.lincproject.org/toolkit/support/notebook
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