However, CRO can also have a huge impact on recruitment efforts, volunteer attraction, donor conversion, registration sign-up and other activities central to community building.

Community building is a major priority for nonprofits, academic institutions and membership organizations, to name a few. These institutions want and need participants, volunteers, supporters and donors. Unfortunately, limited resources can make it a challenge for many nonprofit organizations to stay connected with their communities of supporters.

A common problem in many nonprofits is a lack of communication and engagement with their participants and constituents. According to recent studies, nonprofits can lose up to 60% of their donors and volunteers in a given year. Even more troubling? One Bloomerang study reports 53% of donors leave due to the charity’s lack of communication.

When paired with an email marketing campaign, promoted in an e-newsletter or positioned prominently on your organization’s website, online forms give people a chance to interact – and offer nonprofits the opportunity to engage advocates and donors in a new way.

The good news is nonprofits are primed to build community through conversion rate optimization. Formstack’s 2015 Form Conversion Report, which analyzed data from more than 650,000 users, found that nonprofit organizations have a form conversion rate of 14% (one point lower than last year’s report).

So, how can you optimize your own organization’s community building efforts to communicate better, increased engagement and retain donors and volunteers? Here are three tips to help you move the needle from awareness to action in 2015.

Tip #1: Choose high-converting forms.
There’s enough research out there to support a simple fact of life: People are more likely to take action if there’s something in it for them. As humans, our brains respond to the promise of immediate gratification for our actions – even if the “payoff” is something as simple as a chance to win, or an opportunity to share our insights. Example? A straight contact form only has a 1% conversion rate. But if your form is attached to a contest or survey, you can expect conversion rates of 35% and 14%, respectively. And don’t forget about event registrations, which convert at 11%. The key is to determine what the end-goal is and include the right form to achieve it.

Tip #2: Create a “submit” button that stands out.
Many online forms don’t do much to call out the submit button. According to the Form Conversion Report, the most popular submit buttons are “Submit Survey” (44%) and “Next” (43%). Since this is the last chance to convince a donor or potential contact to give you their personal information, try to use very specific and compelling language to clearly describe the desired user action.

Specific is better. Adding just one word after “submit” can boost conversion rate by as much as 320%. When a user hovers over the submit button, it should spell out exactly what’s in it for them. Select text that supports your organization’s key messaging or mission-oriented language, such as “Help children now” or “Give to find a cure.”

Tip 3: Remember, timing is everything. 

Ever wish you could present your organization’s donation form at the best possible moment? The Form Conversion Report found that the peak time for donation form submissions is on Wednesdays at 2 p.m. Peak performance times for nonprofits in general is Thursday from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Even though people are making donations at other times of the day (and night), it’s worth paying attention to the early afternoon.

To maximize community building and contributions, coordinate social media and email campaigns with the best time of day for donations. Being conscious of timing means that your marketing materials reach donors at the time they are most likely to make a contribution. And, it’s one more super-easy way to build community for your organization.

---

Chris Lucas is the vice president of marketing for Formstack. He is passionate about setting the vision for Formstack’s marketing and sales departments, as well as discovering new ways to drive web traffic and leads.