All About The Red Donate Button (Should It Even Be Red?)

Having a ‘donate’ button on your nonprofit’s website is incredibly important, and you need to give it a proper thought. 

If someone lands on your website and wants to contribute to your worthy cause, they will look out for the ‘donate’ button. Because it holds so much importance, you can’t afford your ‘donate’ button to be a deterrent for your potential contributors. And this button can’t be so inconspicuous that people must look through your website to find it. 

When working online, you only have a few seconds to grab and keep the attention of potential contributors. So, you have to make those seconds count! The question remains: How can you make this button both alluring and forceful? 

Is a classic red ‘donate’ button the way to go? Would a different style be more effective? Let’s find out!

Should Your “Donate” Button Be The Color Red? 

It’s often thought that a red “donate” button will catch the most attention. This is because, psychologically, the color red symbolizes courage and passion. It is predominantly used to grab someone’s attention and instill a sense of emergency. 

This is why the traffic light that tells cars when to stop is red. It is bright, high energy, and elicits emotion. Knowing all this, it makes sense why someone would gravitate to making the most important button on a nonprofit’s website page red. 

If you want something to stand out and grab someone’s attention, it is obvious why someone would lean towards a big red “donate” button. However, the fact of the matter is that whether the button is red or not isn’t what’s most important. 

What truly matters is whether or not your button stands out and catches the attention of anyone who stumbles upon your web page looking to donate. There are other ways to ensure that your “donate” button is effective and stands out—without using the color red.  

Tips For An Effective Donation Page

There are generally a few rules to follow when deciding how your new and improved donate button will look. Make sure that the button is visible and stands out from your background. It would be a massive disservice to you if your button fades into the background where people won’t be able to find it easily. 

You don’t want your potential donors to search for a way to donate. Make it as quick and easy as possible! You should also remember to keep it simple and straightforward. Don’t make it something that your users will have to decipher in order to donate. 

Here are a few more tips we have for you to make your “donate” button as effective as possible.  

Where to place the button 

It's really important where you place your ‘donate’ button. It should be in an area on your web page that is easy to spot and access, so potential donors don’t have to spend any time looking for it. 

It is possible that if donors have to look for the button or have difficulty spotting it, they’ll change their minds or take their donation elsewhere where it’s easy to donate. 

Having your button around the top of your webpage would be ideal. This will grab the potential donors’ attention immediately once they land on your webpage. They won’t need to scroll down to try to locate the button. 

Many nonprofits place their donate buttons at the top-right corner of their landing page. It could be beneficial for you to place yours there, too. Sometimes, sticking to what others are used to and not going against the norm can be helpful. This is because donors have become accustomed to that location, so they will likely look for yours in that area. 

How big should it be? 

The button's most important quality is that it stands out from the rest of your webpage. It would be a good idea to make the button more prominent than the other elements on your navigation page. 

The font should also be bigger than the rest on the landing page. You should try to get the sweet spot of having the button be big and distinct but not too big that it takes over the page. 

What color should it be? 

As mentioned, the main thing about the donate button should be that it is noticeable and easy to find. So, picking the color will depend on the color scheme of the rest of the webpage. 

It is essential to pick a color that stands out from the rest of your color scheme and elicits an emotional response. Green and blue tend to be more calming and tranquil than red.  

What should the button say? 

It is crucial to keep it as short and as simple as possible but also relevant to the cause. The button is important because this is what you want anyone who lands on your page to do. 

Probably the best way to do this is to have a button that says “Donate Now,” “Donate Today,” or even just “Donate.” Even though these sound a bit forceful, they can be quite effective in getting the point across. 

Final Thoughts 

It is important for your nonprofit organization to do what is best to engage your potential donors and elicit emotions to compel them to donate. If someone is on your landing page, they are probably already interested in your cause and want to find ways to contribute and donate. All you need to do is give them a nudge in the right direction and make it as easy as possible for them to donate. 

While you don’t need to have a red donate button, you still need to make it noticeable and compelling so that anyone who lands on your webpage will know exactly where to donate.