What kind of website do you have? Does it produce giving? Do you know the elements that produce giving?
A recent study by the Poynter Institute tells us what attracts attention:
1. 75-80% of the time people will look at photos and artwork
2. 56% of the time people will look at headlines
3. 31% of the time people will look at briefs and sidebars
4. 29% of the time people will look at captions
5. 20-25% of the time people will read articles
So what does this tell us we should do? Have good pictures. Write good headlines--ones that catch attention, call to action, demand readership. Make sure you have some sidebars, action boxes, break up your text. Use captions to call attention to your work. And write articles that show you are an expert or know how to get the information.
Simple points of action, simple points of entry are keys to making your site work. If you have online giving, then make sure its obvious and just a couple of clicks away. Don't bury it.
Go for it. Start today.
--William High is the President/General Counsel of the Servant Christian Community Foundation (www.servantchristian.com). He may be reached at whigh@servantchristian.com.