We’re delighted so many people have gone through WePay Donations to raise money for their causes. However, if we may, we’d like to offer some friendly advice! We want everyone to get all the funds they need, so there are a few things you can do to make sure people click on “Donate” and not the back button.

Include a Picture

Want people to make an instant connection to your cause? Then don’t forget the pictures! You can write up the most detailed post in the world and some people just won’t connect. However, if you show the people the money raised would affect, it suddenly all becomes very personal. Make sure you upload a pic or two to give a face to the cause. It’ll make a difference no matter what your cause is.

Be Specific

Some of the money-raising causes we’ve seen of late have unfortunately come across as very vague. While each case is as important as the next, some simply just don’t read as very pressing, as this is mostly due to lack of details.

Keep in mind the people reading your page are there to help. However, they want to know what they’re contributing to. Not that you have to go into every last detail of what happened, but please include as much as you feel comfortable with. Being vague is a sure way to get overlooked.

Proofread

Another note about writing up your plea: be sure to use spellcheck! If you have trouble checking for spelling and grammar issues, have a friend do it. I can guarantee it makes a difference. For one, if the errors are bad enough, people simply can’t read or understand it! Another reason why it’s important as it makes it seem more professional. To your readers, your donation page will sound more “legit” if it’s readable.

One last thing about writing up the copy for your page: don’t do it ALL IN CAPS! Check before you start your first sentence that the caps lock is turned off. In Internet culture, typing in all caps is considered “yelling.” To do so is seen as rude.

Even worse, it actually makes what you’ve written harder to read! When the goal is to convince others to donate to your cause, you don’t want people turning away because they feel like you’re shouting at them.

Use Social Media, Share with Friends

Social sharing earned the "Help Save My Mom" Fund over 4500 likes on Facebook and weeks of retweets

You can share your WePay donation page with the click of a button, so don’t forget this vital step. Case in point: When Adebowale Ade-Fosudo started a WePay Giving page to help save his mother, who needed a $60,000 treatment for breast cancer, he shared his page with his networks on Twitter and Facebook. His heartfelt plea to save his mother’s life went viral, garnering retweets for weeks and, as you can see above, over 4500 “likes” on Facebook. Within a couple weeks, Adebowale raised over $55,000 of the money through WePay alone. (And that isn’t even counting donations from overseas!) Remember – your friends, family and network want to help you. It’s vitally important to make sure they know about your cause, so don’t forget to click those social sharing buttons!

Link to Your Website

Does your cause have a website? Then why aren’t you linking to it? Most folks know that in today’s world an organization or group will have a website. If they have to go searching for it, they’re going to get distracted for just say “forget it.” Don’t give them an excuse to put their wallet away!  This also gives them more opportunity to relate to your cause with more detail and examples on your website.

What are you waiting for? Raise money with WePay today.