Nonprofit websites fulfill essential roles, such as informing donors about the organization’s mission, linking to educational resources, and hosting donation forms. However, many of these websites suffer from high bounce rates and low conversion rates due to factors like ineffective web design.
For example, M+R Benchmarks’ 2023 report found that one of the core challenges nonprofits face when optimizing their websites is logically organizing information so visitors can find what they are looking for. Overcoming issues like this requires a deeper understanding of the site’s visitors, allowing nonprofits to create tailored experiences.
In this guide, we’ll explore how you can use Nonprofit Cloud to improve the flow of data from your website to your CRM, yielding more accurate insights.
1. Integrate your website with Salesforce.
Websites are rich with data about your supporters. However, when this information is stored across different systems, it can create cumbersome data silos that make it difficult to analyze your complete dataset.
Rather than manually transferring data from one system to another, consider integrating your website with Salesforce. Fíonta’s guide to Salesforce website integrations recommends working with a consultant and selecting one of the following integration tools:
- CMS-specific options: For nonprofits using WordPress, Salesforce offers several tools that integrate data capture from your website to your CRM, such as Web to Lead Forms, Content Management System Form Builders, and Advanced For Builders. Your nonprofit can also leverage third-party solutions or download the WordPress Object Sync plugin for simple needs. If your organization uses Drupal 9, 8, or 7, Drupal Salesforce Suite is the most reliable option.
- Salesforce API: An application programming interface (API) is a set of protocols that can “create, read, update, and delete data between two separate systems.” Development teams can use the Salesforce API to create a custom integration tool. This method is best for organizations with complex needs or those using a CMS that lacks integration options.
- Mulesoft: This tool is a Salesforce-owned integration platform that is designed to manage multiple integrations from various third-party systems. This tool is typically used when organizations have dozens or even hundreds of systems to integrate along with their website.
In addition to saving time, website integrations help reduce potential errors from manual data entry. This provides immediate access to information from web forms, providing timely and accurate insights whenever a visitor subscribes to your newsletter or completes your donation form.
2. Personalize content and user journeys.
Website visitors are looking for unique, personalized experiences. Provide program participants a structured path toward care or support by guiding them through intake processes, applications, and enrollment.
Leveraging data and Nonprofit Cloud features, nonprofits can optimize user journeys for beneficiaries by:
- Using dynamic assessments: Complete assessments about participants and upload necessary files. These assessments provide the information necessary to guide participants from intake to enrollment in appropriate programs.
- Tracking attendance: Quickly view a participant’s attendance for specific sessions or appointments. Provide participants with alerts, appointment reminders, and additional resources based on attendance patterns.
- Creating tailored programs and benefits: Guide participants to the programs that will help them most based on data gathered from web forms and participant profiles.
- Preparing care templates: Staff can save time by leveraging templates to create care plans personalized to each participant. Help participants get support quickly by securing additional information and documents.
Additionally, nonprofits can leverage other Salesforce tools that integrate with Nonprofit Cloud, such as Marketing Cloud Account Engagement, to deliver targeted messages to visitors. Account Engagement allows users to add dynamic content to emails and web pages, displaying up to 25 variations based on selected criteria. These criteria could include the visitor’s geographic location, preferences, or past interactions with the website.
For example, a national hunger relief organization such as Feeding America could set up dynamic landing pages based on the visitor’s geographic location. This change would make it easier for those in need to find food banks and enroll in programs. It would also help donors learn about local programs and initiatives, helping those projects earn more support.
3. Closely track analytics.
After integrating your website with Salesforce and improving user experiences, it’s essential to collect data regarding website performance. According to NXUnite, metrics like traffic sources, bounce rate, and click-through rates can indicate popular content and improvement opportunities.
Nonprofit Cloud allows organizations to access data from many sources within their CRM immediately. Additionally, its features empower nonprofits to transform insights into actions (e.g., creating custom, guided user journeys).
Use these accessible, accurate insights to optimize your website further over time. Other valuable key performance indicators include:
- Total users and sessions
- Average engagement time
- Conversion rates
- Top landing pages
- Keyword rankings, visitors from organic search, and other SEO-related metrics
Due to Nonprofit Cloud’s data consolidation abilities, nonprofits can identify opportunities for improvement on a faster timeline. Then, organizations can examine each opportunity to assess which ones will significantly impact factors like revenue or increases in total donors. By comparing the potential outcomes of each improvement against the cost of implementation, nonprofits can allocate resources more efficiently.
Nonprofit Cloud enables nonprofits to take advantage of the data from their websites to provide users with the best experience possible. Because this process can be complicated and time-consuming, organizations with complex needs should consider working with a Salesforce consultant. Over time, intensive website improvements will inspire support from more visitors, which boosts supporter engagement, increases revenue, and strengthens relationships.