Building an accessible donation form improves inclusivity, reachability, and SEO. Meeting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines should be an important part of your fundraising strategy. Here are 4 reasons why you should consider an accessible donation form:

Inclusivity

Building accessible donation forms is necessary to ensure that anyone can participate in, and support your organization’s fundraising efforts, regardless of their abilities. When donation forms are not accessible, individuals with disabilities may face barriers to contributing to your organization, which can lead to them feeling excluded from your organization’s mission. By creating accessible donation forms, your organization can make sure your fundraising efforts are inclusive to all.

It’s the law

In addition to the inclusivity aspect of creating accessible donation forms, there are also legal requirements for accessibility. In the United States, Canada, and many other countries, there are laws and regulations that require websites to meet certain levels of accessibility. This includes nonprofit organizations’ websites and donation forms. Failing to make your donation form accessible could result in legal consequences, such as fines or lawsuits.

Improved useability for all

By making your donation form more accessible, you make it easier for all users to navigate and interact with it. For example, clear and concise language, well-labeled fields, and logical tab order can make the donation process smoother and more straightforward for any constituent. In this way, creating accessible donation forms can benefit your organization by making the donation process more user-friendly for all donors.

It’s better for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search Engines (like Google) favor websites that are accessible. This is because firstly, accessible donation forms are better marked up for crawlers to understand. Secondly, it makes them easier to interact with which reduces bounce rate and enhances user engagement, all in all,  positively impacting SEO.

By now, I should have you convinced that accessible donation forms are an essential part of your organization’s fundraising strategy. So, how do you make sure your donation form is accessible? What do you look out for?

Here’s how to begin:

Firstly, check your donation form to ensure you are using clear and concise language.

Next, ensure keyboard accessibility. Ensuring that your donation form is keyboard accessible means testing that all form functionality is available through keyboard commands.

1. Open the donation form in your browser.
2. Try navigating through the form without using your mouse! Here’s how:
   • ‘Tab’ key: This is used to move the keyboard focus from one interactive element to another, such as links, buttons, and form fields.
   • ‘Enter’ key: This is used to activate the currently focused interactive element, such as a button or link.
   • Arrow keys: These are used to move between options in menus, select checkboxes or radio buttons, choose a dropdown item, and scroll through content.
3. Check for the following things:
   • Can you fill out the form problem free? 
   • Can you visually see what field you are in?
   • Can you submit the form using ‘Enter’?

In the free Donation Form Accessibility Checklist, we also guide you through the following steps:

• Provide clear instructions by using labels and placeholders
• Make sure the color contrast is sufficient
• Limit the amount of ‘required’ fields
• Provide alternative text for images
• Test your form with assistive technology
• Use an accessibility checker tool

Finally

Ensuring that your donation form is accessible is essential for inclusivity, for reaching as many potential donors as possible, for legal reasons, and for improved SEO. By following these best practices, you can ensure your donation forms are meeting the WCAG Accessibility guidelines.

Learn more about other ways to optimize your donation form or learn how to improve your fundraising strategy altogether.

Want to ensure your donation form is accessible? Download our Donation Form Accessibility Testing Checklist here, or book a free accessibility assessment with our team!