Transparency is the leading value millennial donors look for when seeking a nonprofit to support. It’s the reason why people decide to contribute their money to organizations. Millennial donors want to know where their money is going, what cause they’re contributing to, and how their actions make an impact. 

As an organization, you must reflect the value of transparency in every decision you make. This goes beyond simply being honest in your mission and how money is used for your cause. It must connect to each step of the donation process as well. 

Specifically, an essential way to implement trustworthiness in your fundraising efforts is through your payment process. This is a significant point of tension for donors online, as they’re giving you sensitive financial and personal information to benefit your organization.

Having a transparent, user-friendly nonprofit payment processor reflects well on your nonprofit brands. Each step of the donation process should reflect authenticity to your donors to establish rapport. To better understand how your donation payment processor can continue building trust between millennials and your brand, this article will walk through the following topics:

• The importance of transparency 
• Security issues as a paramount concern
• How experience defines your brand’s reputation

With these considerations in mind, your donor base will associate your name with authenticity, and your organization will effectively attract an uptick of millennial-aged supporters.

The importance of transparency

How do we know that millennials place heavy value on transparency versus other attributes when choosing an organization to contribute to? 

Achieve has consolidated a decade of research on U.S. millennial interaction with nonprofits. This research includes the behaviors of 150,000 millennials and reflects on how this group has influenced philanthropy, and most pertinently, what they expect of the organizations they give to. 

This heavy emphasis on transparency naturally leads millennials to follow their emotions, especially when contributing their hard-earned money. This means that millennials are highly likely to donate based on how comfortable they are with your organization’s practices and mission.

So, how can your organization communicate transparency in your giving process and as an organization as a whole? 

• Implement a secure giving process - Donors trust your organization with their sensitive information, such as payment and personal details. Be sure to communicate how you’ll keep their data safe. Going the extra mile to help them understand that you value confidentiality and security will help establish transparency in your payment processing system. We’ll go more in-depth with this in the next section! 

• Make your mission personal - Potential donors relate to a mission when they’re able to empathize with your cause. Telling a story can inspire Millennials to pay attention to the issue you are trying to solve as a nonprofit. If they can relate in some way to your story because they see themselves or others like them as being affected by the mission, they are more likely to give. For best practices in personalized marketing, take a look at this volunteer management guide and learn how to specifically cater your opportunities to donors based on their interests and engagements. 

• Demonstrate additional value - Make sure to emphasize how an individual’s involvement with your organization is the most effective route of contribution. Remain vocal about how your cause is putting their potential donation towards a solution. 

With these tactics in mind, your organization can effectively communicate transparently and authentically.

Security issues as a paramount concern

When it comes to your donor’s information, taking stringent security measures is crucial. After all, they are submitting their identity and payment information when they choose to contribute to your organization. Make this process that much smoother by providing information on how you’re keeping them safe. 

Keep in mind, if your donors’ personal information such as their phone numbers and financial credentials were to be compromised, it could tarnish the reputation of your brand. Moreover, it can also sever valuable connections you’ve worked so hard to build.

There are necessary security steps you should take, as well as disclose to maintain transparency. These include financial security measures such as encrypted credit card processing and a secure network connection when paying. To better understand the tools that can help you establish secure payment measures, let’s go over some specific terms:

• VPN (Virtual Private Network) - This secures you and your donor’s internet connection when a transaction is made. VPNs block fraudulent payments and potential unauthorized users trying to access your donor data.
• Individualized Merchant Account - For anyone to facilitate online payments and receive funds, you need a merchant account. Your merchant account should accept and retain all donations from debit or credit cards before depositing the money into your main account.
• A Payment Gateway - When a donor enters their payment information, this data goes through the payment processor’s payment gateway. This ensures the confidentiality of their sensitive information until it lands in your merchant account.

Along with the above, be sure to use a dedicated payment processor with additional security features to help keep your donors and their money safe. Consider the following attributes to seek out in a payment service:

• Tokenization and Encryption - This will ensure that sensitive card information is hidden as it is transferred through the payment process. 
• PCI Compliance Assistance - Credit card companies create the Payment Card Industry (PCI) guidelines to guarantee all organizations meet security criteria.
• Fraud Protection Tools - Look for a provider that can customize security tools to your nonprofit so you only invest in what you need.

A variety of payment processors exist, especially for nonprofits. Consider investing in a payment processor built with fraud prevention tools specifically for your group to emphasize security, and build trust with your potential donors. For further cybersecurity information, be sure to check out this guide. 

How experience defines your brand’s reputation

Through years of giving trends, we’ve discovered that peer influences are key to millennial engagement in giving. They’re more likely to get involved if the people they associate with have had a previous connection or positive experience with your organization. 

For your team, this means that with clear and transparent communication paired with positive experiences, millennials are likely to give your organization positive feedback. They’ll tell their friends about you via social media or text, and you’ll attract more engagement thanks to your efforts. Here are some other ways you can cement a positive relationship with your current millennials:

• A straightforward donation process- Make your donation page easily accessible and user-friendly. Refer to this iATS Payments’ guide to creating the most effective donation page.
• Providing opportunities to get involved- Beyond monetary contributions, provide other ways people can contribute with their time or item donations. This can include event registrations or even volunteer work! Consider also embedding a form within your donation page where supporters can opt-in to email newsletters. 
• Incorporate social media connections. Talk about putting Instagram or Facebook share buttons on the donation page can encourage supporters to share their contribution with their friends and family.

When your team practices effective communication with your potential and current donors, it’ll reflect well on your reputation. 

After they’ve given time or money to your organization, encourage your supporters to communicate with their peers about positive experiences they have with you. This will help build trust and rapport with your mission.

Millennial peers will be more likely to empathize with what their friends are saying and take their word about your organization. Consider encouraging them to spread the word by:

• Testimonials on your site
• Social media shout-outs
• Re-sharing your organization’s information
• Talking to their friends about how they’ve gotten involved
• Inviting others to your events

With these best practices in mind, your donors will have a positive experience to tell their circles about and help push your mission forward!

About the Author

Matt Dunne

Driven by his desire to support numerous charitable causes in his home country of Ireland, Matt joined the iATS Payments Team in March 2016 to leverage his entrepreneurial experience in support of the non-profit industry. He empowers partner organizations to provide impartial, accurate and valuable payments information and knowledge to the Nonprofit community.