A charitable foundation had strong donor relationships and a clear mission. What it didn't have was a giving experience that matched either.
The aha moment
The friction between a first-time donor and a retained monthly donor was small — a few design decisions in the online giving flow. But the revenue difference, compounded over three years, was significant. Fixing the journey would pay for itself three to four times over.
The second insight was harder to see. The organization had a revenue stream that donors didn't love — a necessary friction point quietly working against the brand. The reframe wasn't to eliminate it. It was to turn those moments into giving surfaces. The same touchpoint that created mild resentment could, with the right design, reinforce the mission and deepen commitment.
The giving system wasn't separate from the brand. Every place money changed hands was a chance to either strengthen or erode the relationship with donors.
What we looked at
Online giving flow. One-time to monthly conversion. Brand friction points. Donor journey design.
What shifted
The organization stopped treating its giving system as a back-office function and started treating it as the primary brand touchpoint it actually was.