Imagine this:

You’re in a checkout line. It’s long, sure, but you’ve waited. You’re ready. You’ve got your items in hand, maybe a kid tugging your sleeve, maybe a dog in the car. And when you get to the front of the line, the clerk pulls out a cigar box.

She counts change by hand. She doesn’t take all credit cards. That’s OK because you want to use Apple Pay online anyway.  So, , she rummages under the counter for a machine that hasn’t been charged. You’d walk out, wouldn’t you?

Now picture that same scene—only it’s your organization’s donation form.

In a world where 68% of web traffic comes from mobile devices, but only 30% of nonprofit revenue does compare to 55% in the for profit world, we’ve got a real gap. And not a small one. Not a quaint one. Not something you can ignore like that dusty PayPal button you never connected. It’s a billion-dollar problem born of poor payment systems, outdated donor forms, and the maddening refusal to meet donors where they are: on their phones, with a thumb hovering, ready to tap.

When I started in this trade, donor tech meant stamps and call sheets. Now? It means knowing that desktop one-time donations average $203, while mobile lags far behind at $101. It means knowing that 85% of e-commerce platforms accept Apple Pay—and only 25% of nonprofits do. It means that even something as small as not pre-checking the “cover the fees” box can tank your conversion rate depending on the donor’s device, the hour of day, or the size of their gift.

What happens when we don’t keep up?

Simple. The donor walks. The form’s too slow. The ask amounts aren’t right. There’s no Venmo, no PayPal, no mobile Apple or Google wallet. She wanted to help. She clicked. She meant to give. But the site buffered, the baby cried, the subway arrived—and that moment, that fragile, fleeting emotional yes, disappeared.

What I Saw Opened My Eyes

Recently, I sat in on a demo of FundraiseUp, the donation platform.  I expected to see just a better button. Maybe an updated template. What I got was a look at what all donation tech should be.

FundraiseUp isn’t just streamlining checkout—it has rebuilt it around the donor. Using AI, it tailors the entire experience: gift arrays shift depending on the device the donor is using,  location, time of day, and giving history. It knows what you’re likely to give—and it meets you there.

Giving on an iPhone? You might see slightly higher ask amounts.  Logged in from a high-income ZIP code? Adjusted again.  Late at night? You’ll get a softer, end-of-day nudge.

And it works. The numbers FundraiseUp revealed are startling:

• 172% higher conversion rates for nonprofits using modern donation tech.
• A 63% increase in average donation amounts.
• At San Francisco SPCA, monthly donors jumped from 400 to over 1,000 after switching platforms.
• Now 42% of their revenue comes from mobile, with 13% through Apple Pay and 4% through Google Pay.

And here’s a kicker:

iPhone users give 30% more than Android users.

Yet, only 25% of nonprofits accept Apple Pay. Compared to 85% of e-commerce platforms. That’s not a missed opportunity—it’s a hole in the bucket.

And if you needed one more reminder…

We’re not selling sneakers. We’re not hawking mattresses. We’re offering the donor a  fleeting emotional return: the chance to feel generous, to act with purpose on her values, to help.

But that feeling—the one that opens the purse—vanishes fast. If we make it even a little bit hard, it’s gone. And donors don’t always come back.

So yeah, your appeal may be brilliant. Your campaign urgent. But if your donation form acts like a clerk with a cigar box and no Apple Pay and all the other payment options? That donor’s not staying in line.

And neither would you.

Roger

P.S. For a fascinating, in-depth look at some very valuable insights  on donor behavior gleaned from millions of transactions from more than 500 nonprofits check out the Fundraiseup /Stripe Pulse of the donor report. Some real eye openers