Created in 1975, Seed Savers Exchange (SSE) educates and connects people through collecting, regenerating, and sharing heirloom seeds, plants, and stories. As an early adopter of Blackbaud’s new Optimized Donation Forms available through Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT®, SSE saw an increased conversion rate and a jump in the average donation amount. SSE Gift Officer Kristin Eggen told us how the optimized forms facilitate a donor experience that’s easy and fast.

Streamlined Giving Enhanced with Mobile-friendly Form

Blackbaud’s Optimized Donation Forms build on the success of Raiser’s Edge NXT’s Standard Donation Forms, which have outperformed traditional donation forms by 100-150%. While Standard Donation Forms offer a highly customizable way to collect details, Optimized Donation Forms lead more quickly to the donation to encourage higher conversion rates. “I like the mobile-friendly aspect of Blackbaud’s new Optimized Donation Forms and just how clean and streamlined the donation process is. That is really attractive,” Eggen explained. “Making sure donors have a seamless experience is important to us.”

Striking Results Year Over Year

With the new Optimized Donation Forms, SSE saw the holiday giving campaign conversion rate based on form loads increase 10% compared to the same period the year before with the Standard Donation Forms. SSE also saw the related average donation rate jump a striking 61% YOY—from $112 to $181—using the ask ladder of suggested gift ranges available with the new form. “It looks like the new form was very successful,” Eggen said. “We are excited to continue to dig into what’s possible and find more uses for this more streamlined approach.”

Even More Possibilities Ahead

One promising way to use this new option is social media. “I’m excited that we can use the optimized forms as the link we share on social media because of the mobile-friendly features and the ability to get people through the process quickly.