Blank write-in donation field: 8.10% to 5.50% donation rate
Test run byMarketingExperimentsResearch publisher
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsReplacing suggested donation amounts with a single blank write-in field cut the donation rate from 8.10% to 5.50%, and the control was 47.3% ahead.
MarketingExperiments (MECLABS) ran this two-week A/B test for a nonprofit supporting Alzheimer's disease research.
The control also raised 152.6% more in donation revenue and 92.6% more per donation.
- Donation conversion: 8.10% (control) vs 5.50% (variant), a 47.3% relative lead for the control. A clear loss for the variant.
- Donation revenue: $5,898 vs $2,335, so the control raised 152.6% more.
- Revenue per donation: $173.00 vs $89.81, so the control was 92.6% higher. Donors gave less when left to pick an amount alone.
- Sample: 395 vs 436 visits, and 32 vs 24 donations.
The change
The variant removed the suggested amounts and left one blank write-in field.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
A donation page with four suggested amounts plus a write-in option with a $10 minimum. Donors could also choose one-time or monthly giving.
Variant
The same donation page with only a blank field for donors to type their own amount.
Why it likely lost
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- A blank field makes donors decide the right amount with no guidance, which adds effort and doubt.
- Suggested amounts act as anchors. Without them, many donors likely picked a lower number.
- MarketingExperiments' reading: the choices on the control reduced friction and anxiety rather than adding them, because they removed guesswork.
Caveats: The sample is small, with only 56 donations in total, and no confidence level was shared. It is a 2008 nonprofit donation page, so results may differ for paid offers.
Who ran it
MarketingExperiments ran this test for a nonprofit supporting Alzheimer's disease research and published the results (MarketingExperiments). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on MarketingExperiments →
How to run this test on your site
- Hypothesis
- If we replace our suggested amounts with a single open field, then more people will complete the form because it looks simpler, unless the missing guidance makes the decision harder.
- Primary metric
- Revenue per visitor to the donation or payment page
- Guardrails
- Conversion rate
- Average gift or order value
- Share of recurring (monthly) choices
- Who should test it
- Nonprofits and any business with pay-what-you-want or flexible pricing. Keep suggested amounts as the default; only a very loyal, high-intent audience is likely to handle a blank field well.
Questions
Should a donation page show suggested amounts?
In this test it should have. Suggested amounts produced more donations and almost twice the revenue per gift compared with a blank field.
Do suggested amounts count as too many choices?
Not here. The four options made the decision easier because donors didn't have to work out a fair amount themselves.
How many donations do I need for a reliable test?
More than this test had. With 32 vs 24 donations the direction is useful, but rerun it on your own traffic before relying on the exact gap.
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