# Blank write-in donation field: 8.10% to 5.50% donation rate

- Outcome: Lost
- Page type: Checkout (Lead-gen)
- Elements: Pricing display, Form fields
- Date shared: 2008-03
- Test run by: [MarketingExperiments](https://liftarchive.com/practitioners/marketingexperiments/)
- Commentary by: LiftArchive (our analysis, not theirs)
- Original source: https://marketingexperiments.com/value-proposition/overcoming-value-inhibitors
- Page: https://liftarchive.com/test/me-alzheimers-nonprofit-write-in-donation-amount/

Replacing 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.

## Result

**8.10% to 5.50% donation rate**

- 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.

## 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)

- 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.

## How to run this test

- 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
- Guardrail: Conversion rate
- Guardrail: Average gift or order value
- Guardrail: 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.

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Credit: MarketingExperiments ran this test and owns the result. Summary and commentary by LiftArchive (https://liftarchive.com/test/me-alzheimers-nonprofit-write-in-donation-amount/).
Usage: Free to use, quote and build on, with credit and a link: name the practitioner or organization that ran the test and link to its LiftArchive page. The results belong to the practitioners who ran and shared them; the summaries and commentary are LiftArchive's.