Have you ever navigated to your favorite nonprofit’s website, only to be interrupted by an annoying pop-up box?

Sure, lightboxes are pesky, and they’ve gotten a bad rap in the past, but they can raise lots of money when you implement tried-and-true best practices to make the most out of this fundraising tactic. Following are a few quick tips to make the most of your homepage lightbox.

What are lightboxes?

A lightbox is a tool used to interrupt a user’s flow and push them to take some sort of action. They open as an overlay on top of your website content and an action is needed from the visitor before they can move forward (like entering information, clicking an object or closing the window).

Lightboxes can be implemented by using website plugins to upload images, choose colors, and apply fonts based on a certain set of criteria set by the plugin. If you want a more customized lightbox experience for your users, you can do this by placing JavaScript code on your website, assigning functionality to the pop-up for when, where, and how it will run.

Why should I use one?

Lightboxes can be used in a few different ways: as a lead generation tool to gather new members for your email list, to fundraise during a big campaign, to promote advocacy during a critical moment for your organization. The possibilities are almost endless. Below are a few examples.

Lead Generation:

 

Fundraising:

Advocacy: 

 So how do you make your lightbox effective?

  1. Make sure you’re really interrupting the user’s path. For instance, if you’re interested in lead generation, it may make sense to create an exit-intent lightbox that triggers based on the movements of a user’s mouse. An “exit-intent” lightbox is a pop-up that’s activated when it seems like your website visitor may be looking to leave your page – usually if their mouse is scrolling up toward the top right corner of the browser quickly. The lightbox will show up asking them to take action before they go.
  2. Keep it short and sweet. Normal web surfing behavior is to click out of lightboxes and ads very quickly, so lightbox imagery and copy need to be flashy, quick, and captivating to grab someone’s attention within a few seconds.
  3. Make them an offer they can’t refuse. For example, when asking a site visitor to donate, you can make the call to action button large and very clear and the link to close the lightbox underneath the button say something like “No thanks, I won’t donate for women’s rights today”. This can be a risky move because it triggers a sentiment of guilt and a fear of missing out, but it can also increase conversions dramatically.
  4. People LOVE free stuff. Never underestimate the power of a free item – whether you’re trying to bring on a new list member and advertising a free sticker or recipe book – or you’re trying to convert a new monthly donor and offering a fancy exclusive premium – you’ll want to make sure to include it in your lightbox to increase click through rates.
  5. Make sure to meet Google’s mobile pop-up requirements. A few years back, Google set some rules regarding pop-ups – ensuring they don’t block a user’s entire screen when they’re on a mobile device. So now we need to avoid displaying lightboxes that “[cover] the main content, either immediately after the user navigates to a page from the search results, or while they are looking through the page.” This can easily be done by using Google’s guidelines when browsers recognize that screen sizes are dipping below a certain width.
  6. Test to see what works for your organization! So, you’ve already implemented all of these tactics and you’re a lightbox wiz? Now it’s time to put your best practices to the test – literally – to figure out what makes your audience convert at the highest potential. You could test delaying the moment your lightbox displays, changing the CTA button copy, adjusting image content, and so much more. To get started splitting your website audience for your test, you might need an experienced developer or access to a fancy website plugin tool – so chat with your internal teams or consultants (ahem) to get more info on how to make this happen.

In the end, no matter what your goal is – a lightbox can help you get there, but when you create a strong call-to-action, design it to fit for a mobile audience, offer something of value, and interrupt the user’s path – you’re going to be more likely to get that donation, action, or sign-up you’ve been clamoring for.

 

Jack Valor is a Digital Senior Account Executive with over eight years of experience in nonprofit and political campaign-based consulting. They specialize in email marketing, fundraising, deliverability assessment, optimization testing, and social media management. Jack has overseen strategy development for various high-profile nonprofits in the animal rights, women's rights, anti-corporate abuse, public broadcasting, and environmental sectors - making them ready for any challenge an organization may face.