The homepage of your P2P event is the first page that most of your participants will see before they register. It’s your job to design a page that inspires action and participation quickly.
Potential registrants are the main audience for this page. To ensure that your page meets the needs of this audience, include the following 6 elements, in priority order:
1. Registration call-to-action
The call to register should be the first thing visitors see when they come to your site. This can take many forms depending on the specifics of your event:
For events with multiple locations, it can be a “Find an Event” search or listing. American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life homepage uses geo-location to generate a list of events near you:
- DIY fundraising events may lead with a way to “Select your Event Type” to give participants a choice of the type of fundraiser they want to create.
- Team-based events may offer options to “Start a Team”, “Join a Team” or “Register as an individual”
2. Information About the P2P Event
Some basic details about your event such as the event date(s), location(s) and a brief description about what to expect should appear on your homepage.
3. Reasons to Participate
Going a step further than the above, some mission-specific information on why visitors should register and/or donate should be present too. Compelling videos, stories about other participants or visuals about how the money is used are all great content ideas. Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s Take Steps site uses participant photos and stories:
4. Donation call-to-action
Most donors will come to your site via a link from a participant and thus, will bypass your homepage altogether. There is a small percentage of donors that will come to your homepage, so offering them a way to search for a participant or team is a great addition to your homepage. The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Reason site includes a “Donate Now” section with search options available:
5. Lists of the Top Teams or Participants
To help drive competition across your participants, include lists of the top fundraisers that link to each fundraiser’s page.
6. Easy Log In Options
After a participant has registered, they may visit your homepage for event updates and/or (hopefully!) to fundraise. Provide a clear way for them to log in on your site and, once they’re logged in, offer a clear link to their Participant Center to encourage them to fundraise. You may also consider conditionalizing some of the above items so they’re relevant to someone who’s already registered.
In addition to the above, you’ll also want to include your site-wide branding (header and footer) and a simple navigation to encourage visitors to explore your site.
This article was originally published on npENGAGE by Lacey Kruger.