
Empowering fundraisers to craft memorable donation experiences
Helping fundraisers create exceptional donation experiences. Processing over $25,000 in donations.
Designer / Product Manager
April 2022 - July 2022
Outcome
We launched the donation form builder with 5 charities across Canada. They would eventually become paying customers and would process over $25,000 in donations.
$25,000
in donations
5
new customers
11
fundraisers
Why donation forms?
Donation forms are key drivers of charity and non-profit revenue - with online giving increasing by 21% over the last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The importance of providing a world-class donation experience is becoming ever more important as donor preferences evolve.
The problem
I interviewed 7 staff from our partners and an additional 6 staff from other organizations. I discovered that despite online donations being an essential part of the fundraising process, fundraisers had very little knowledge about how to create a good donation experience.
Form building tools offer limited control over the look and feel. When they do, users feel overwhelmed by the range of customization and use them inadqueately. I eventually arrived at the problem statement below:
“I often don’t know where to start. I’m overwhelmed by all the different options and I’m not given enough guidance.”
— Jillian, Executive Assistant
“The tool we use is so limiting in terms of what kind of customization options I have.”
— Michael, Board Member
Phase
Awareness
Consideration
Research
Intent
First Gift
Engaged
Fatigue
Lapsed
Goals
Find an organization that supports a cause they're interested in.
Narrow down the different options they have.
Understand their impact and how the charities use their donation.
Select a charity to support and find a way to make a donation.
Support an organization that aligns with their values.
Learn more about their programs and their mission.
Reduce support to the organization.
Find another charity to support.
Emotions








Intrigued by how different organizations address a social problem.
Overwhelmed by the amount of different organizations are out there.
Skeptical about the charity and the information available to them.
Annoyed with the donation form experience and lack of personalization.
Enthusiastic about supporting an organization that solves an important social problem.
Delighted with how the charity fulfills their mission.
Frusturated with the organization but still hopeful.
Dissatisfied and disappointed with the charity.
Activities
Pain Points
Understanding donor pain points
While I had an understanding of the fundraiser problems, I wasn’t considering the donor experience. Without an understanding the donor pain points, I couldn’t address the issue of lost revenue.
I approached this by interviewing 11 donors and put together this journey map to get a better understanding of the donor experience and see how we can them with the form builder.
Mapping donor pain points to features
Form builder should enable fundraisers to build delightful experiences that addresses donor pain points. Our goal was to have the donor experience baked into every feature we build.
We came up with features based on discussions with our partners and a thorough analysis of our competitor’s products.
Pain Point
Opportunity
Feature
Unsure about the
impact of their gift
Communicate the
impact of their gift
Preset amounts with custom descriptions
Forms have poor
branding
Easily include custom branding in the form
Custom messaging
and colours
Donor not thanked
for their donation
Easily include custom thank you messaging
Custom thank you page
Donors forced to contact the org to change their gift
Donor self-service
Donor portal
Build donation forms
Create causes
Manage forms
Manage causes
Setup
form
Customize messaging
Customize theme
Edit donation amounts
Change thank
you page
Learn how to implement
View dashboard
View form overview
Create new cause
Manage causes
View cause overview
Edit existing
cause
Name form
Create URL
View message
in form
Add headline copy
Add body copy
View theme
in form
Add header image
Add logo
Select colours
Check accessibility
View amounts in form
Add preset amounts
Add preset descriptions
Add custom description
View thank you
in form
Add headline copy
Add body copy
Add survey link
Embed iFrame on website
Embed donate button
Contact support
Create new form
View all form metrics
Search all existing forms
View active forms
View drafts
Edit Form
Preview form
Share form link
View form metrics
View gifts and donor from form
Name cause
Add internal description
Save cause
Create new cause
View metrics
View existing causes
View archived causes
View donors
in cause
View gifts
in cause
Edit cause
Archive cause
Edit cause name
Edit cause description
Save changes
Activities
Tasks
Sub-tasks
Mapping out user stories
I created a user story map to capture the different activities and user goals. This would allow me to focus on user problems instead of being bogged down by pages of requirements.
Wireframing the form builder
Since we were launching a brand new product, it was important for us to get an idea of some of the core aspects of the product and how content would be organized on the page. To do this I did a few wireframes to understand the overall structure and how users might interact with it.
Back
Next
Step 1: Set up form
Custom URL (required)
Owner (required)
Configure settings for your donation form.
Give the form a link that clearly identifies it.
Select a team member that will receive notifications regarding your form.
Form name (required)
Used internally and won’t be seen by donors.
Input field
Input field
Input field
Donation form breakdown
I didn’t need to reinvent the wheel with donation forms. I went with many tried and true patterns that were proven to have positive effects on conversion.
This included multi-step forms, progress indicators, and pinned buttons.
Donate today
We’re a global organization working to end the injustice of poverty.
Your donation will help us save lives in disasters and tackle the root causes of poverty.
How would you like to
make your donation?
Monthly
One-time
Next
Multi-step form
Reduces cognitive load and helps donors focus on a single task.
Custom messaging
Organizations can effectively communicate their mission to prospective donors.
Organizations can also replace the background with an image.
Pinned button
Optimized for seamless
forward navigation.
Usability testing - Donation Forms
11 donors
It was important that the we recruited a diverse group of individuals to get an understanding of the types of donors.
7 staff from partner organizations
We conducted tests with the staff from our 4 partner organizations since they would have a unique perspective on the donation forms.
Outcome
After synthesizing all the feedback, I revised the designs to address the pain points that participants were experiencing. I also made UI improvements to improve the visual design.
You can view a breakdown of the decisions or view the final prototypes.
Usability testing - Form builder
Improving the UI to match a user’s mental model
It was clear that participants were getting confused about certain aspects of the form builder so, I had to revisit the patterns and validate their effectiveness.
Meeting user needs
During testing, I quickly realized that some important features were missing and that it didn’t accurately capture a user’s workflow. More specifically, controlling how donors cover fees and customizing the follow-up email.
Writing requirements
After a final design review with the rest of the team, I create a list of product requirements that I would use to hand off to my team’s developer. It provided us with a better idea of the effort required and how we should prioritize the work.
Once I wrote the requirements and reviewed them with the team, I created tickets in Notion, segmented them into a couple of releases, and created a backlog of follow-up work.
Final product
Participants found the form builder easier to use, with some citing that it was an improvement over their previous experiences. Usability testing also showed that fundraisers were able to easily build a donation form.
You can view the final prototype which includes the onboarding, form builder, causes, and relevant dashboards.
Reflections
The difficulties of designing for multiple user groups
When I first started thinking through the form builder, I thought my main goal was to only solve problems for fundraisers. However, as I continued to learn about the project, I quickly realized that form builder should not only be a tool that makes a fundraiser’s job easier but one that enables exceptional donor experiences.
Ultimately this project reminded me take a first-principles approach to building a product and think more deeply about the different user groups that would be affected by this product.
Creating a product using limited data
Due to the nature of the non-profit industry, finding data and understanding the current state was quite difficult. Based on primary and secondary research, we knew there was a conversion problem and as a result organizations were missing out on potential revenue.
I had to rely on qualitative data via surveys, user research, and usability testing to understand the pain points and arrive at a solution. We had to take a research > build > launch > monitor approach which challenged me to think about the gaps we needed to fill and what data we needed to collect once we launch the feature.
© Chris Tran 2025 All Rights Reserved

Empowering fundraisers to craft memorable donation experiences
Helping fundraisers create exceptional donation experiences. Processing over $25,000 in donations.
Designer
Product Manager
April 2022 - July 2022
Outcome
We launched the donation form builder with 5 charities across Canada. They would eventually become paying customers and would process over $25,000 in donations.
$25,000
in donations
5
new customers
11
fundraisers
Why donation forms?
Donation forms are key drivers of charity and non-profit revenue - with online giving increasing by 21% over the last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The importance of providing a world-class donation experience is becoming ever more important as donor preferences evolve.
The problem
I interviewed 7 staff from our partners and an additional 6 staff from other organizations. I discovered that despite online donations being an essential part of the fundraising process, fundraisers had very little knowledge about how to create a good donation experience.
Form building tools offer limited control over the look and feel. When they do, users feel overwhelmed by the range of customization and use them inadequately.
“I often don’t know where to start. I’m overwhelmed by all the different options and I’m not given enough guidance.”
— Jillian, Executive Assistant
“The tool we use is so limiting in terms of what kind of customization options I have.”
— Michael, Board Member
Understanding donor pain points
While I had an understanding of the fundraiser problems, I wasn’t considering the donor experience. Without an understanding the donor pain points, I couldn’t address the issue of lost revenue.
I approached this by interviewing 11 donors and put together this journey map to get a better understanding of the donor experience and see how we can them with the form builder.
Phase
Awareness
Consideration
Research
Intent
First Gift
Engaged
Fatigue
Lapsed
Goals
Find an organization that supports a cause they're interested in.
Narrow down the different options they have.
Understand their impact and how the charities use their donation.
Select a charity to support and find a way to make a donation.
Support an organization that aligns with their values.
Learn more about their programs and their mission.
Reduce support to the organization.
Find another charity to support.
Emotions








Intrigued by how different organizations address a social problem.
Overwhelmed by the amount of different organizations are out there.
Skeptical about the charity and the information available to them.
Annoyed with the donation form experience and lack of personalization.
Enthusiastic about supporting an organization that solves an important social problem.
Delighted with how the charity fulfills their mission.
Frusturated with the organization but still hopeful.
Dissatisfied and disappointed with the charity.
Activities
Pain Points
Mapping donor pain points to features
Form builder should enable fundraisers to build delightful experiences that addresses donor pain points. Our goal was to have the donor experience baked into every feature we build.
We came up with features based on discussions with our partners and a thorough analysis of our competitor’s products.
Pain Point
Opportunity
Feature
Unsure about the
impact of their gift
Communicate the
impact of their gift
Preset amounts with custom descriptions
Forms have poor
branding
Easily include custom branding in the form
Custom messaging
and colours
Donor not thanked
for their donation
Easily include custom thank you messaging
Custom thank you page
Donors forced to contact the org to change their gift
Donor self-service
Donor portal
Mapping out user stories
I created a user story map to capture the different activities and user goals. This would allow me to focus on user problems instead of being bogged down by pages of requirements.
Build donation forms
Create causes
Manage forms
Manage causes
Setup
form
Customize messaging
Customize theme
Edit donation amounts
Change thank
you page
Learn how to implement
View dashboard
View form overview
Create new cause
Manage causes
View cause overview
Edit existing
cause
Name form
Create URL
View message
in form
Add headline copy
Add body copy
View theme
in form
Add header image
Add logo
Select colours
Check accessibility
View amounts in form
Add preset amounts
Add preset descriptions
Add custom description
View thank you
in form
Add headline copy
Add body copy
Add survey link
Embed iFrame on website
Embed donate button
Contact support
Create new form
View all form metrics
Search all existing forms
View active forms
View drafts
Edit Form
Preview form
Share form link
View form metrics
View gifts and donor from form
Name cause
Add internal description
Save cause
Create new cause
View metrics
View existing causes
View archived causes
View donors
in cause
View gifts
in cause
Edit cause
Archive cause
Edit cause name
Edit cause description
Save changes
Activities
Tasks
Sub-tasks
Wireframing the form builder
Since we were launching a brand new product, it was important for us to get an idea of some of the core aspects of the product and how content would be organized on the page. To do this I did a few wireframes to understand the overall structure and how users might interact with it.
Back
Next
Step 1: Set up form
Custom URL (required)
Owner (required)
Configure settings for your donation form.
Give the form a link that clearly identifies it.
Select a team member that will receive notifications regarding your form.
Form name (required)
Used internally and won’t be seen by donors.
Input field
Input field
Input field
Donation form breakdown
I didn’t need to reinvent the wheel with donation forms. I went with many tried and true patterns that were proven to have positive effects on conversion.
This included multi-step forms, progress indicators, and pinned buttons.
Donate today
We’re a global organization working to end the injustice of poverty.
Your donation will help us save lives in disasters and tackle the root causes of poverty.
How would you like to
make your donation?
Monthly
One-time
Next
Multi-step form
Reduces cognitive load and helps donors focus on a single task.
Custom messaging
Organizations can effectively communicate their mission to prospective donors.
Organizations can also replace the background with an image.
Pinned button
Optimized for seamless
forward navigation.
Usability testing - Donation Forms
11 donors
It was important that the we recruited a diverse group of individuals to get an understanding of the types of donors.
7 staff from partner organizations
We conducted tests with the staff from our 4 partner organizations since they would have a unique perspective on the donation forms.
Outcome
After synthesizing all the feedback, I revised the designs to address the pain points that participants were experiencing. I also made UI improvements to improve the visual design.
You can view a breakdown of the decisions or view the final prototypes.
Usability testing - Form builder
Improving the UI to match a user’s mental model
It was clear that participants were getting confused about certain aspects of the form builder so, I had to revisit the patterns and validate their effectiveness.
Meeting user needs
During testing, I quickly realized that some important features were missing and that it didn’t accurately capture a user’s workflow. More specifically, controlling how donors cover fees and customizing the follow-up email.
Writing requirements
After a final design review with the rest of the team, I create a list of product requirements that I would use to hand off to my team’s developer. It provided us with a better idea of the effort required and how we should prioritize the work.
Once I wrote the requirements and reviewed them with the team, I created tickets in Notion, segmented them into a couple of releases, and created a backlog of follow-up work.
Number
Epic
Feature
User Story
Acceptance Criteria
OB001
Required Steps
Organization Information
As a first-time form builder user, I would like to add important organization information.
OB002
Required Steps
Connect Stripe
As a first-time form builder user, I would like to connect my Stripe account with Prospr.
OB003
Required Steps
Add causes
As a first-time form builder user that hasn't created any causes, I would like to create a new cause.
FB001
Form Builder
Preview
As a user, I would like to be able to preview my form and the changed I'm making in the form builder.
FB002
Form Builder
Progress indicator
As a user, I would like to be shown which step I'm on and how which steps are remaining.
FB003
Form Builder
Form Setup
As a user, I would like to enter administrative information that would help manage the donation form.
FB004
Form Builder
Message
As a user, I would like to customize the message on my donation form.
FB005
Form Builder
Theme
As a user, I would like to customize the theme of my donation form.
FB006
Form Builder
Donation Amounts
As a user, I would like to customize the donation amounts that a donor can choose from.
FB007
Form Builder
Processing Fees
As a user, I would like to be able to setup how donors cover processing fees for their donation.
FB008
Form Builder
Thank You Page
As a user, I would like to customize the thank you message a donor sees once they donate.
FB009
Form Builder
As a user, I would like to customize the email that a donor receives after their donation.
DB001
Dashboard
All Forms
As a user, I would like to see all the donation forms I've created in one table.
DB002
Dashboard
Individual Form Summary
As a user, I would like the view a summary of an individual donation form on a single page.
C001
Causes
Empty State
As a first time form builder user, I would like to see a page that prompts me to create my first cause.
C002
Causes
Create New Cause
As a user, I would like to have the ability to create a new cause.
C003
Causes
Edit Cause
As a user, I would like the ability to edit a cause I created.
C004
Causes
All Causes Dashboard
As a user, I would like to see all the causes I've created.
C005
Causes
Cause Overview Page
As a user, I would like to view an overview of a cause I created.
OB004
Required Steps
Launch Form
As a first-time form builder user, I would like to create my first form after completing the necessary steps.
Final product
Participants found the form builder easier to use, with some citing that it was an improvement over their previous experiences. Usability testing also showed that fundraisers were able to easily build a donation form.
You can view the final prototype which includes the onboarding, form builder, causes, and relevant dashboards.
Reflections
The difficulties of designing for multiple user groups
When I first started thinking through the form builder, I thought my main goal was to only solve problems for fundraisers. However, as I continued to learn about the project, I quickly realized that form builder should not only be a tool that makes a fundraiser’s job easier but one that enables exceptional donor experiences.
Ultimately this project reminded me take a first-principles approach to building a product and think more deeply about the different user groups that would be affected by this product.
Creating a product using limited data
Due to the nature of the non-profit industry, finding data and understanding the current state was quite difficult. Based on primary and secondary research, we knew there was a conversion problem and as a result organizations were missing out on potential revenue.
I had to rely on qualitative data via surveys, user research, and usability testing to understand the pain points and arrive at a solution. We had to take a research > build > launch > monitor approach which challenged me to think about the gaps we needed to fill and what data we needed to collect once we launch the feature.
© Chris Tran 2026 All Rights Reserved