SEO Case Study: How a Nonprofit Organization Increased Donations by 140%
On March 18, 2025, a nonprofit organization in Portland, Oregon partnered with Goforaeo because their online donations were not consistent. They were doing meaningful work in the community, but their website did not show up well in Google for the searches people use when they want to donate, volunteer, or support local causes. This case study explains what we did through SEO, month by month, and how it led to a 140% increase in donations from organic traffic.
For privacy, I will refer to the nonprofit as Rose City Community Aid, but the timeline, strategy, and performance structure reflect a real SEO campaign. The work ran from March 2025 through November 2025 and focused on donors in Portland plus nearby areas. Donations were tracked through confirmed donation completions and donation form submissions coming from organic search.
Organization Snapshot: What the Nonprofit Does and Who It Serves
Rose City Community Aid is a Portland based nonprofit supporting families through food programs, emergency assistance, and local outreach. Their donors are mostly individuals and small local businesses that want to support a cause close to home. Many donors find nonprofits through Google when they feel motivated to give, especially during local events, seasonal giving, or after hearing about a cause.
Before SEO, the nonprofit relied heavily on social posts and periodic email campaigns. The website did not have strong pages for donation intent searches, and the donation flow was not clear. People landed on the site, but many did not reach the donation page or complete a donation because the path was confusing and trust signals were not strong enough.
Timeframe and Location: When the SEO Happened in Portland
This campaign ran from March 2025 to November 2025, with monthly deliverables and month-end reporting. We focused on Portland, Oregon, and also tracked visibility in nearby searches because many donors commute or live outside the city center. The work was treated as local SEO plus content SEO, since donor searches often include city names and neighborhood terms.
We defined “donations from SEO” clearly and counted only donations that came from organic sessions, based on analytics attribution and donation tracking events. We also tracked micro-conversions like donation page visits and newsletter signups, because they often lead to later donations.
Baseline Metrics: March 2025 Before Proof
In March 2025, we confirmed tracking and documented the starting point. A nonprofit can have high traffic but low trust, and that usually reduces donation conversions. So we measured both traffic and donation behavior.
Baseline in March 2025:
- Donations from organic: 50 per month
- Organic sessions: 3,100 per month
- Donation page conversion rate: 0.9%
- Top 10 keyword rankings: 18
- Average donation value from organic: 48 USD
The nonprofit had supporters, but Google visibility and donation readiness were not strong. Many pages were focused on updates and announcements, but lacked donor intent structure like “donate,” “support,” “help families,” or “Portland nonprofit donation” style terms.
Tools Used: How We Measured Donations and SEO Growth
We used tools that nonprofit teams can maintain without complexity. Every tool had a clear purpose, either to track donations or to improve performance and visibility.
Tools used:
- Google Analytics 4: donation conversions, attribution, donor behavior paths
- Google Tag Manager: donation button clicks, form submits, thank you page events
- Google Search Console: queries, pages gaining impressions, indexing and CTR
- Looker Studio: monthly reports and donation trend dashboards
- Screaming Frog: crawling for broken links, redirects, and metadata gaps
- Ahrefs: keyword research, content gaps, and link monitoring
- PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse: speed and Core Web Vitals improvements
Strategy Summary: What We Changed and Why It Worked
We treated this like donor focused SEO, not like a generic blog project. People donate when they trust you and when the donation process feels simple. So the strategy combined visibility improvements with clarity and credibility improvements.
The core strategy included:
- Fix technical issues so Google can crawl and users can load pages quickly
- Build donation intent pages that match how people search in Portland
- Improve trust signals like impact proof, FAQs, and transparency pages
- Create content that supports giving like program pages, volunteer pages, and local needs pages
- Improve conversion flow so donation steps are simple and obvious
Month by Month Execution and Donation Growth: March 2025 to November 2025
SEO donation growth usually does not jump overnight. It grows as pages rank, trust increases, and donation paths get smoother. You can see the steady compounding effect in the month by month timeline below.
March 2025: Tracking, foundation, and donation flow review
We started on March 18, 2025 with tracking verification and a full site audit. Donation tracking was inconsistent, so we cleaned the event setup and ensured the thank you page completion was recorded correctly. We also mapped the user path from landing page to donation completion to find drop off points.
Work completed:
- Fixed donation tracking events and attribution checks
- Cleaned broken links and outdated redirect chains
- Reviewed donation page messaging and trust elements
End of March 2025 results:
- Donations from organic: 50
- Organic sessions: 3,100
- Top 10 keywords: 18
April 2025: Technical SEO and speed improvements
In April, we focused on speed and page usability because donors often visit on mobile. Slow load time hurts trust, and it also reduces conversion rate. We improved image handling, reduced page weight, and cleaned technical issues affecting crawl and indexing.
Work completed:
- Compressed images and improved load speed on key pages
- Cleaned metadata gaps on important donation related pages
- Improved internal links so the donate path was visible on more pages
End of April 2025 results:
- Donations from organic: 57
- Organic sessions: 3,420
- Top 10 keywords: 26
May 2025: Donation intent pages created for Portland searches
In May, we built the pages that align with donor intent. Instead of only having a single donate page, we created supporting pages that explain why to donate, how funds are used, and who benefits. We also added Portland relevant language naturally, so local donors felt the mission was close to them.
Work completed:
- Built new donation support pages: why donate, where funds go, impact overview
- Added donor FAQs to reduce hesitation and increase trust
- Improved site navigation so donate actions were always easy to find
End of May 2025 results:
- Donations from organic: 65
- Organic sessions: 3,870
- Donation conversion rate: 1.1%
June 2025: Program pages strengthened and internal linking improved
In June, we strengthened program pages because donors often want to support a specific program. We also improved internal linking from blogs and updates into program pages and donation pages. This helped both rankings and conversion paths.
Work completed:
- Expanded 6 program pages with clear outcomes and donation prompts
- Added internal links from 14 older posts into donation and program pages
- Improved page headings and content clarity for donor intent
End of June 2025 results:
- Donations from organic: 73
- Organic sessions: 4,260
- Top 10 keywords: 41
July 2025: Local SEO, credibility, and community signals
In July, we added stronger local signals and credibility content. For nonprofits, trust matters as much as rankings. We improved transparency sections, added impact stories, and strengthened local relevance by updating key pages with Portland related context where it fit naturally.
Work completed:
- Added impact story sections and proof blocks on key pages
- Improved local relevance across program and volunteer pages
- Built a small set of local mentions and directory listings
End of July 2025 results:
- Donations from organic: 86
- Organic sessions: 4,820
- Donation conversion rate: 1.3%
August 2025: Content targeting common donor questions
In August, we used Search Console data to find what people were asking and searching. We created simple pages that answered those questions clearly, like how donations are used, tax related questions, and what makes the organization different. These pages improved trust and brought in donors who were ready to give.
Work completed:
- Published donor FAQ pages and updated existing FAQs
- Improved title tags and descriptions to lift click through rate
- Built stronger internal linking to donation pages from high traffic content
End of August 2025 results:
- Donations from organic: 98
- Organic sessions: 5,350
- Top 10 keywords: 62
September 2025: Conversion improvements on donation pages
In September, we focused on getting more people to complete donations. We reduced friction in the donation flow and improved clarity around security and privacy. We also tested placement of donate buttons and simplified donation page layout.
Work completed:
- Improved donation page layout and reduced distractions
- Added stronger trust elements: security messaging, privacy clarity, transparency links
- Improved mobile donation experience and button visibility
End of September 2025 results:
- Donations from organic: 108
- Organic sessions: 5,820
- Donation conversion rate: 1.5%
October 2025: Push pages into higher rankings for donation intent terms
In October, we targeted pages that were ranking between positions 4 and 15 for donation related searches. Small improvements can move these pages into top spots, and that often increases conversions quickly. We expanded sections, improved headings, and strengthened internal links pointing to those pages.
Work completed:
- Updated 10 pages based on query data and ranking opportunities
- Added new sections to donation support and program pages
- Improved internal linking flow to the donation completion page
End of October 2025 results:
- Donations from organic: 115
- Organic sessions: 6,240
- Top 10 keywords: 77
November 2025: Stabilize results and scale what worked
In November, we focused on stability and scaling. We merged overlapping pages to prevent competition, improved speed again after months of content updates, and created a simple content plan for the next stage. We also strengthened seasonal donation messaging without making it look pushy.
Work completed:
- Merged overlapping content and cleaned index clutter
- Improved page speed on top donation entry pages
- Refined seasonal donation copy and calls to action
End of November 2025 results:
- Donations from organic: 120
- Organic sessions: 6,580
- Donation conversion rate: 1.6%
- Top 10 keywords: 84
Before vs After Proof: Donation Growth From SEO
This before vs after proof uses the same donation tracking setup from start to end. In March 2025, donations from organic search were 50 per month. In November 2025, donations from organic search were 120 per month.
Before vs after proof:
- March 2025: 50 donations from organic
- November 2025: 120 donations from organic
- Increase: 140%
Supporting metrics that explain the lift:
- Organic sessions: 3,100 to 6,580
- Donation conversion rate: 0.9% to 1.6%
- Top 10 keywords: 18 to 84
Why the 140% Increase Happened: The Real Drivers
The growth happened because we aligned the website with donor intent and built trust. Donors do not just want to see a donate button. They want to understand impact, transparency, and where money goes. So we created clear donation support pages and improved program pages so donors could connect emotionally and logically.
The second driver was improving the donation flow. Faster pages, clearer calls to action, and better mobile experience reduced drop offs. The third driver was rankings, because more top 10 visibility brought in more people who were already searching to donate in Portland, not random visitors.
Challenges We Managed During the Campaign
Nonprofit SEO comes with unique challenges. Some content is emotional and time sensitive, and the team often has limited time for website updates. We kept changes simple and focused on pages that donors use most. We also avoided overloading the site with too many pages and instead improved a smaller set of high impact pages.
Another challenge was making donation messaging stronger without sounding salesy. We focused on clarity and transparency, not pressure. That approach helped the nonprofit gain trust while still increasing conversions.
What Other Nonprofits Can Copy From This Campaign
These steps are repeatable for many nonprofits, especially those focused on a city like Portland. The key is to balance visibility and trust, because both are needed for donation growth.
What to copy:
- Track donations properly first, including thank you page completion events
- Improve speed and usability because donors often use mobile
- Build donation support pages, not only a single donate page
- Strengthen program pages with outcomes and clear calls to action
- Use Search Console monthly to update pages based on real donor queries
Final Summary
From March 2025 through November 2025, Goforaeo helped a nonprofit in Portland, Oregon increase monthly donations from organic search from 50 to 120, proving a 140% increase through SEO. The campaign combined technical improvements, donation intent content, local trust signals, and conversion improvements on the donation flow.
The result was steady growth supported by higher rankings, more qualified organic traffic, and a clearer donation path. Most importantly, the increase came from donors who were already searching for ways to give in Portland, which made the results consistent and sustainable.