Donate Charity - Principle of

Donate Charity - Principle of Least Effort and Motivation The principle of least effort suggests that on average, the least amount of effort and money should be offered to achieve one's goal (Hove, 2001) which in this case involves the revision of a charitable website to procure more funding.

The principle of least effort is expanded by stating an individual that seeks information will use the more convenient and least-cost method, using the "least exacting" method or mode available; meaning, the person seeking information will stop when they realize minimal results that one can deem acceptable or appropriate to the circumstance (Hove 1015). Some refer to this theory as the "path of least resistance" (Bierbaum 18).

Most people are willing and motivated to donate if they find a cause that they have interest in and if they are supplied with simple information about how to donate to their cause and where their donations go. Save the Children is a children's charity operating globally. Located at SavetheChildren.org, this children's charity is a multi-faceted program offering support for children throughout the world. The charity accepts donations including cash, volunteer assistance and other forms of help including food and clothing donations.

Using the principle of least effort, there are many ways one can improve the website. The organization should feel motivated to change the website in a way that will optimize or heighten their odds of receiving donations with as little cost or effort possible. To do this, the organization should first highlight the primary ways an individual can provide assistance to the organization. The first page of the website is filled with information, almost too much information.

Because of this the visitor's eye wanders from one section to the next, without knowing what section they should navigate to so they can donate in the way they are most comfortable with. While there is a donate bar located at the top of the website, it is unclear what types of donations are readily accepted.

If one clicks on the link to the "gift donation" bar for example, they are led to a screen that asks them to donate $20 or more so the website can "hand-sign and mail a personalized gift card." However, there is no explanation of what a gift card is or how it will benefit the child or the children sponsored. In fact, on first clicking the site it is not entirely clear where one's donation will go.

Most people motivated to donate do so because they want to help a specific cause. The site would benefit by reducing the clutter on the landing page so that it contains only information about the many ways to donate, and how that money is dispersed. A more comprehensive explanation can then be provided to tell the person donating where there money goes and what something like a "gift card" will mean to the sponsor. This may motivate the sponsor to donate quickly and easily.

The front page of the website also features a "latest news" section which can be distracting to visitors that want to get straight to the point. This information would best be placed in another section of the site by providing a navigational bar labeled "latest news" so that if a visitor wants to peruse information, they can, but they do not have to.

The front page also has a very large advertisement for "explore our gift catalog." Most people coming to the site for the first time will not know what a gift catalog is or why they would bother to review one. This site can substantially increase profits with very little effort by cleaning up the front page. A small "what we are about" paragraph would suffice for visitors interested in learning more about the organization.

They can then click a link that takes them to a more comprehensive "about us" page if they want to learn more. Aside from this, the front page should not provide so many confusing options for visitors. To maximize contributions, the website should stick to providing basic information to visitors one (1) who they support (2) how donations can be made and (3).