As a nonprofit, your website serves as one of the most important marketing pieces to your organization.
It drives donations.
It spreads your mission.
It creates followers.
It inspires volunteers.
How your website is built can determine the outcome of its success. You certainly don’t want to take it lightly, and nor should you neglect the power of what a website can do for your nonprofit.
Here’s some tips and advice on what you should include in your nonprofit website design.
Make it easy to donate
Arguably the #1 reason for your nonprofit website design, is the collection of donations. This is a driving force for your nonprofit, after all.
There are essentially 3 aspects that go into making donation a breeze:
- Make a standout ‘Donate’ button, usually in your header/navigation.
- Only use the essential form fields required of the user to donate. It’s a turn off when you have 2-dozen fields asking too many questions, unrelated to just wanting to donate.
- Use a reliable, secure form so that your user feels comfortable entering their credit card info.
Tell your mission loud and clear
Every nonprofit has a purpose — what they call a ‘mission’. For every nonprofit website, you absolutely need to make it crystal clear what it is you do, and what your mission is.
As a website visitor, if I’m going to want to get involved, I want to know what it is I’m contributing my time and/or money to.
The more clear your mission is, I believe the higher chance of converting that visitor into a contributor to your organization.
Often times, it’s best to spell out your mission right on your homepage — a solid 2-3 sentence paragraph — and then go more in-depth about your cause on a separate ‘About’ page.
Keep it updated!
One of the worst things you can do by having a nonprofit website, is by not keeping it updated.
What are you up to? What events have you had? What new donation campaigns are you running?
The more you keep your website updated, the more your audience will engage. Imagine going to a nonprofit website and seeing photos from an event 3 years ago. It leaves you wondering…does this nonprofit still exist? I personally wouldn’t donate my money if this was the scenario.
Make it appealing & engaging
It goes without saying that a stale, unattractive website is a turn-off. In fact, 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout are unattractive. Now throw in the fact that you’re wanting them to donate, and I’m sure the number grows.
Here’s some tips on making your website appealing:
- GREAT imagery — don’t use images from your phone. Get professional photos that will evoke emotion and draw the visitor in.
- Custom graphics — Fun, custom graphics to pair with your mission/purpose will go a long way in keeping your visitor engaged and intrigued. Charity Water does an excellent job at this.
- Colors — In website and graphic design, the color palette you choose plays a large role in how your site will be seen. Avoid bold colors of red and black, as these often turn users away, but lean in towards inviting colors like yellow, green, blue, and orange.
Want to know more?
I’d love to setup a quick call with you to chat about your nonprofit website design. Whether you’re in the market for a brand new redesign, or just looking for a refresh, let’s get in touch.
