If your organization is just starting out, you’re probably trying to find ways to spread the word about your mission. Having a well-designed website is key to raising awareness, engaging with supporters, and getting the most out of your fundraising efforts.
For many potential supporters, your website will be the first point of contact they have with your nonprofit. It’ll likely be a source of information for supporters who find out about your organization as well as if they want to learn more. So, over time, your website will become the center of your nonprofit’s marketing strategy.
In this guide, we’ll explore five tips to get started with designing your organization’s website:
How to Design a Great Nonprofit Website
- Use a nonprofit website builder
- Establish your organization’s brand
- Focus on your donation page
- Add a calendar for events and campaigns
- Connect your website to your other marketing materials
When you’re new to the nonprofit world, web design will probably seem at least challenging, if not overwhelming. Fortunately, you don’t have to do it all on your own. Start by following the tips in this guide, check out some examples of the best nonprofit websites for inspiration, and reach out to a web design expert if you have questions or want to take your site to the next level. Let’s dive in!
1. Use a nonprofit website builder
While developing a website from scratch is possible, it’s not typically recommended and is especially difficult for new organizations with limited web development resources. Your best bet is to use a website builder that offers nonprofit-specific functions.
Some useful features to look for in a nonprofit website builder include:
- On-site donation capabilities
- Event registration and ticketing
- Private pages
- Blog creation
- Social media integrations
- Responsive design
Especially for newer nonprofits, the most important considerations for a nonprofit website builder are ease of use and affordability. Weigh the benefits and drawbacks of several options to choose the one that will best meet your organization’s needs over time. Later, you can always use a domain scanner or work with an SEO specialist to find any existing issues on your website.
Another really important element to pay attention to is web accessibility. Close to 10% of the world's population has some form of disability. Yet, only 3% of websites are configured in a way that will allow said users to fully access them. For your non-profit website to be considered accessible, it'll have to be compatible with screen-reading technology and adhere to certain guidelines. You can use this free web accessibility checker to see whether your existing website is accessible.
2. Establish your organization’s brand
You’re probably familiar with the idea of branding as it’s how for-profit companies sell their products and services to consumers. Think about the last time you saw a red-and-white can of Coca-Cola or running shoes with the Nike “swoosh” on the side, for example. Branding allows customers to recognize products like these instantly and make a connection that might prompt a purchase.
Branding is just as important for nonprofits as it is for for-profit businesses. Even though you aren’t selling a product or service, you’re still selling something—your impact. When your nonprofit establishes a brand, you’ll build brand recognition for your organization and make meaningful connections with supporters, encouraging them to get involved.
Getting Attention’s guide to nonprofit branding divides a brand into three major components:
- Organizational overview. Before you design your website or create any other branded content, you need to determine what audiences you’re trying to reach. You’ll also want to review your mission statement carefully so you can center your marketing materials around it. After all, your mission is why your organization exists and why you want to recruit donors and volunteers.
- Nonprofit messaging. Messaging refers to how you communicate with supporters, and it involves a variety of considerations. A few elements of messaging you’ll want to think about include how your nonprofit engages supporters emotionally through storytelling and what words best describe your nonprofit’s work. (For example, do you “help” people, “partner with” them, or “empower” them?)
- Colors, fonts, and logo. These visuals are probably the first elements that come to mind when you hear the term “branding.” Choose a few main colors and up to three typefaces that you’d like to represent your nonprofit across all your marketing materials. Then, use these colors and fonts to design a simple but unique abstract or text logo for your organization. Or consider using a logo maker.
Once you make these branding decisions, create a brand guide for your organization. This document will outline your organizational overview, messaging, and visuals so anyone who works on your website or other marketing materials can reference it to ensure your organization’s branding stays consistent.
3. Focus on your donation page
One of the most important pages on a nonprofit website is the donation page. Online and mobile giving has been on the rise in recent years as supporters find it increasingly convenient to donate to their favorite organizations from their computers, tablets, and smartphones. Concentrate on creating a well-constructed, easy-to-find donation page to maximize your ability to fundraise through your website.
To make your donation page more engaging for supporters, try these strategies:
- Only ask for essential information. Supporters often won’t want to fill out an extensive donation form, especially if they’re accessing it on their phones. Keep your form simple so you get the information you need from each donor (like their contribution amount and contact information) without overwhelming them.
- Add suggested donation amounts. Some donors might be unsure how much they should give, and many want to know how their gift will help your organization’s efforts. You can solve both of these problems by including a list of suggested donation amounts and what each amount could be used for. For example, an environmental nonprofit could suggest donation amounts based on how many trees they could plant with each amount.
- Use a secure payment processor. Morweb’s guide to nonprofit payment processors points out that collecting online donations securely helps to maintain your organization’s reputation. Supporters will only want to donate through your nonprofit’s website if they trust that their credit card and bank account information will be safe from fraud and hacking attempts.
When you design your website’s layout, make sure your donation page is as easy to find as possible. Place the donation page in the main navigation bar at the top or side of your website, and consider making the anchor text a different color or adding a button feature to help it stand out.
4. Add a calendar for events and campaigns
Besides your donation page, the key pages on your nonprofit website will be the homepage, contact form, and about page. Once you’ve designed those pages, you can start expanding your site by building in other features, like a calendar.
A digital calendar will help website visitors get an idea of what’s happening at your organization with a single glance. You can use it to remind supporters of key campaign dates like Giving Tuesday, as well as event dates and registration deadlines. Calendars also help in marketing to supporters who’ve never visited your site before—if they see that your nonprofit is working hard to make an impact, they may be more likely to get involved.
5. Connect your website to your other marketing materials
Your nonprofit’s website is an essential element of your marketing strategy, but it pairs well with other supplementary elements. Use your website to inform the other marketing materials you create to ensure your branding stays consistent across all communication channels.
You can also link back to your website with a number of other marketing materials, including:
- Email marketing. Inspire supporters to donate by including a strong call to action in your emails, followed by a link to your online donation page.
- Flyers. If your organization creates a flyer to advertise a fundraising event, add a link to the event registration page to make signing up as easy as possible for supporters.
- Social media. Let supporters know about upcoming events, initiatives, or programs through social media, then direct them to your website to learn more.
- Direct mail. Print marketing materials can also refer supporters back to your website! Include a QR code to your donation page in your direct mail messages so supporters have an additional option for giving.
Newer nonprofits might not be using all of these marketing channels yet, but that leaves room for expansion over time. As your organization grows, your marketing efforts will as well, offering more opportunities to expand your nonprofit’s reach and direct more traffic to your website.
The Gist
Designing a website for your nonprofit will help spread the word to supporters and establish its ability to make an impact. Once you choose a nonprofit website builder and create a brand for your organization, you can add helpful features to your site like a donation page and an event calendar. Then, reach even more people by connecting your website to the rest of your marketing materials. Good luck!
Guest post by Murad Bushnaq, Founder and CEO, Morweb
Murad Bushnaq is the Founder and CEO of Morweb. Since its inception in 2014, Murad has acted as Creative Director and Chief Technologist to help nonprofits spread their vision online through engaging design, intuitive software and strategic communication.
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