XcomPC Software Library - Nonprofit Website Design
In most ways, nonprofit web design isn't any different than regular commercial websites. User friendliness, easy navigation, appropriate fonts, colors and other design elements need to facilitate the visitor's purposes.
And not only does a nonprofit website need to be user-friendly, it needs to facilitate the search engines by making it easy for them to crawl and index the site's content.
Besides the similarities, nonprofit websites need to make it easy for visitors to learn more about your cause, make a donation and get involved. Media contacts need to be able to easily find contact information for important personnel. Nonprofit web design must do all of this in a way that's inviting to your target donors and volunteers.
Create a Donor-Friendly Site
Nonprofit organizations survive on donations. Without them, they will have to close their doors. Good nonprofit web design makes good use of a site to solicit donations from both first time and returning donors. In the end, you want your donation process to be simple and straight forward.
First, make sure your donation page is linked prominently from your homepage. It does not matter if use a special banner or button or simply display a link in a prominent location, the only caveat is donors have to be able to easily see it.
Next, you want to make your donation process as quick and painless as possible. Do not require them to create an account, only require enough information to process a credit card or e-check transaction. And make the donation page a single-page form if possible with only one confirmation page. This will minimize browser and connectivity issues.
Create a Media-Friendly Site
Media attention is another necessity of a nonprofit's existence. Getting media attention can have a huge impact on donations but at the very least, media attention raises the profile of the organization.
Therefore, you want to make it easy for journalists and bloggers to find information about your organization. Include profiles and contact information for key personnel, create a downloadable media kit and offer downloadable images so journalists do not have to contact you for permission.
Include press-ready quotes from members, directors and even outsiders. Make it clear that journalists can use these quotes for news coverage without contacting your organization for permission.
Nonprofit Social Marketing Tools
Create a Volunteer-Friendly Site
Good nonprofit web design also makes it easy for people to get involved. A lot of visitors may not have any money to donate but that doesn't stop their passion about what your group is doing.
Provide multiple ways for people to contact you by including an email address, phone number and even a web contact form. Whether you're providing detailed information about volunteering, things people can do on their own or simple contact information for a volunteer coordinator, you don't want to overlook this important bit of information.
Prominently display your organization's purpose
How often have you been to a website where you had to dig through it to figure out what it was about? Too often, nonprofit organizations assume visitors to their site already know what their group is about.
Considering a lot of information out there today is published in bite sized pieces, there's no telling what someone may or may not know about your organization.
Solve this dilemma by putting an abbreviated mission statement on the homepage or prominently display a link that leads visitors to an 'About us' page where they can learn what your organization does in a concise, up-front manner.
Put your content center stage
Nonprofit web design, like any other website, should be transparent. Meaning, your design should revolve around your content and mission. Consider the types of information you will be providing and the formats you plan on using.
How many multi-media elements will be used? Will they be on every page or just in a special gallery? If you're posting videos and photos on multiple pages, make sure column widths and other elements compliment the kinds of media you're using. Be sure your columns are wide enough to accommodate YouTube videos and other multimedia elements you may use.
If not, your site will look haphazard and some of your site's content may get covered up.
Keep your nonprofit web design consistent with other promotional materials
Logos and colors for both your site and other promotional materials should match. Maintaining consistency with your brand increases the chances of being recognized. While it's impractical for your site to match other promotional materials, echoing the look and feel of those materials with your site increases brand identity.
Provide consistent content too. Proofread and edit site content like you would anything else. While it is easier to make corrections to web content, it doesn't look good on your part to have errors, misspellings and other inaccuracies on your site.
Know your site's purpose before even starting
To be successful at nonprofit web design, you need to make a list of your site's goals before you even get started. Are you simply trying to keep existing members updated? Are you trying to solicit donations? Are you trying to get volunteers? Or are you simply trying to raise awareness about an issue?
Knowing what your purpose is up front and communicating it with your designer will go a long way toward eliminating potential problems. Make sure everyone in your organization understands and agrees to the site's purpose to save yourself from having to make changes down the road.
Include a news section or blog on your site
Incorporating a news section or blog in your nonprofit web design has a couple of distinct advantages.
First, they give people a reason for people to come back to the site. Offering news about your organization and,or your cause will prompt people to come back or subscribe via RSS. This keeps your site visible and makes it more likely site visitors will get more involved.
Secondly, blogs and news articles are often quoted by other blogs and news sites. Not only will this increase exposure and bring in more traffic, the links from others quoting your materials will help your rankings in the search engines as well.
Speaking of search engines, fresh content increases your site's visibility in the search engines. Therefore, if people are actively seeking information about your issue, they will be more likely to find you.
Successful nonprofit website design involves more than simple images and words. You have to make it easy for people to access your organization and learn more. Following these 8 steps will go a long way toward successfully harnessing the Internet to promote your cause, solicit donations and get more people interested in taking action on something you care deeply about.
And if you're looking for a professional team of nonprofit website designers, contact Blackbaud today and get the tools you need to spread your message and grow your organization online.
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