Posts Tagged ‘Non Profit Websites’

Website Cleanup for Nonprofits

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

computer-screenNonprofit organizations (NPOs) need every advantage they can get. Fundraising is a constant challenge. Finding new volunteers and board members is, too. And then there’s the day-to-day management of running a nonprofit: employee issues, client challenges, regulatory headaches and grant writing.  

If there are ways to make it easier, why not take advantage of them?  Tools are available to make your website more engaging—and could make other aspects of running a NPO a little (or a lot) easier, as well.

Look at your nonprofit’s website with a critical eye. Check each of these areas and consider how well your current site is working for you, and where you see a need for improvement:

Newsletter/information sign up: Ideally, this feature should appear on your website’s home page. Don’t make interested parties search all over to give you their contact information! Make it easy for users to engage, so you can start a long-term relationship through newsletters or email updates.

Donations: If there is no tool on your current website for donors to give to your NPO, that is a big no-no. These days, online is only way millions of people shop. And it’s the way millions prefer to give to charity. When it comes to online donations, if you don’t build it, they will not come. They will go away and your NPO will lose that donation.

Easy answers: Can visitors easily find good information about your organization? Is the site well organized? Do you have an FAQ page or area on the site? If a visitor comes away with more questions than answers about what your NPO does, what it stands for, whom it serves, and what you need, then the site has failed at least that person. They are unlikely to come back, or tell their friends about your NPO’s work. And there are likely many, many more who’ve had the same experience.

A Compelling Story: Is the website making a personal connection? Do visitors get a sense of the ways your organization improves the lives of real people? Or is visiting the website a dry, impersonal experience? Tell the stories of the lives your organization has touched. Use photos of real people (not real clients, of course, if that would be inappropriate or legally risky) to make a human connection with your website’s visitors. Tell them what you’ve done well, the challenges you face, and what you need.

Updated Information: Is your website still featuring an event that occurred last week? How about last month or six months ago? Get rid of that old information—nothing makes a website staler. Visitors expect fresh content each time they enter your site. Why would anyone come back if it contains the same story month after month? Consider adding a blog, which can be updated frequently with stories, events, successes, and calls for action. And, if you can’t update your website yourself, then it’s time for a redesign. Ask around your community of donors and volunteers for someone with programming experience who would be willing to build a simple content management system (CMS) for your website. 

Fresh content, easy sign-up, well-organized information and compelling stories are just a few ways to add a lot of punch to your nonprofit organization’s website. You’re sure to see an increase in traffic, engaged users, volunteers and donors as a result!

Remember that thorough volunteer screening will help you recruit and retain the best volunteers for your organization.