Designing a Nonprofit Website

Part 1: Content

One of the goals behind a non-profit website should be to inform visitors and provide them with valued content, ultimately motivating them to take action or to be encouraged by your undertaking, accomplishments, and possibilities.

Does the website:

• Provide a mission statement that is easily accessible.
• Provide an inspiring statement from executive director, president, or person in charge.
• Provide a featured organization importance on the home page.
• Provide a who, what, why, when, and where behind the organization.
• Provide a history and origin behind the organization.
• Provide informative material related to the organization.
• Provide a list of board members and their positions.
• Provide a list of principal staff members and their roles.
• Provide a date of the most recent update to the website.
• Provide a calendar and/or news to highlight time-sensitive material.
• Provide a list of recent updates to the website.
• Provide the most recent annual reports.

Part 2: Dependability

Upon visiting the website visitors should feel that the organization is attentive, perceptive, proficient, virtuous, and responsible.

Does the website:

• Have correctly functioning internal and external links.
• Have routinely fresh content.
• Contain only correct and proper spellings.
• Have appropriate and functioning pictures.
• Supply a “Privacy Policy” for individual information.
• Display the non-profit position of the organization.

Part 3: Interaction

An essential behind a non-profit website is providing a strong call to action or form of interaction for visitors to help support and promote the organization’s mission.

Does the website:

• Provide an address and phone number for the organization.
• Allow visitors to filter their contact request to the correct person.
• Ask for visitors email addresses.
• Allow visitors to contribute by commenting or emailing.
• Allow visitors to contribute by a form of social media. (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
• Provide a list and explanation of positions for volunteers.
• Describe how and where funds will be used.
• All for visitors to make donations online.
• Explain if any donations may or may not be tad deductible.
• Provide visitors’ ways of how to help outside of donating.
• Provide any success stories from those helped by the organization.
• Clearly outline the services and goods provided by the organization.

Part 4: Visibility

An organization’s website needs to be visible to all visitors regardless of their physical or mental abilities.

Does the website:

• Pass accessibility standards.
• Use valid HTML/XHTML code.
• Look and function correctly across all major web browsers.
• Perform correctly when being accessed by screen reading programs.
• Have appropriately written content for the intended skill level of the audience.

Part 5: Interface

A good interface can dramatically improve the production and presentation of an organization.

Does the website:

• Load without showing a splash page or advertisement.
• Load swiftly for those with a broadband connection.
• Perform correctly on an array of different screen resolutions.
• Have a clean and friendly layout and design.
• Prohibit pop-up windows on the home page.
• Have a comprehensive and eligible navigation.
• Provide all content within three or less clicks from the main navigation.
• Provide a site map or search feature for large websites.
• Have the logo or organization name on all pages.
• Use proper titles and headings for all pages.
• Use suitable named URLs.
• Provide pertinent content without having to sign-up or register.
• Allow a printer-friendly option for longer pages.
• Use web friendly content. (Short paragraphs, bulleted list, etc.)
• Use an appropriate contrast in order to read text (even when projected).
• Visually separate hyperlinks from regularly styled content.
• Use email addresses as links.
• State the type and size of a file before being downloaded.
• Use authentic graphics and images of which support the content.

Additional Resources

You may also find the following resources beneficial. Please enjoy!

• Non Profit Website Design: Examples and Best Practices
• 40+ Inspirational Non-Profit Website Designs