These days, digital presence is the modern-day equivalent of having your brand or organization posted on a billboard. Without a website, it will be challenging for people to find information about what you do or where your office is located.
Are you thinking about creating a website for your nonprofit organization? Well, you’re in luck! We’ve brainstormed and compiled the essential components of a website built for a charitable institution.
Design-wise
High-Quality and Appealing Visuals
The UX UI design is the first thing that people will see and notice on your website. It is what will compel them to read on and explore the rest of your pages. While you don’t need to make it too flashy so it won’t be too distracting, you also don’t want to keep it too simple, that it leaves people unamused.
Choose a color theme and have a logo designed for your org. Choose a minimum of two to three colors because it is easier to implement these on the design. You can also play with color theory to see which colors mix well and color psychology to determine the emotions triggered by your logo design.
Aside from the design, the images and graphics should be crisp and of high quality. Pixelated images are a huge no-no for any website.
Welcoming Theme
Similar to the use of color theory, websites built for nonprofit goals must bear the appropriate design and layout. You want to exude calm energy and make people light-hearted.
People associate peaceful feelings and warmth with trust. The more positive they feel when they visit your website, the more likely they are to jump on board with your initiatives and stay engaged with your future activities and plans.
Responsive Web Design
These days, people don’t just browse the web through a single type of device. Your target demographic should access your website using the device that they feel most comfortable using. That said, it would be smart to hire candidates who have expert knowledge of python. Their extensive skills and knowledge increases the chances of generating higher traffic to your site.
Call-to-Action Button
Your Call-to-Action must be short yet leaves a strong impact. It should compel people to either hit your contact information, donate, or sign up to join your petition. Statistics show that placing your CTA button on the right side of your website generates more clicks. Alternatively, you can create a headline at the top part of your website, and then place the call-to-action button right below it so that people can see it easily.
Some excellent CTA examples for nonprofit organizations are:
- Donate
- Take Action
- Join Our Cause
- Be a Volunteer
- Be our Partner
Contact Us
Prepare a contact form for people to fill out to help them keep in touch. A contact page will help you keep track of visitors who have shown interest in your charity. You can also add links to your social media pages (if any), email addresses, and phone numbers for your organization.
Content-Wise
About Us
This page is where you share your unique story. What motivated you to start your cause? What makes it different and stand out from other organizations sharing the same objectives? What are your core goals and long-term plans? How is the cause being sustained and funded? All of this information is essential for people to understand what your charity is all about.
Otherwise, how can you convince people to volunteer or donate? Make the content as personalized, engaging, and detailed as possible. It will serve as the “face” and foundation of your entire org.
Testimonials
Another way to add authenticity to your nonprofit website is to feature testimonials from previous partners, donors, or volunteers who have worked with you. It shows people that your projects are 100% genuine and it also gives the message that something relevant is being done and achieved through your combined efforts. It is not that people don’t want to lend a helping hand. These days, it is easy to create fake charities and scam people into donating some money without them knowing it. Your testimonials will serve as social proof that people get to advocate for what your brand has promised to stand for.
How-To’s or FAQs
Does your organization accept help and support in more ways than one? Say, do you accept donations both in cash and in-kind? Are your doors open for collaborators, volunteers, and businesses who want to do their part in helping your target demographic? If you answered yes to any of these questions, it is important to allot a page explaining the step-by-step process of how people can send help. Whether it’s the contact information for donations or sign-up forms they need to fill out, everything must be laid out in an organized fashion for all website visitors to see. If some files or forms need to be downloaded or completed, do a test run first before making your website go live. It helps guarantee that everything works and that the website is free of any error.
Blogs and Newsletters
Document your projects and events and write about them in your blog. Show people your cause while in action. It will also increase awareness and interest in your future endeavors among your audience. Aside from your projects, you can also write about social and environmental issues relevant to your organization. You can hire SEO experts to help you throw in useful keywords into your content for better optimization on search engines and traffic generation.
Meanwhile, you can use newsletters to help keep your org fresh inside people’s minds. Send them a monthly newsletter to inform them about future projects and events. Entice them to subscribe
All in all, your website should be presentable and strategically built. In this manner, it attracts more visitors and converts these visitors into full-time supporters.
