Nonprofit websites are becoming more and more important to organizations globally. Is your nonprofit website performing the way you need it to?
A powerful online presence is not only beneficial for services companies and product-focused businesses, but for nonprofit organizations as well.
Having a professionally-built website for your nonprofit can amplify your efforts, assisting in accomplishing your mission and goals.
Even if you’ve neglected your online presence for years, getting an exceptional website now can begin helping your organization, your supporters, and the people you support. And we’re here to help you out. Below we’ll tell you about the importance of great websites for non-profit organizations, and, if you have any questions – don’t hesitate to call us at (866) 806-2897 as we’re always happy to talk!
1. Tell Your Story
One of the most rewarding benefits of a great nonprofit website is that it can help you clearly and effectively communicate important information about your organization.
Get a website built in WordPress, and have a platform that simplifies the ability to tell your unique story. When properly optimized for conversions and on-page SEO, anybody, anywhere in the world who shares your passions can check it out to find out what your organization is all about.
It’s time you attract people that will help you further your goals. You’ll be able to add everything; your mission statement, vision, community impact and more. Use the blog to keep people updated on your current projects, and tell stories of how you help others, or blog about recent news and events. It’s the perfect opportunity to inform supporters on how they can get involved, and most importantly, make a donation.
Having all of this information in one central place will be incredibly beneficial to your organizations’ growth. While many people will find your website on their own as long as you’ve implemented the right SEO strategy, directing people that you speak with in-person to your website for certain types of information can be helpful as well (pro tip: direct website visits are a brand signal to Google and can help your rankings).
2. Expand Your Reach
Having an impressive, easy-to-use and fast-loading website can also help increase the organic search visibility of your organization and expand its reach.
Poorly made websites, on the other hand, fail to catch the attention of search engines. If you haven’t optimized your site or made use of SEO techniques, then you may be missing out on a lot of potential visitors.
Even if you happen to catch the attention of website visitors, it, unfortunately, may only be temporary as the general public has high expectations of website design and usability.
Creating nonprofit websites that look great, are easy to navigate, include valuable information, and targets the right topics can drive new search engine traffic. Adding a blog to your website will be one of the most helpful tools in your marketing arsenal for attracting new visitors from search engines. Blogs are the best tools for connecting with your audience while increasing your audience size.
3. Drive New Interest
Having a professional, bold website also helps anyone who is interested in your cause to get in touch with your organization quickly and directly. (pro tip: people love chat features on websites as long as a real human is there to answer.)
A beautifully designed contact page with a simple contact form and any other relative information will make it easier for people to reach out and donate, get more information, and much more.
Always ensure you have an email subscription form on your site as well to drive readers to new blog posts and news. Make it simple to have people learn more about what your organization does, how they can help, and to get their questions answered in a timely manner.
If you don’t have a great website and aren’t keeping it up-to-date with new information, it will be more difficult for people to find out about your nonprofit and to get involved. That is, if you even manage to be found in search results at all
4. A Poorly-Designed Site Gives the Wrong Impression
One reason that you need to have a professionally designed and developed website, created by professionals who understand user experience is that people may get the wrong impression about your organization if your website isn’t attractive or easy to use. These days, businesses and organizations of all kinds are expected to have a strong web presence. This includes having a professional-looking website.
Prospective donors and those who are interested in your nonprofit may not think as highly of your organization if your website looks like it hasn’t been touched in years. see it. A poorly designed website may undercut your real-world accomplishments and may reflect badly on your entire organization.
5. Attractive Nonprofit Websites Help Convert More Donors
If done right, great nonprofit websites are tools you can use to engage visitors and convert them into donors. A great website won’t just serve as a place for people to learn about your business. It can help ensure that your accomplishments and the most important features of your organization are highlighted in a strategic way that convinces more people to get involved.
Designing your donation pages correctly can help convince donors who are on the fence or who are first learning about your organization to become more interested in your nonprofit. A great website along with optimized donation pages can help make the decision to donate a much easier one.
6. Your audience can find you on the go
It’s also important to have a website that has been optimized for mobile devices. These days, making your site mobile-friendly is essential since more and more people are using the web on their mobile phones, tablets, and other small devices.
Unfortunately, outdated nonprofit websites usually don’t look great on small screens. If you currently have a website that you haven’t updated or worked on in years it may not be doing as much for your organization as it could be.
If you want as many people to find out about your organization as possible, you need to improve your website with mobile users in mind. Be sure that you’re using an updated, responsive, and mobile-friendly design for your site.
7. A website boosts Your real-world efforts
Having a great website will also make it more likely that your real-world efforts will be more effective.
While sending people to your website can be helpful for giving them more information, the reverse is true as well. Many people will find your website online and will then be encouraged to go to an event or charity function as a result. You need to ensure your website is simple to edit so that you and your team are able to continually update people of what you’re doing to further your cause.
If you use your website effectively and advertise the special events and functions that your organization has, it can influence your offline efforts. You may find that keeping your website up-to-date and looking great will help you to have better events and an easier time when moving your non-profit organization forward.
Need some inspiration to what a great nonprofit website should look and feel like? We spent a good amount of time sifting through a whole lot of nonprofit organization websites and narrowed down our seven favorites. Check them out below!
Our 7 Favorite Nonprofit Websites
#1: C&I Reach
Top 3 things this website does right:
- Professional Videography
- Professional Photography
- Detailed, Inspiring Stories
#2: Thistle Farms
Top 3 things this website does right:
- Great Branding
- Powerful Messaging
- Clean, Easy-to-Navigate Design
#3: Acumen
Top 3 things this website does right:
- Design
- Site Speed
- Clear Messaging
#4: Blue Heart
Top 3 things this website does right:
- Photography
- Page Transitions
- Powerful Messaging
#5: Greenpeace
Top 3 things this website does right:
- User Engagement
- Music
- Experience
#6: Warrior Rising
Top 3 things this website does right:
- Great Conversion Optimization
- Clear Website Architecture (UI / UX)
- Reviews on The Homepage Clearly Show How They Help Empower People
#7: Blood:Water
Top 3 things this website does right:
- Clean Design
- Easy to Donate
- Transparency in Operations
Using website design to increase the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations
Believe it or not, nonprofit organizations can experience the growth they need to make an impact in the world through having a great website to serve as their calling card and donation portal online.
If you’re trying to improve the world around you, it starts where everyone else starts their journeys: online.
It’s time to improve your nonprofit and make it as successful as possible in achieving its cause. How? You need a modern and professional website that reflects the profound story behind your organization and a website that powerfully tells the heartwarming stories of those you’ve helped.
Need help with your website and digital marketing strategy? Contact us today to learn more about how we’d love to help you better the world we live in.B
