Why Your Nonprofit’s Website Matters

Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the Nonprofit room- most people choose to be involved with your organization, they don’t need to be involved. That’s why your website matters so much. Your website is who you are as an organization.

Your Nonprofit could be a food bank, looking for more donations, or a religious organization that is looking for new congregants. Whatever your goal may be, the importance of your website doesn't change. Recent studies have shown that your social media pages, your e-newsletters, etc, point to your website for more information. Think about all the times you see a tease on a social media post with text like “link in our bio” or “swipe up to learn more.” The main reason being once people are driven to your website, the conversion rates are usually higher.  Visitors can see who you are, and if they want to consider getting involved.

Experts have also found that younger generations have very little patience for websites that are poorly assembled. If your website is slow, outdated, unorganized or not designed well, you could be losing potential donors, volunteers, members, etc. A lot of people ignore this because they don't think that younger generations are their key audiences, but younger generations are the future of Nonprofits.

If you don't have a website, you need to make that dive today. When someone hears of an organization, the first thing they are likely to do is Google the name. If you don’t have a website, that tests the legitimacy of your organization. It can turn people off to your organization.  Not to mention, online donations are only increasing every year. Grow with the trends, don't be left behind. We cannot stress this enough, every Nonprofit organization needs a well put together website.

Your website is also a huge database for your organization. It can track traffic, how long someone is staying on your site and conversions. The more you update your website with timely content, key words and meta tags, the higher your SEO will become. Your content should be quality. Don't post just because you think you need to post that day. It will show.

Here are a few tips from our experts on how to make your organization's homepage top-notch: 

A donation button should be one of the first things a visitor sees on your page. The button should say no more than “donate here.” Why they should donate will be answered in other places, without having to say it.

Your mission should be visible and clear. We suggest one to two sentences with inviting text. For example “Join us as we fight hunger…”

Your upcoming events should be front and center, whether it’s your annual fundraiser or a weekly event, make sure it’s easy for navigators to find your events. A lot of people come to events before they sign on with an organization.

In- action photos of people involved with your organization. Stock images are the easiest to find, but selling people on your Nonprofit is way easier when they see live photos. They get to see who you are.

Social media icons should be somewhere on your homepage to guide people to your Social Media (a live-feed is a bonus!) This shows the promotion of your future events, people involved in your organization and whatever else your social media page conveys.