6 Tips to Make Your New Non-Profit Website Kick-Ass

By Wyatt Meese

1. Consider Function First

Before your team gets you bogged down with what color or look they like for the site, focus on function first. Some questions to ask your team before putting out your RFP or bid are:

• What are your organizational goals?
• What do you want people to do on your website?
• Who do you want to go to your website?
• Do you want people to donate? volunteer? read? share?

2. Create Efficiencies

With the barriers faced by your organization, your website can help you become more efficient. There are website plugins and custom development tools that can save time and money. For example: online forms, payment processing, event ticketing, donations and automation of emails.

3. Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS)

No matter how complex or academic your organization is, your marketing goals should use basic and straightforward language. The messaging you use to reach your target audience should be simple. Don’t complicate the matter.

4. Strong Calls to Action

Ask yourself what you want your audience to do on your website and make it easy to do just that. Unlike for-profit organizations, which usually focus their websites on lead generation and sales, your not-for-profit website might be more focused on communication and organizational goals. I’m not saying you shouldn’t ask people to sponsor, donate or join your organization, but that you might have some additional actions you’d like to call on from your website visitor.

5. Design and Branding

It’s important to hire a marketing firm to build your website so they can help enhance and develop your branding. If you already have a strong brand, they can match it. If you need help with brand identity, a new website becomes the first project to help showcase the new identity. The look, feel, and colors will all fall into place on a website once this branding has been identified and established. To assist the process, you might consider keeping a list of non-profit websites you like and don’t like and why.

6. Social Media Friendly

As your new non-profit website design company is building your website, you should be setting your social media strategy as well as plan out the logistics required to maintain it. Your firm can implement the social media components into your website to create more efficiencies and boost your SEO potential. If you need assistance with your social media strategy, include it in your bid.

I know it’s a lot to consider, but your website is going to be one of your greatest assets for obtaining your organizational goals. You do good work for the community, let your website do good work for you.

Check out Idea Marketing Group, a Chicago web design company, and don’t forget to give us a chance to get you a proposal on your project.