From small local food pantries to large foundations, every nonprofit needs a great website. We’ll explore what the best nonprofit websites do well so you can make your charity or foundation’s website the best it can be.
When you’re creating or revamping a website for a nonprofit organization, one of the first areas of focus should be the homepage. It’s often one of the first interactions a person has with your nonprofit, whether they are a potential donor, volunteer, client, or advocate. So what’s important to include front and center? Let’s dive into what makes a successful home page.
Be Clear on Your Mission
When someone first lands on your homepage, it should be obvious what your nonprofit does and why you do it. Avoid any confusing, technical, or vague language. For example, if you run an organization that feeds the homeless in your city, your homepage could say “we aim to make our neighborhood a better place,” but that doesn’t say much about your unique mission. Instead, take a page from Literacy Inc.’s book: tell people exactly what your cause is upfront and why it’s important. Before you scroll, you know this organization is dedicated to literacy. And they immediately invite you to donate to support their cause.
With one scroll, you can read their quick blurb about why their mission is so important. You also get more information — you see within the first sentence that they are focused in New York City.
Their homepage is beautifully designed without sacrificing what’s key: making their mission front and center.
Tell People How they Can Get Involved
Once you’ve established what your mission is and why it’s important, the next step is to make sure people know how they can help! Whether you’re looking for volunteers, donors, or people to sign a petition, make sure your homepage tells people at least one way to help you in your mission.
The ASPCA is fantastic at letting people know how they can get involved with their mission. Their hero section tells you how to help animals by donating, and they also have a clear donate button, along with a section in their menu titled “how you can help.” They provide three opportunities right away for you to donate or learn more about getting involved.
Later in their homepage, they give more ways people can get involved, and they empower viewers that they can make a difference. It’s a best practice to make sure that people visiting your website come away knowing your mission is important and that they can be part of the solution.
Tell Potential Clients How they can get help
If your organization serves a group of people, make sure they know how to get help on your website. K9s For Warriors does a great job of this. They provide service dogs for veterans, so at the very top of their homepage, they include a button for veterans to apply for a service dog.
They also give another opportunity with their yellow “apply now” button, and they provide the number for the veterans crisis line. Their homepage does a great job of showing veterans exactly how they can get help through their program.
The key to creating a great nonprofit website is to tell a clear story and invite people to get involved in that story. Whether you have a small local charity or a large foundation, mastering these basics is crucial to ensuring your website acts as one of the best advocates for your cause. If you’d like help creating an impactful nonprofit website, request a free consultation with one of our allies. We’re happy to help create beautiful, functional websites that tell the story of your nonprofit.
