A nonprofit website has more jobs than most business sites. It has to explain your mission, ask for donations, find volunteers and show donors that their money is used well, usually on a small budget. This checklist covers the ten things we look at on every website for a nonprofit organization.
You do not need to fix everything at once. If your site is missing most of this list, start at the top. Each item is small, and together they make a site that people trust.
The 10-Point Nonprofit Website Checklist
Say what you do in one sentence
Most visitors decide in a few seconds whether to keep reading. Put your mission at the top of the home page in plain words: who you help, how you help and where. A short sentence beats a long mission statement that nobody finishes.
Make the donate button easy to find
Put a Donate button in the top menu and again on the home page. Keep the giving form short, because every extra field can cost you a gift. Our nonprofit website packages include donation integration from the Basic package up.
Show where the money goes
Donors want to know that a gift matters. Explain what a donation pays for, using only numbers you can back up. If you are a registered charity, show your registration number in the footer and link to your annual report if you have one.
Give volunteers a simple way to sign up
A short form is enough: name, email, what they can help with and when they are free. Say what volunteers do so people know what to expect. Volunteer sign-up forms are part of our Standard package.
Keep your events up to date
An events page with last year's dates makes a site look inactive. Remove past events or move them to an archive, and show the next event clearly. An event calendar is part of our Standard package.
Tell real stories
Real photos and short stories show your work better than any slogan. Always get permission from the people you feature, and protect the privacy of children and families.
Make it work on a phone
Many people will open your website from a link on social media or in an email, on their phone. Buttons should be big enough to tap, text should be easy to read and forms should be short. Every one of our packages is mobile responsive.
Make it easy for everyone to use
Use plain language, strong contrast between text and background, and text descriptions (alt text) on images. Accessibility matters for many of the people nonprofits serve, and it helps every visitor.
Collect email addresses
A newsletter sign-up lets you stay in touch with supporters between campaigns. Put the form on the home page and in the footer. Newsletter integration is part of our Standard package.
Look after hosting, security and backups
A site that goes down during a campaign can cost you donations. Choose hosting with backups and support, and keep the site updated. Every package includes one year of free hosting and maintenance. You can read more about hosting and maintenance.
What Should a Nonprofit Website Cost?
Our nonprofit packages start at $299 for a 5-page site with donation integration, a contact form and basic SEO setup. The Standard package is $599 for 8 pages and adds an event calendar, volunteer sign-up forms, newsletter integration and a blog section. The Premium package is $1,499 for 15 pages and adds a member portal and campaign management.
Every package includes one year of free hosting, and discounts are available for nonprofit organizations. See the full details on our nonprofit website design page, or read how web design pricing works in general.
5 Common Mistakes on Nonprofit Websites
- ✗Long paragraphs about the organization's history before saying what you do
- ✗A donate button that is hidden in the footer or only on one page
- ✗Old events and news that make the site look inactive
- ✗Only stock photos, with no real people or real work
- ✗Photos that are too large, which makes the site slow on a phone
Want a second opinion on your nonprofit website? Book a free consultation and we will tell you what to fix first.