Creating a Donor Friendly Website
by Laurie Kish Garza
Petrus Development
Your website is one of your most important tools in your relationship-building toolkit. This is the first stop for someone searching for contact information, learning more about the events or programs you offer, or gathering information before making the final decision to give a gift to your organization.
Your website communicates volumes about your organization. A well-designed, easy to use and helpful website instills confidence and trust. It says that your organization is well-run, responsive to needs and worthy of support. The best sites leave a visitor feeling satisfied, welcome, wanting to know more and inclined to become involved.
A neglected website – and we all know what they look like – can become a barrier to engaging others in your organization through participation in events or development efforts.
Is your website a help or hindrance?
While there can be many considerations that accompany the development of a quality website, there are a few basic practices that can help you determine if your website is working for you or against you.
Know your Audiences & Reasons for Visiting your Website
Notice I didn’t say audience, singular. I said audiences, plural. In most circumstances, there will be many different groups of people and constituents interested in knowing more about your organization. Take the time to chart out each audience and the different reasons they will visit your site. For example, one person may want information about an upcoming event, another may want to know about your mission and the people who are on your Advisory Board, or another might want to find a phone number to call to have a question answered. Having a clear idea of those visiting your site and their perceived needs will allow you to be better prepared to respond to each group.
Think of it this way:people visit sites for one of three reasons. 1) to GET something 2) to DO something, or 3) to GIVE something.
Get Something – This is the most obvious reason for visiting a website and will include things such as contact information, an email address, the name of a staff member, a list of your Advisory Board, a newsletter, an annual report or financial statement, a brochure, a document, a list of events or programs and so on. Take a moment to list those things that someone can currently GET from your website. Match this with the reasons people could possibly want to visit your website, and if there are holes missing or the obvious items are hard to find, consider making some changes.
Do Something- Ask yourself what someone can do on your website. Is it possible to register as a member or for an event? Can they update their contact information or sign up for a newsletter? Are they able to download a podcast or document? Can someone connect with others that have similar interests or connections to your organization through Facebook, Twitter or Linked in?
Give Something – Finally, your website is another vehicle for allowing people to give to your organization whether it is through making a contribution, volunteering time, or providing a vehicle for donating services for your cause. Be sure to provide clear instructions for giving and ensure that contact information is included in case people have questions.
Keep it Simple
It is easy to fall into thinking that you need a flashy website with all the bells and whistles in order to have a great website. Actually, that is not always true. What most people want from a non-profit website is something that is attractive to look at, easy to navigate, answers a question or solves a problem, and is engaging. Time that is spent searching for that elusive information is frustrating and can create a negative perception of your organization. It might sound silly, but it happens.
Having a consistent layout throughout the site can work in your favor. A design with consistent tabs, colors, fonts, and font sizes is a great starting point. A branded website that incorporates your logo, colors, and fonts is even better.
Location, Location, Location
Like real estate, where information is placed is all about location. For example, if you think most of your users are looking for contact information or a Mass time, make it easy to find. Put it on the homepage or create a separate hot button to link directly to the information. Don’t bury it under layers of information that fits your organizational structure, but has no meaning for the average visitor to your site.
Reliability is Important
Your site should be reliable for users. It needs to be accurate, current and useable. If an event happened months (or years) ago, remove it or archive it. Make sure all links are “live” and that they actually work. If links on your site haven’t been checked in a while, it is good practice to do that periodically. Pages that are “under construction” should be the rare exception and not the norm.
Tell the story
Finally, your website is another opportunity to tell the story of your organization. Who are you? What are you about? Who are the people that are served by your mission and cause? What are their stories? In addition to being a source of information, your website is an important opportunity to make your case to potential benefactors and friends. A good non-profit website will have a mission statement articulated on the site. A great non-profit website will share how that mission statement comes to life through the people served. Whether it is a profile of a participant in one of your programs, or a video interview with a donor as to why they give, or a slide show that tells the story of a program, it is important to make sure that your website welcomes and invites people to participate.