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Part 2 of 3: What Pages to Include and What to Put on Them

With most website visitors in research mode, your nonprofit's website not only has to cater to those interested in getting involved in your organization, but should also educate the majority of visitors about your organization and its mission. Remember, each page of your website is a journey that leads to a goal. In order to do this effectively, your first step should be to identify and place content effectively to guide your website visitors through your organization’s mission. Once you’ve identified your website’s goals, it’s time to start identifying web pages and content to help you achieve those goals.

 

Pages on your Website

While every nonprofit website is unique, you should have the minimum following 5 pages on your new website:

 

  • Home Page
  • About Page
  • Our Projects Page
  • Donate Page
  • Get Involved Page

 

**A general reminder**

Make sure your website is responsive, and formatted for mobile devices. 68% of Americans have a smart phone, and it’s safe to assume many of the visits to your site will be from mobile devices. Make sure your website, donation page, images, videos, and any other content is formatted to display correctly on a mobile device.

 

Now that we’ve identified five key pages for your website, the next step is determining what content to put on each page.

 

HOME

Your home page should be engaging and dynamic.  Include images and/or videos, a brief description of your mission, a clear Donate or Ways to Help button (call to action), and links for visitors to find out more about your organization. Dividing your home page into small sections will help keep it organized, easy to read, and direct.

 

Charity: Water’s home page is a great example of a dynamic home page, with information of how to get involved, and a concise description of their mission.

 

                                                                     

 

ABOUT

Your About page will be the most informative page on your site. On this page, the history of your organization can really shine. You should include your story, the crisis, your solution, and ways you and your team are making a difference. You can also include staff bios, and statistics about your impact. Be sure to add some videos or images to make it dynamic and engaging. Remember, it shouldn’t be a dumping ground for everything and anything about you. Discuss how your impact and mission are relevant for your audience.  Start with a sentence that focuses on your audience’s goals or objectives, which will demonstrate that you have their needs in mind. If you’re having trouble identifying what content to add, ask yourself:

 

  • Who Are you? How did you start and why?
  • Who do you help? And why is it important to help them? Tell us about them.
  • How do you help? What have your donors and volunteers done to help?
  • What do you help with?
  • Why do you help?
  • How others can help

 

Additionally, you might want to consider an Our Impact section on this page, showcasing your impact in your community. You can include graphs and charts, as well as videos or photos of your headway and milestones. You can also include a Contact Us sub page with your organization's email address, phone, and office location.

The World Wildlife Fund has a great About Us page, with ways to help, their story, places they have helped, and finances to show their impact.

 

                                                                    

 

 

OUR PROJECTS

If your organization is involved with projects or campaigns, you can showcase them on a projects page. This also includes areas of involvement or impact, and volunteer opportunities. You should include project descriptions, photos, videos, impact, and if applicable, ways visitors can help with the projects. Sometimes, having a specific project with a goal can motivate more donations than a general donation form. If a visitor sees the face of a person or animal that is directly benefiting from your organization, they may be more inspired to contribute.

A great example of a Projects Page can be found on CoolEarth.org.

 

                                                                           

 

DONATE

This page will be your most important, and linked-to page.  This is your call to action. On this page, visitors become donors, and donors can become members. Your donation page is your opportunity to interact with your visitors, not just inform. It should be inspiring, informative, compelling, and clean. Your donation page should be a continuation of your story. It should motivate donors to give generously. If possible, include an image of the difference their donation is making, or a story of a person their funding is helping. Donors want to know their donation is really making a difference, and when they see the face of a real person and read their real story, it captures their attention and may reaffirm their decision to give. Also, if you have reports on the impact you’re making, attaching it to your donation page doesn’t hurt.

 

Remember to keep your donation forms short and sweet. If it takes a donor more than 5 clicks to submit a donation, then you’re making them work too hard. It should be easy and your form should require very few fields.

Lastly, keep the branding consistent, as your donation page is an extension of your website. Include your logo, colors, fonts, and language.

Project C.U.R.E has a dynamic, engaging, and clear donation page, with more ways to give and ways to get involved.

 

                                                          

 

GET INVOLVED

Depending on your organization, you can have a separate Get Involved page, or you can add a section to your Home page or your Donation page. It’s up to you how you choose to display it, but it is important that you think about ways that your donors can get involved. It can be through volunteering, sending supplies, or starting their own fundraising campaign. Think about your target audience. Some may want to help, but can’t donate financially. Is there another way they can help you fulfill your mission? Maybe they can share your organization on social media, or perhaps they can volunteer with you. List these options clearly, and with photos, videos, and testimonials.

For some inspiration, check out Acumen.org’s Get Involved page.

 

                                                                    

 

Now that you have your webpages and the content, our next post will discuss building your website using the most common website builders.

 

I hope you find this post useful!

 

All my love,

 

Blondie