10 Pages to Include in a Non-Profit Website Design
Your website is one of the most essential marketing tools, so it’s imperative you include the right information for website visitors. A non-profit web design is a reflection of your cause’s mission; it should inspire potential donors by making your values and goals clear, and by presenting them with impactful stories about past donations. Your non-profit website might be the first point of entry that a visitor has in getting an impression of what your non-profit does, who you help, what you stand for, and why they should get involved with your organization. They may have landed by searching for services or were attracted by a social media post. But to make your non-profit website the best it can be, here are here 11 required elements and pages to include on a non-profit website.
1: The Homepage
Your homepage is frequently the thing your visitors see when they visit your site; a well-designed homepage is crucial for a successful nonprofit web design. It should provide a positive and engaging first impression for visitors and help them understand what your organization does and what sets it apart from others in the field. This page is an excellent opportunity to tell them about your organization, your impact, and your programs. It should also be easy to navigate and make clear what you have to offer so visitors can easily find information. Your homepage should bring your organization to life for your users so that anyone who comes to your homepage will understand the next part of their user journey. It is the most important part of a non-profit website design. All other pages will flow from that area.
Included elements on a non-profit homepage
- High-quality and powerful top image (or preferably video) that draws the user’s attention immediately.
- A clear and compelling mission statement that explains the organization’s purpose and goals.
- An overview of the programs and services offered by the organization.
- Information about upcoming events, news, and opportunities for involvement, such as volunteer opportunities and fundraising events.
- Easy access to your donation page.
- Impact Stories and Testimonials: A section featuring success stories and testimonials from people who have been impacted by the organization’s work.
- A list of the organization’s partners and sponsors.
- Easy call-to-actions that encourage visitors to take the next step in their user journey, whether it’s signing up for a newsletter, making a donation, or learning more about your organization
- A search bar or navigation menu that allows visitors to easily find the information they’re looking for.
- A responsive design that ensures the homepage looks great and functions well on any device, including smartphones and tablets.
- A clear and concise value proposition that tells visitors what they can expect from your organization and why they should choose you over your competitors.
- A well-written and compelling title headline that captures visitors’ attention and encourages them to explore the rest of the site.
- Links to any relevant external sources, such as industry publications or partner organizations, that can help visitors learn more about your work.
- Easy ways for them to connect with you.
Examples of website homepages we love!
Education Writers Association
Morris Museum
Center for Creative Land Recycling
2: Mission Statement
A mission statement is a brief and concise statement that explains the purpose and goals of your organization. It is an important part of nonprofit web design. It defines the organization’s reason for existence and provides a framework for decision-making and action. A mission statement should be clear, inspiring, and aspirational, and it should provide a sense of direction and focus for the organization and its members. A strong mission statement should be able to be understood by anyone, regardless of their background or expertise, and it should be memorable and meaningful. We believe that mission statements can be in the header image or in a video that is featured on the homepage. Here is a video example that We Are Immediate produced that we believe is very powerful:
3: About Us
The “about us” section of a website provides information about the organization, its history, its mission and values, and its key members or leaders. This section is an important opportunity for the organization to introduce itself to visitors and give them a sense of who they are and what they do. We Are Immediate builds About Us pages in order to link to deeper levels of content within the non-profit website, often called Landing Pages. It should help build trust and credibility with potential supporters and partners and explain what sets it apart from others in the field.
Examples of non-profit about us pages we love!
Senior Services of South Eastern Virginia
NYSTEC
McSilver
4. Staff and Board Bios
Having Board and Staff Bios on your website is a great way to introduce your organization and its leaders to the public. It helps to show potential donors, volunteers, and other supporters that the non-profit is run by experienced, qualified people. It also helps to promote transparency and trust within the organization and its mission. The bios should include the person’s name, title, background, history with the organization, areas of expertise, and any relevant outside involvement. It is also a good idea to include a photo of the person, as this helps to make the bio more personal and engaging. Including bios on your non-profit website can also help to showcase any awards or recognition given to the organization or its leaders. This can be a great tool to help attract more donors and volunteers and to show the public that the organization is doing great work.
Great Examples of Staff and Bio Pages
5. Stories and Impact
Equally important to nonprofit web design are Impact and statistics pages. These pages demonstrate to potential donors and sponsors that their money is going to a legitimate cause with a good track record of results. It illustrates that their support makes a true difference in the lives of those they are helping.
Written case studies are more comprehensive and detailed and include information such as the impact of your organization’s work, the goals that were achieved, the challenges faced, and the successes delivered. They can serve as powerful visuals for potential donors, grant-makers, and other stakeholders to see the true impact of your organization’s work. They can also serve as a tool for your organization to track the progress of its projects and measure the success of the programs.
But there is nothing like video to more illustrate your organization’s impact. When done correctly, video can be an incredibly powerful tool for showing the impact your organization has, both for your stakeholders and for potential donors. Video can also be used to showcase the people and the stories behind your mission, which can help people feel a deeper connection to your work and your cause. Here is an example of what we produced for Riverstone Senior Life Services
6: Program Details
The program detail page will help many different types of visitors that come to your website understand how and why to get involved with your non-profit, whether they are potential clients, donors, or sponsors. This will help attract more individuals and organizations to your cause and help create a more successful and lasting impact. This is the primary page where your website visitors find out the details of the programs you offer. Your program detail page should include a description of the program, the people (places or things) that it helps, contact information to get involved in that program, and time/location details. Your program detail pages should be like an advertisement for your non-profit with great visuals in the form of imagery or videos, in addition to text descriptions. You can also include information about any resources or support that you can provide to those who are participating in the program. They should also include easy ways for people to contact you and donate.
Programs should also include specific steps and information for individuals or organizations who are interested in getting involved in your program. This will help potential participants understand what is expected of them and how their involvement can contribute to the success of your program. You should also include information about any resources or support that you can provide to those who are participating in the program.
Program Detail Pages We Love
7: News and Updates
Updates on a nonprofit website are an important part that will inform your website users of the most important accomplishments and up-to-date stories. You should post once or twice a week at minimum. Rather than post only to social media, you can post a link from social media to your website page, to improve website traffic and encourage involvement and donations. Make sure to include relevant keywords in news updates, as this will help people find your non-profit website. Finally, make sure to keep news updates organized and easy to find so users can easily navigate your website. Filters and searches are recommended.
News Updates We Love
8: Donation Page
The donation page should be designed to inspire and engage potential donors. It should provide a clear call to action, a sense of urgency, and an effective way for donors to know how their donations will make a difference. Include visuals that illustrate the impact of the donations. Share stories of those who have been helped by your organization, or show how their donations have made a difference. Provide multiple payment options that are easy to use and secure. Make sure the donation form is optimized for mobile devices. Include a progress bar to show donors how close the organization is to reach its goal. Finally, include a thank you page that acknowledges the donor, confirms their donation, and offers them other ways to engage with your organization.
We Are Immediate integrates many different types of donation software including a WordPress plugin called GiveWP. We like it for its clean integration with WordPress. But other software that we’ve also integrated include DonorBox and Black Baud.
Examples We Love
9: Event Registration
If your organization has events, these pages offer a summary of the event, pictures and videos, reasons to attend, and the costs involved. They also provide information on how to register for the event, contact information for further questions, and a method for paying for the event. Event Promotion: These pages provide information on upcoming events, past events, and promotional material. They also include links to social media posts and other online platforms to help promote the event. Additionally, they provide contact information for event organizers and provide a way for people to sign up for email updates on upcoming events.
We Are Immediate builds integrated registration pages within the WordPress structure using a plugin called Event Espresso. However, you can also link to other event registration software or payment gateways.
Event Calendar: If your organization holds regular events, a calendar page is a great way to keep your website visitors up to date. We Are Immediate builds custom event calendar pages that include the event details, registration links, and pictures. We can also integrate your calendar page with 3rd party software such as Google Calendar or Outlook.
Event Registration Pages We Love
10: Get Involved
This page can be a landing page which is essentially a gateway for other pages, or it can be a stand-alone page with a lot of content. Content that can be included on the landing page can include both volunteers and paid job opportunities, donations, sponsorships, corporate support, planned giving, etc. The page should also include information about your charity or organization and why it is important to get involved. Additionally, it is important to provide resources for those interested in getting involved, such as contact information, links to social media accounts, and an ‘action’ button with a call to action. Finally, the page should include success stories or other inspiring content to encourage people to get involved.
11: Contact Us
Even though this is page 11, I couldn’t leave it out! Contact Us is how people contact you by a form or email information. The contact us page form should have a spam blocker to prevent spam emails. Contact fields can include Name: Email Address: Subject: Message: After someone enters their name, a confirmation form should pop up You may also want to add a number or physical address for customers to call or visit if they need further assistance.
We hope these 11 pages important for nonprofit web design will get you started in the right direction! Please contact us to get started with a new website!
