Running a non-profit can be very rewarding, but only if your audience know that you are there to provide them with the resources they need. Many non-profits fail to bring in customers in an effective way because they lack some components in their website that make interacting with your organization easy. Here are 12 ways that you can get things going on your non-profit or community website!
1. Choose A Good Domain Name
Most non-profit and community websites request donations and make efforts to provide information on a specific cause. A good way to add comfort and acknowledgment of credibility is by having a domain name that matches your organization name, and doesn’t have missing letters or hyphens. It also helps to purchase multiple top level domains or TLDS (Examples: “.com”, “.net”, “.org”, etc). This way, your visitors can always find you and malicious people cannot impersonate your organization.
2. Show the Data
Although there is some information that cannot disclosed, take the information you can show and display that to your potential donors on your site! Use charts and graphs to offer a quicker visual representation of donation goals, quantities of people your organization helps, and your placement among other non-profit organizations in your area of interest. Also, putting a quantitative value to your impact can inspire your donors to share how they have helped your organization with other people. We all love seeing number go up for a good cause, so share that joy with everyone who visits your website.
3. Don’t Hide That Smile
Seeing the real faces of the people who make all of the gears turn in your organization can be beneficial in a few ways. First, it’s reassuring that you are who you say you are, real people who want to accomplish an ongoing mission. Using stock photos to show your team can give the wrong impression that you are hiding, or that you are not real! Showing the people in your organization also make you recognizable during in-person encounters. Someone who has visited your site will see you, and then at an event, or elsewhere, they can greet you by name and recognize you as an active part of your non-profit organization. It can also work in reverse by a donor seeing you at an event, and then being able to place your amazing personality with your stunning photos online.
4. Make Forms Easily Accessible
A huge part of running a non-profit organization is documentation. Sometimes, the most tedious part for donors, volunteers, and partners is finding and filling out the paperwork. Incorporating a place for visitors to easily find and download the correct documents can increase how much people enjoy working with you. Making it easy for anyone to interact with you non-profit makes it easier for you to collect funds toward your important cause. Providing the correct documents also display that your organization is responsible, and well, organized. It will increase your credibility and make you stand out from similar organizations.
5. Roll the Credits
When proper permissions in regards to disclosure are given, go ahead and add the names and maybe even a message from your sponsors, donors, and volunteers! It benefits you in a couple of ways. Your visitors can see who is involved and how they have contributed to your organization. They may even see someone they recognize and which can boost your reputation as a non-profit. Another benefit is that this makes current donors, volunteers, and sponsors feel seen. Efforts being noticed and broadcasted are sometimes a wonderful way to say “Thank you!” to those who have been supportive of your organization and those to whom it provides services.
Here are a few more ways to attract donors:
6. Thank You Emails
If you have a large amount of donors, an automated thank you message will do, however, send a customized email so each donor, volunteer, and partner can feel appreciated.
7. Resourceful Newsletters
Sending out monthly or quarterly newsletters, with important information, to keep involvement high. Make sure you don’t overdo it with the newsletters though.
8. Sell Relevant Merchandise
To bring in more money while get some promotional materials out, sell awesome merchandise with your non-profit’s branding. The more relevant and useful, the better!
