Nonprofit Websites

They are the front porch of most nonprofits and it is vital that they be kept spruced up and inviting, as this article from Nonprofit About.com writes.

An excerpt.

“I finally gave up on finding any information online about nearby senior centers for my neighbor. There was next to no information online, and certainly no websites.

“I then looked for senior centers in the next county and found wonderful sites for each of the several centers with photos of volunteers, activities, and facilities. My neighbor started going to one that was just over our county line and really not too far away. Our city's senior centers were out of luck.

“A website for a nonprofit or a government organization is a given by now. You simply do not exist if you are not findable online. People (of all ages) search for what they want online.

“However, some nonprofits think that if they just put up a static site, that will be enough. But, in truth, those may be worse than not having one. A website should be living, dynamic and energetic. It should reflect your organization's personality and mission through great photos, copy, and design.

“There are three reasons so many websites lack any spark, and they don't have anything to do with bells and whistles such as flash, videos, or twitter feeds:

"1. Outdated information. Consider the message you send if your website has not been touched in months. Fresh, lively content should be added at least weekly. New photos should be mixed in at least every couple of months. Blogs should be updated at least twice a week and more if possible.

"An easy way to refresh a website without changing everything is to provide a feature area on the home page for a short article and photo of something new at your nonprofit. A preview of an upcoming event; an update of a fundraising campaign; a heart warming story of a client helped; a profile of a long-time donor. These can all be slotted in at regular intervals while the bulk of your site stays basically the same.”