4 Questions Your Nonprofit Website Must Answer to be Successful

Your nonprofit website is the digital front door of your organization. It’s a virtual welcome mat, open 24/7 and allowing people to get an idea of who you are, what you do, and how you serve.

After building more sites than I can count, doing client audits, and paid content reviews, several patterns have emerged.

When the story of a nonprofit organization gets shared in clear, concise, and compelling ways, visitors respond. When it’s unclear, visitors miss information about what is important and the impact you’re making.

Your NonProfit Website Must Answer 4 Questions to be Successful

1) Does it connect to the heart?

In short, have you presented information in a way that allows the reader to connect emotionally with the topic and everything shared?

Visitors should be able to:

• Identify the story behind what you’re doing
• Recognize the impact you’re making
• Highlight the tangible needs you are meeting

2) Does it convey the appropriate details?

Essentially, have you shared more than statistics and facts about the next event or that problem you solve? If this is the first time someone has heard of you, do they walk away with enough information to explain what you do to a friend.

Visitors should be able to:

• Briefly explain the services you provide
• Summarize the story of a person you’ve impacted
• Identified your desired next step so they can get involved

3) Is it creatively delivered?

Gone are the days of a boring, thrown-together website. We live in a culture and a world where delivering information is no longer enough. It has to be presented in a visual compelling way that helps reinforce the story of your organization and the impact you are making.

Visitors should be able to:

• Visually “see” the story of who you serve and how
• Quickly find data that helps them see the impact you are making
• View calendar and opportunities for engaging with your organization and your work
• Donate directly through your site without being redirected to Paypal or a third-party Giving Portal

4) Does it celebrate the win?

If the need is big enough to need a nonprofit to solve it, you need a team of like-minded people working with you. Take every opportunity to keep the mission and need in front of people by sharing the wins, talking about the work, and celebrating the transformation you’ve been part of.

Visitors should be able to:

• Identify individuals who make the work possible (volunteers, donors, community supporters)
• Celebrate the impact you’ve made with you
• See how their gifts can help you continue to serve more people in the future.

As you plan the pages of your website. Be sure to keep those four questions in front of you to guide the story of what you share.