“The public is more familiar with bad design than good design. It is, in effect, conditioned to prefer bad design, because that is what it lives with. The new becomes threatening, the old reassuring” - Paul Rand.
So, one thing to remember while creating a Nonprofit website design, a poor one does not work anymore.
Introduction to NGO Websites
An NGO needs a medium to speak out about its role and causes to the potential donors, which is crucial when seeking grants or donations.
What do NGO organizations do to increase their visibility and get the flow of money through sponsors or donors? They build a website.
It boosts organizations’ validity and substantiates professionalism to earn the needed support.
Do you know that creating a new website and revamping the existing one can reach and attract a new philanthropist community? So what do they do to make their nonprofit websites successful to a great extent?
Well, there are some design and technical elements that can make a nonprofit website successful that includes:
Nine design tips to make your NGO website effective Must-include pages in your nonprofit websiteFour ways to optimize your website that convertsSo, how to create a nonprofit organization website? Let us get started.
The Top 9 Design Tips To Make Your NGO Website Effective
Design matters the most for websites. Undermentioned are the best tips to make your site look and feel better.
=> Simple Layout
Simple things are great. Yes! A website with a simplistic design and layout is more than enough to earn the first-best impression of the visitors. Why? They find it more readable and grasp the information quicker.
To get this best nonprofit website design thing right for your website, use an F-layout pattern as people have a left-to-right reading pattern. This technique ensures easy reads for your visitors.
Tip: Place your “Donate” button at the top right corner of your web page.
=> Friendly Visuals
What are the two best things you like about a book before reading? Color and Imagery. The rule of thumb applies to your website visitors as well.
Visuals have impression-acquiring potential. So, it is the reason many designers choose the best color scheme that syncs with the purpose. Pictures do have the same impressive role.
Tip: How to make a nonprofit website feel friendly? Use pictures with people to have an appealing feel on your organization’s site.
=> High-quality Images
Do you know that blurry images can drive away traffic? The catch is that people today are so clever that they can differentiate between a low and a high-quality image at a glance. So, make sure you embed only the best photos.
=> Simple Fonts
Are you looking to provide a pleasant reading experience for your users? Then choose a simple font that contrasts the background. These typefaces also boost readability across several devices and platforms.
Tip: You can use the best fonts like Helvetica, Times New Roman, Times, Courier, Arial, Verdana, Georgia.
=> Awesome Logo
What is the first thing that flashes your mind when you hear McDonald’s? It is their golden arch Logo, which ironically became so popular as their food.
So, logos are an incredible design element that earns recognition and delivers the fund flow to your nonprofit organization.
=> Easy-to-spot Search Box
How to cater to the visitors who have different purposes for their visit? Place an easy-to-spot search box near the navigation menu that does not coincide with the rest of the design.
=> Highlighted Donate/Join Button
What can frustrate the potential sponsors or donors who visit your website? The absence of a donate or join button. So, position this crucial element at the header of your every page to avoid any miss out on funds.
=> Clear CTA Button
How to provide the best navigation for the first-time visitors of your site without overwhelming information? Design a clear CTA that motivates them to join in any ongoing event at your place.
Tip: Place your clear and concise CTA along with images at the top of your homepage that is more persuasive.
=> Brief And Compelling Copywriting
Content is King. NGO websites are no exception. Nowadays, people are skimming through the content avoiding lengthy sentences. So, make sure your copywriting delivers short and crisp information to the visitors.
So, what next? It is time to discover the must-include pages to create websites for nonprofit organizations.
What Pages To Include Into NGO Websites?
There are no hard-core rules as to what to include and what not to include on your site. But the following are default pages that many reputed organizations go by to date.
Home Page
As the name suggests, it is the first place where your visitors first land from any external link. Hence, reputed organizations display their CTA, members’ details, ongoing events, galleries, and news in this section.
About Us
Want to tell your NGO story to your visitors? Then the “About Us” page is the space where you can narrate about people who helped you succeed.
Also, it is the perfect spot to include your vision, mission, founder profile, and the present board personnel.
Join Us
Want to make your visitor join your organization? Then the “Join Us” section should enlist all the benefits the new member will receive enticingly. It also provides all the info a potential member has to know before filling in the form.
Donate
This page delivers all the info to the new donor before donating and filling the related form.
Events
Post a calendar that displays all the dates and times of your events. Also, place a registration and payment form that enables the visitors to enroll for the event.
Blogs
Do you know that blogs are the best way to convey your updates? This section also makes your potential sponsors realize your latest activities with the community.
Contact Us
It is a no-brainer section. Just include your NGO contact info here.
How to make a charity website that works effectively? Read on to get some technical details for your site.
How To Optimize Your NGO Website That Converts?
What is the technical way to increase your website engagement rate? Then it is figuring out the best optimization strategies. Following are a few:
Mobile-responsive design
Do you know that 5.29 million people use mobile phones today? So, if your website is not optimized to function well on mobile phones, you can miss out on potential sponsors and donors.
Tip: WordPress can help you build a mobile-responsive website.
Embed CRM Software
Do you know that potential sponsors trust an organization when they provide a personalized experience? So, embedding CRM software can do this work for you.
How does it work?
The software collects the email info thru event sign-up or member donation via the site. Then a personalized communication with the person through a personalized email or newsletter is done. This simple process can pump the donation amount you receive.Use Popups
Few stats can help you realize the reach of popup ads,
Do you know that the average conversion rate of top popup ads is 28%?
Do you know that the visitor engagement rate with a brand on the first-time view of the popup is 11%?
So, use popups wisely in your nonprofit website design space to increase your visitor conversion rates.
Tip: You can use tools like PopUp Domination, WisePops, Marketizator while building a non profit website.
Testing Of Design Elements (A/B tests)
What is the secret sauce behind every successful NGO website? They test and test all their elements to enhance the performance and conversion of their website.
How to set up a website for donations? Do follow these guidelines to get the best designs.
Conclusion
Technology should not be a hindrance to your goal of serving the needy. Make your nonprofit equipped with design and technical website aspects that aids you to get noticed by the sponsors or corporate members who are ready to support your cause.
Want to create a nonprofit website? Are you looking for a professional nonprofit website design agency? Then click on the link, or ping us a mail for further discussion.
Sign in to leave a comment.