Many nonprofits haven’t really thought through what they want their website to do and how these things should be accomplished.  Your website should be MUCH more than a brochure!  A vibrant, relevant and interactive website can help your organization in a number of ways.  Here are some suggestions about the design and functioning of your website. 

1.	Design a site that loads within 10 seconds. Avoid too many graphics, logos, charts and gimmicks. Web visitors lose patience quickly.
2.	Choose your colors carefully, making sure they match your mission and contribute to your branding.
3.	Black text on white page is more readable.  The higher the percentage of color background tints over 10%, the more difficult the text is to read.
4.	Make your site navigation clear and easy.
5.	Capture visitor comments.  Ask serious questions.  Give visitors something to do, like completing a survey or signing up for action alerts.   Give them reasons to come back.
6.	Decide what languages besides English you need to include.
7.	Consider creating a message board, blogs, podcasts, streaming video, etc. to help your visitors communicate with each other and keep abreast of your latest activities.
8.	Give visitors the opportunity to subscribe to an e-newsletter from your executive director.  Add an opportunity to forward specific articles and information to others.
9.	Provide visitors with excellent resource information on your mission/issue.
10.	Create partnerships with other like-minded organizations. What information does your nonprofit produce that other organizations might want to post on their sites?
11.	Be sure your website encourages donations and offers the necessary security for contributions via the internet. Include a privacy statement. Ask for gifts in multiple places – link to your donation page from different locations on your website.
12.	Use at least five off-line marketing strategies to drive people to your website..
13.	Write articles, information briefs, and opinion columns that appear on your website as well as e-zines (which will drive traffic to your site). Write to connect with your visitors on an emotional level. Be conversational, clear and engaging, appeal to the heart.
14.	Be sure you have at most a 24-hour turnaround response procedure for donations, e-mail and questions about your organization.
15.	Highlight your organization’s events and activities..
16.	Build relationships by including stories of lives changed, lives saved.
17.	Include donor stories, from a variety of levels of giving.
18	Encourage seniors to use your site by considering that they have less visual acuity than younger people and respond best to a clean design. Seniors like a larger typeface, short paragraphs with substantial white space. Be sure to include information about planned giving opportunities..
19.	Include information on your vision, the compelling reasons for people to give.
20.	Provide brief profiles with photos of your board members, with their permission of course.
21.	Put a link to Guidestar on your website (www.guidestar.org) so visitors can easily find a copy of your 990.
22.	Keep your website current and relevant.
23.	Coordinate website information with any off-line fund raising campaigns you are undertaking.
24.	Investigate how you can connect with younger donors through social networking sites.
25.	Hire an expert website analyst who can advise you about the kinds of things you need to do to help your organization improve visibility on Internet search engines.

On-line communication is only a portion of your overall relationship- and community-building effort. It should dovetail with and complement all of your other marketing and fundraising activities. That being said, keeping your website current and relevant has great value beyond just securing donations. It will bring new people into your organization’s world, grow your e-mail list, and increase your visibility. Blogging represents a promising way to create relationships with younger donors who may only connect to you on-line and many of whom donate only on-line. Treat your website visitors the same way you treat your donors and prospects off-line (assuming you have a donor-centered fund development program!), and you will find that in time you will reap the same benefits of loyalty and support.

With appreciation to Todd Baker of Grizzard (www.grizzard.com)
and Tara Mahady of Campagne Associates (www.campagne.com) for their  ideas and suggestions.