TOP 4 DO’S + DON’TS FOR YOUR CHARITY’S HOMEPAGE
While we discuss at length lots of things on this blog about the MUST HAVES on a charity or nonprofit website as a whole, what about the most important page of all? Your HOME PAGE? There are 4 key elements that must be included and 4 that should be avoided at all costs.
So, today we let’s discuss these DOs & DONT’S of a NPO or Charity Home Page.
#1 DO
A MISSION FOCUSED IMPACT STATEMENT
Notice I did not say MISSION STATEMENT, I said IMPACT STATEMENT. We do not need Board of Director speak or legalese. We need impactful, emotional impact words that will connect a visitor to your cause and get them thinking about the impact their support, volunteer efforts and funds will have on your need.
CHECK + see if your website has an impact statement. This statement should effectively say in 10 words or less what you do in a 3-5th grade reading level.
#1 DONT
BOARD & STAFF
We all love to see ourselves on official places. I get it. AND your board, supporters and staff DESERVE that recognition. However, the homepage is NOT the place for it. It can live in a dropdown, on your about us page or even as a nice and neat button link in your footer.
CHECK + see if your website has prominent placement of your board or staff or a directory on your home page. If so, move this content to a different location as suggested above.
#2 DO
EASY DONATE BUTTON ON PAGE (& IN NAV) X2
Donate, Donate, Donate! Thats what we need right? Or involvement. (Which you can easily change out). Put prominent placement of DONATE buttons all over your homepage and in your main navigation. THIS IS VITAL!
CHECK + see if your website has a DONATE button in the main navigation as well as at least two other times on your home page where it makes sense. One in the footer counts toward your total.
#2 DONT
ADD LENGTHY TEXT
No one reads it! They will scan over it. Remember you are not your donors. Your donors and volunteers have different motivations than you do so putting tons of text that appeals to YOU, the admin, executive director or board member only HURTS your NPO. You need to craft your body text into clear and concise sections that visitors can digest. Adding in images and graphics that correlate to the items help bring home your concepts.
CHECK + see if your website has lengthy text sections. Anything over 5-6 sentences need to have an image or graphic to break up the eye monotony.
#3 DO
PROGRAM, VOLUNTEER & EVENT OFFERING SUMMARIES
Make it stupid simple and easy for your visitors to find what they need. Do SUMMARIES of your programs, volunteer opportunities and events on your home page. Notice again that I did not say full explanations, flyers, pages of review. Summaries, 3-4 sentences MAX. This also helps visitors navigate through the website if they are unsure of what you call a program or event, they can read about the item and click thru to learn more.
CHECK + see if your website has short summaries for events, programs, initiatives and volunteer opportunities. Utilize “list” sections on Squarespace to make this clean and beautiful.
#3 DONT
HAVE BORING PICTURES
Pictures make or break a website. I say this all the time but you really dont realize this until you see a super effective website with a similar layout as another and the only difference is images. If you do not have images that work well, source them from some of my favorite places like www.unsplash.com and www.pexels.com
CHECK + see if your website has boring and outdated images. Update them at unsplash and pexels which are free stock image libraries.
#4 DO
STATE PROBLEM & SOLUTION
You need to clearly state your problem and solution. Making it clear what the need is and how you address it will make it real to your visitor and help them understand your relevancy as they continue to navigate the website as a whole. Again, speak in 3-5th grade reading level, no legalese.
CHECK + see if your website has your problem and solution clearly and cleanly stated on your homepage. Add a graphic or boost of color to make it stand out. TIP - this is a great place to put your DONATE Button.
#4 DONT
HAVE OUTDATED DATA
Keeping data and content CURRENT on your home page is a no brainer but it bares repeating for the kids in the back…. keep your site up to date. This creates legitimacy and trust that your donors REQUIRE to give you FREE money. You cannot overlook this because you are busy or do not have the time or $$.
