Comments on: 8 Tips to Design a Charity Website

By: James Cotton

James Cotton — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:13:38 +0000

This is a great post for people about to embark on or commission a charity website design project. I have been involved with http://www.camfed.org for a few years now and we recently relaunched their website. Good to know that it ticks all the boxes. (:

One of the most important points in this post is number 6 – “have a fundraising goal”. After we implemented short target appeals for donors to contribute to, we experienced a 500% (no mistype) rise in online revenues in the first two months that this feature went live.

Donors no longer want to donate into a charity pot to be spent on anything the organisation wants – donors want to understand the value of their donation to the recipient. Look at the Kiva model – short term goals, transparent fundraising progress, feedback from the recipient, viral marketing tools – this is a fantastic model to follow.

A big transparency issue is thinking carefully about the way that a charity org uses images/footage of its recipients. Avoid using stock images, use images of the real people you are helping. But more crucially, tell those people how you will use their images. Camfed’s child protection policy builds in this approval from the moment a photographer takes an image.

Maps are also important – potential donors want to understand the geographical context of the organisation’s mission. The more functionality you can build into maps, the better – use them for lead generation, donor acquisition and information.

By: Chotrul Web Design

Chotrul Web Design — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:36:50 +0000

This is a useful and fascinating article on designing Charity websites. I’ve done quite a few in the past, and it was really interesting considering the points you made against some of my sites. There were a few things which I thought could be strengthened as a result. Many thanks for sharing this …

By: Ajay

Ajay — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:52:37 +0000

Excellent Article on non-profit web site design.
Not only website owners but it also does help the web design companies.

By: virginia beach web design

virginia beach web design — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:39:36 +0000

i have a couple up and coming non-profit projects. this helps a lot…thank you for the post

By: Mark White

Mark White — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:14:31 +0000

WebDesignerDepot was suggested to our development team as a starting point for our re-design of a very popular Irish Charity website. Finding it enlightening and great links to other well-designed charity sites for inspration Watch this space for mid-2010 – thanks…

By: web hosting

web hosting — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:09:52 +0000

I’m currently looking for a good design idea for a website that is related with these. I have seen many beautiful and professional works here!

By: Wai Man Wong

Wai Man Wong — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:11:08 +0000

I designed http://growingliberiaschildren.org which was launched last year. Though I did extensive research, this article would have come in handy—particularly tips 5 and 6. Good stuff.

By: Penny Robertson

Penny Robertson — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:27:10 +0000

Very useful ideas. Thanks we shall use these in our new web design for Down Syndrome International.

By: Leon

Leon — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:06:32 +0000

This is an awesome post! A lot of really useful tips!

We actually used some of your pointers to develop and design a website for one of our clients; BTI Foundation. This is an organisation that was found to support the Maasai communities of Kenya and Tanzania in realizing good education.

http://www.btifoundation.com

By: Ashely Adams : Sticker Printing

Ashely Adams : Sticker Printing — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:15:01 +0000

The post was a delight to read. Even though I found the advice a bit naive, the list of charity websites was a feast for the eyes. These are some great examples of thought-provoking web design. The sites are very powerful, and they touch something deep within us that few other sites do. I think, their noble purposes elevate them to a whole new level.