Must haves for Not For Profit / Charitable Trust websites
At Korio, we have been entrusted by a number of not for profit and charitable trust organisations to be their digital partner to help them effectively communicate their important messages to the community. This is very rewarding work for the team at Korio and we are proud to be able to offer these clients our expertise to help them with the essential community work that they do.
Based on our experience in this area, we’ve put together a list of must-haves for not for profit websites:
1. Know your audience
This is essential for any communication strategy and it’s no different if you are a not for profit. Knowing your audience allows for the development of appropriate messaging that speaks clearly to your audience. Take the time to reflect on who you audience is in terms of demographics and geographics but also in terms of where they sit on the customer journey with you - are they new to you? aware and at the decision-making stage? or are they loyal advocates? Each stage needs a different message tailored to suit them.
2. Modern design
Unfortunately, many not for profit websites are outdated in terms of design - this can happen for a number of reasons, sometimes it’s a budget limitation which is often a perception that good design will cost lots of $ or it can be because keeping things updated isn’t a priority which is fair enough when the focus is on doing the good work that needs to get done!
But design is very important in terms of people genuinely engaging with you so it needs to come up the priority list!
3. Clear calls to action
It is imperative that the visitor to the website knows exactly what you want them to do and how to do it! Don’t be shy with this. Lead them in the direction you want them to go - if it’s to donate then make it obvious with a clear DONATE NOW button. For volunteer recruitment, provide clear information and perhaps share volunteer stories or FAQs.
Make sure the process is streamlined and not too hard or you could lose them mid-sign up or mid-donation!
Bonus: If you are asking for donations, to build trust, make it really clear how the money will used. And if possible outline what $ figure is equivalent to what service provided ie $10 equals 1 tree or $100 equal one youth counseling session.
4. Connection
Not for profits often excel at explaining what they do but can miss the connection aspect—the human element, the "why" behind their work. Sharing stories about your team, volunteers, and the people you help builds empathy and engagement. Regularly keep up the awareness and interest levels through storytelling.
5. Thank your partners
Include an ‘our partners’ page so that you can thank those who have played a positive role in the organisation. It helps if you can clearly define what the contribution looks like so that partner expectations are met. This might look like sponsor tiers or community supporters vs funders vs donors etc.
