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Your organization’s website is the first place people go to find out about your mission, figure out how to volunteer, and make a donation. It’s a place for your visitors to find answers, for you to tell your story, and to guide supporters toward action. Your website has a big job to do, which means it needs to pull out all the stops to be effective.
It’s time to take a look at how well your website is serving your organization. Here are eight must-have elements to ensure your website is a welcoming, straight-forward tool that supports your goals.
Is your navigation making it easy for visitors to find what they need without making them look too hard? If the answer isn’t a solid “Yes,” then it’s time to make some changes.
Well-organized menus with clear labels are a website must-have. They help your site visitors figure out where to go, whether they want to learn about your mission, attend an event, or make a donation.
Don’t overcrowd your menu with too many options. Start by grouping related pages together to keep things simple and use a navigation structure that is intuitive to reduce frustration and keep visitors on your site longer.
Buttons and links guide visitors toward taking action, so they need to be easy to find and easy to understand. Calls to action like “Donate,” “Volunteer,” or “Sign Up” should stand out and show up in logical places across your site.
A prominent donate button is a website must-have, and it should be highly visible. Lots of organizations add it to their main navigation so it’s always present for users.
Links within the text on your website should appear different than the regular text so it’s clear to users that clicking on the text will take them to a new page. The linked text should be descriptive so users know where they will end up.
Your website should look just like the rest of things your organization does. Using a logo, colors, fonts, and images that are consistent with your branding sends a signal to site visitors that they are in the right place.
Plus, when everything you do feels cohesive, your organization appears more credible, trustworthy, and memorable.
The way you sound on your website should match how you sound in emails, social media, and other communications. Using a tone and voice that is consistent with everything else you create builds familiarity and trust while making your message clearer and more effective.
If writing doesn’t come naturally to you, AI tools can be very helpful. Just make sure your prompt includes directives about the style and tone of writing you want generated. Training your AI tool to understand your branding and the way you communicate to your audience is an important step toward getting the best content out of it.
Since your website is a first-stop for supporters looking to stay informed, an event calendar that is regularly updated is a must. Make sure to include upcoming events, meetings, deadlines, and other important dates.
When visitors drop into your website, your mission and impact stories should be front and center. Telling stories about how donations, volunteers, and support have positively impacted your organization and the community you serve is best practice.
Pair those stories with great images that bring the narrative to life, and your site visitors will be more engaged and compelled to support what you’re doing. Photos of real people, programs, or impact can make your mission feel tangible and human.
Using words and visuals working together to tell your story will go a long way toward helping people emotionally connect with the work you do.
Providing easy ways for people to get in touch with you or get involved is a must-have for your website. Make sure you include links to your social media channels, an email signup form, and a simple contact option that makes connecting with you a breeze.
Even with great navigation, some visitors want to find the fastest way possible to get the information they need. Adding a search function to your site helps them jump straight to what they want to know. Search features are especially helpful for larger websites with lots of content.
A great website doesn’t need to be flashy or complicated—it just needs to be thoughtful, clear, and user-focused. By prioritizing navigation, visibility, branding, consistent messaging, and easy ways to connect, you’re creating a site that truly supports your mission.
Your website should work as hard as you do, guiding people from curiosity to connection to action. When you add these eight website features, your site will become a powerful tool that helps you reach your goals.
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