Creating Dynamic Websites

The internet's now a mature medium, and now even the smallest of charities is likely to have some form of website. But is just having a website enough? What is it actually FOR?

by Alex Marsh

15 February 2011

When you're running a small charity, it's not difficult to find barriers to redeveloping your website (or to taking the plunge for the first time.)

Time and money are obvious hurdles; even if you have a willing volunteer, you may be reluctant to impose further on their time. Having an existing site that looks good and that works 'well enough' can be a powerful incentive for inaction.

Back in 2005, CTT helped to present an academic research project that found that many charities agreed that they needed a website, but didn't really know why. That's a long time ago in web-years, but that conclusion is arguably still valid today. A website ideally needs a strategy behind it - or at the very least, some thought about what you want it to achieve.

So here are some basic tips for reassessing your charity's website with a critical eye, with a view to making it work harder for you.

Think through the 'big picture' first impressions:

• Understand your visitor base and don't treat them all as one. Potential donors, potential volunteers, press, existing supporters - give them clear directions to separate pages or areas of the site where you can talk directly to them.
• Engage people by focusing on your key messages and making easily digestible statements. "We can change somebody's life by doing this, and we will do it well," might be one simple and appropriate message for the home page. Don't then dilute that with a long history of the charity's committee structure that belongs elsewhere.
• This balance between 'impact' stories and detailed background information about the charity can be difficult to achieve. Donors will want that detail - but as a secondary resource. Their interest needs to be piqued first.

A study by the consultancy firm Think found that users of charity websites are unable to find the information that they want 60% of the time.

• A website is the easiest way to provide interested parties with up-to-date information. But organising that information is key - use simple and clear navigation.
• 'Up to date' is important - a 'latest news' section that hasn't been updated for months provides the worst possible impression.
• Put yourself in visitors' shoes: donors, volunteers, supporters, press - what do they want to know? Some websites can become too focused towards one particular group, for no reason other than a reflection of the author's particular job or interest.
• Log common queries to your office, in order to maintain a FAQ page.

A website with information alone is a passive resource.

• Do you strongly encourage visitors to take action, and do you make it easy for them to do so?
• How do you convert them to becoming donors? Strong messages will engage them, but you need to make it easy for them to take the next step. Put a donation button on each page - and don't be shy of asking people to use it.
• How do you encourage them to share your message with other people? E-newsletters are easy to forward; Facebook now makes it very easy for people to share content from third-party sites.
• How might you prompt them to volunteer? Have you made it obvious that this is something that 'people like them' will enjoy?

Every page should have a call to action - big or small. Whether this is to make a donation, to sign up for a newsletter or to share a case study on Twitter - a page that doesn't encourage the user to act is an invitation for them to drift away.