Imagine this: A donor mentions your nonprofit during a casual conversation with a family member, sparking an interest in your cause. Later that day, the family member looks up your organization online, hoping to learn how they can get involved. However, after seeing your home page, they navigate away without taking any action at all.
First impressions matter, which means your nonprofit’s website can make or break a donor’s relationship with your organization. If you don’t make it easy for donors to understand what you do, explore how they can support your cause, and donate, chances are they’ll find another nonprofit that does.
Let’s explore the top reasons donors aren’t engaging with your website and the concrete steps you can take to improve it.
1. Poor User Experience (UX)
Does your website take several long seconds to load? When donors land on your homepage, do they have to dig through your navigation to find where they’re trying to go? Are there too many images, buttons, and blocks of text crowding your pages?
Your nonprofit’s website is one of your most powerful marketing tools, but only if it has a strong user experience (UX).
Next Steps
Use free tools such as PageSpeed Insights to identify if your website has UX issues. Compile your findings and start implementing improvements such as:
- Simplifying the navigation bar
- Compressing and resizing images
- Adding more white space around page elements
- Breaking large paragraphs into lists or bullet points
- Implementing a mobile-responsive layout
- Following accessibility best practices, such as adding alt text to images
An engaging nonprofit website to learn from: The Learning Together website shines when it comes to accessibility. It has an easy-to-access accessibility menu in the bottom right corner, where users can change color contrast, increase text size, highlight links, pause animations, and more. Plus, it allows users to switch to a Spanish version of the website.
2. Weak Branding
Your nonprofit’s branding determines how people perceive your organization and its impact. If your website’s colors, font, and images are inconsistent, donors will have a hard time understanding what your nonprofit stands for, trusting your organization, and establishing an emotional connection to your mission.
Avoid the misconception that a well-designed website will convince donors that your organization doesn’t need financial support. You may assume that low-budget, DIY branding makes your nonprofit seem like an underdog worth rooting for, but actually, a poorly made website gives the impression that you don’t have a focused, long-term strategy for sustained success and impact.
Your website branding should be visually compelling and consistent to build credibility and trust. When donors reach your giving page, they should immediately know that they’re at the right place and feel comfortable enough to donate.
Next Steps
The Liminal nonprofit branding guide recommends creating official brand guidelines for your team to follow when working on your website and other marketing materials. In this document, include:
- An overview of your organization and its brand identity
- Logo variations, spacing specifications, and misuse cases
- Core messaging elements, including your mission statement and calls to action (CTAs)
- Typeface, hierarchy, and font style usage
- Colors, along with their hex code, CMY, and RBG value
- Voice and personality for written communication, such as casual or professional
An engaging nonprofit website to learn from: Hood Code provides coding education to youth living in New York City’s public housing system. Its bold and sleek website appeals to the eye, capturing the organization’s tech-focused approach. As donors explore the site, they’ll know their donations are contributing toward professional programs and digital empowerment.
3. Lack of Social Proof
Many donors get involved with a nonprofit because they want to be part of something bigger than themselves. They hope to join a community of like-minded people who share a common passion for their cause. But if there’s no sign of community on your nonprofit’s website, they may wonder why others aren’t interested in championing your organization.
By incorporating social proof across your website, you demonstrate that you’ve earned the trust and support of a passionate audience, improving the chances a new visitor will trust you and join your audience, as well.
Next Steps
If you plan to add supporters’ names and photos to your website, remember to get their permission first. From there, look for opportunities to incorporate the following elements into your website:
- Stories and testimonials from beneficiaries, volunteers, and staff members
- Case studies highlighting successful projects or programs
- Impact metrics that illustrate how you’ve put donations to good use
- Digital donor recognition walls that celebrate your key contributors
- Ratings from reputable charity watchdog groups, such as Candid (GuideStar) or Charity Navigator
- Partnership announcements with local businesses and other organizations
An engaging nonprofit website to learn from: Restore NYC incorporates various social proof elements on its website. It has a dedicated “Our Impact” page with statistics on the number of people the organization has served and how their lives have benefited from Restore NYC’s core services. Its annual reports, available to download for free, also contain in-depth stories about beneficiaries and the role the nonprofit played in their journey toward a better life.
4. Missing or Unclear CTAs
You likely already understand the importance of creating accessible, streamlined giving experiences for donors. While you know your donation page should be short, straightforward, and mobile-friendly, the giving experience doesn’t start there. If it’s difficult for donors to find your donation page, or they’re not sure what you’d like them to do when they land on one of your website pages, they might not take any action at all.
Including clear CTAs on your website makes it easy for visitors to engage with your content and take actions like donating.
Next Steps
Whether you’re encouraging visitors to sign up for your email newsletter, become a volunteer, register for an upcoming event, or donate, provide a direct and convenient way for them to do so. According to Fundly, your CTAs should:
- Be short and straightforward
- Stand out visually on the page
- Incorporate words like “today” and “now” to inspire a sense of urgency
An engaging nonprofit website to learn from: Lift Up the Vulnerable provides strong examples of CTAs across its website. A popup on the homepage invites visitors to “Double Your Impact Today!” explaining that every dollar they give will be matched up to $250,000. Its “Be a Changemaker” page includes eye-catching buttons that say “Give Today” alongside suggested donation amounts that illustrate each gift size’s impact.
As you adjust your website, track metrics such as page views, bounce rates, conversion rates, and average session duration. Conduct regular training sessions with your team to cover topics like content strategy, UX, search engine optimization (SEO), and data security.
If you determine that your website requires an extensive revamp or rebrand, reach out to experts, such as a nonprofit branding agency, to help you achieve your goals.
About the Author
Todd Hiestand
Todd has over 20 years of experience as a leader in the nonprofit sector. He has served in a wide variety of roles, guiding digital marketing, technology, fundraising, eCommerce, and communications strategies. His expertise in developing systems and processes has helped launch organizations and sustain growth over time.
