Have you ever thought about whether or not your nonprofit website has a quality online presence? Here are four things you may not be in the habit of doing right now, which could be hurting your online presence in the long run.
1. Not regularly adding fresh content
When was the last time you added new content to your nonprofit website? If it’s been over a month, your content may be getting stale. Potential donors are far more likely to make a donation if they can see tangible results of the work you’re doing to benefit your cause. Encourage your donors to give by showing them just how far their money is going. Not only is it important to keep your constituents well-informed of the happenings within your organization, but it’s also important to add fresh content to improve your SEO. By regularly adding new updates to your nonprofit website, you’re telling the search engines that you’re still relevant.
2. Not keeping your CMS up to date
Keeping your CMS up-to-date is an important security measure for any website. If you’re not keeping your CMS current, you could be opening yourself up to security vulnerabilities. You can learn more about the benefits of updating your content management system here.
3. Not taking the time to regularly review the online giving experience
Whether you’ve been accepting online donations for years or just a few short months, it’s important to regularly reevaluate the process to ensure a smooth experience for all donors. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when you walk through the process on your site:
  • Is it obvious where how to donate from any page of our website?
  • Is the giving form straight forward? Is all of the information we’re collecting necessary to request of all donors? Or am I taking unnecessary information that could be cumbersome for the donor?
  • Is the giving process fast? Does the form load quickly? Do subsequent pages (receipt or thank you pages) load quickly?
  • Does it work just as easily from a mobile device? This question is critical. We need to begin anticipating that a good portion of donors will be visiting from a smart phone.
4. Not publishing the results/impact of fundraising efforts
Have you ever been guilty of requesting funds for a specific event or goal, without letting your donors know whether you reached the goal or how you used the funds? When donors give toward a goal, it brings a sense of satisfaction to see that the goal was achieved. Furthermore, if donors contribute to a goal and they see that the fundraising is not reaching the target, they may be more likely to share it with others to help you reach your goal. Consider adding a funding thermometer for specific campaigns to ensure donors can see your progress and understand the impact of their contribution.