Nonprofit Websites: Avenues to Attract Potential Donors

Today’s nonprofits are realizing that the presence of increased competition in the sector is necessitating exceptional promotion of their organizations. Nonprofit administrators are continually developing new marketing and fundraising strategies to help them become better communicators of their missions, to foster growth, and to increase the impact of their causes; thus making the world a better place. With the emergence of the World Wide Web, charities and churches are awarded an outstanding new opportunity to market thier services, build their reputations, and attract potential donors.
Thus, leaders in the nonprofit sector are faced with the task of developing a website that will not only advertise services, but also stand out as unique, comprehensive, and, most importantly, inviting to potential donors. Charities are asking how they can and should be
harnessing the web’s power and seeking to understand how to integrate it into their overall marketing mix. Looking through the eyes of a potential donor, nonprofits must seek to understand and harness the power and the potential of the Internet so their organization will become more effective and better equipped for the future.
So what works? Items that are most advantageous in attracting a potential donor, and that must be easily viewable on any nonprofit website include:

1. Your name, logo, and MISSION. Possibly add captioned images that clearly represent your mission.
2. Photos of people-those who you have served or who represent your primary target.
3. Some way to get questions answered quickly- search on site capability or a FAQ link.
4. Encryption whenever you ask for anything beyond email address, especially donations.
5. A call to action. Make the ask! Request donations, volunteers, etc.
6. An invitation to future communication. Sign up for our e-alerts or e-newsletter, etc.
7. A link to on and off-line contact information.
8. Images or statements indicating how gifts are used.
9. Appreciation for previous donors. Thanks, logos, recognition, etc.
10. Last, not least, search engine optimization. (the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a website from search engines via targeted keywords)