Thursday, July 23, 2009

Benefits of Non-profit Flash Design

Non-profit website has to offer and encourage becoming involved more than an ordinary web presence.

But non-profit designs are much alike any other website according to the practices they maintain. They should be friendly to users, possess easy navigation, appropriate design elements, such as fonts and colors, and nice design in general.

But how to create a good website if your organization is non-profit and web design services are not so cheap today? Of course, you can make use of website templates which in great variety possess ease at use and are quite affordable at present. Taking into account contemporary development of web technologies, the most popular layouts which will appear an excellent choice for any kind of website are flash templates, due to their interactive features and live action facilities. They are considered to be the best solution for your non-profit website as well as they help you to embody the aims of your non-profit organization within your website design in the most effective and successful way.

As your non-profit organization website is aimed at addressing to people and encouraging them to get involved in some particular activity, you should draw their attention to the most important sections of your website. Making use of flash technology you will create the most impressive and vivid banners to solicit donations, invite donors, volunteers, and media to collaboration. Such indicators will be undoubtedly noticed by all visitors and won't leave them indifferent.


Your non-profit organization site is also pointed at familiarizing people and other organizations with the particular field of social activity you are involved in, which means that you should present relevant content and information. Using flash technology to establish your website you will be able to fill it with most sufficient content, including topical animations, videos and audios for making the most dramatic impression.

Besides, your non-profit organization website designed on the basis of flash templates will cause no obstacles with cross-browser compatibility. It will run smoothly on every computer where Flash Player is installed, no matter what kind of web browser the viewer uses. So this is another benefit of establishing flash-based website for your non-profit activity.

Flash technology helps you to establish the most striking dynamic website for your non-profit organization which will address to hearts of all visitors persuading them to donate and help.
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Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Do It Yourself or Do It For You? Weighing Out Your Website Options

Not Internet savvy? You can still take control of your website. (Photo by eiskalt)
Being a non-profit doesn't mean you have to scrimp on everything. Start by hiring a professional, then take over

We all know that financial resources are an important asset for non-profit organizations. Non-profits simply don't have the luxury to spend on projects or events that do not contribute to the accomplishment of their goals, whatever these may be.

There was a time that websites or webspaces were considered a luxury by many people. But as Internet usage grew, it is unquestionable that web presence is an important asset as well, especially for non-profits that need to spread awareness about their goals and their very existence.

Unfortunately, having a website is not enough; if you're not going to have an effective website, you may as well not have a website. Effective non-profit websites are attractive and communicates to visitors immediately what the organization is all about. Its purpose is not only to provide information about the non-profit, but also to attract visitors to supporting or joining the non-profit.

Words are not enough. Websites are a highly graphic experience, so the overall look and feel of a website should be perfect for a non-profit. Here is where we now ask: would it be better to do it yourself, or have somebody else do it for you? Both options have its pros and cons that are well worth considering. However, do remember that you are not limited to choosing just one option, since you can do both anyway. This will come in stages.

Do It For You

As mentioned before, your non-profit website should give visitors an idea of what your organization is all about; plus, it must be pleasing to the eye, easy to use, and functional all in one. This probably sounds pretty complicated if you're not into surfing the net or web design in general. Even if you do have an idea of what you'd like your website to look like, you may not have the skills, knowledge, or software to execute it.

Having a website is important, but worrying about the web design should probably not be the priority. Even if you have staff that has basic knowledge of HTML, hiring professional web designers is still a better option since initially, they would be able to work not only on the web design, but also the website's usability and search engine optimization (an awesome design does not necessarily translate to user- and search engine-friendliness). You're paying web designers for their knowledge of coding, graphic design, web design trends, and visual communication; thus it may be best to leave your website's design to the experts (at least at first).
Useful tips:
  • Check the portfolio of the designers that you're planning to hire. You will see right away if their design philosophies match with your taste or your organization's needs.
  • Web designers usually have testimonials on their websites. Review these testimonials and the websites created for these clients, to see if they really were actual clients. You can also contact these clients via their websites.
  • More expensive does not necessarily translates to better. There are a lot of web designers out there that offer relatively affordable rates especially to non-profits.
  • Why not go for the whole package? Instead of just enlisting the services of a designer, go for a web development firm that offers web design with a content management system.

Do It Yourself

After having your website created for you, the next step is maintaining it. With the right website software/provider, you can still have the capacity to update your website, whether or not you are Internet savvy. Maintaining a website basically involves updating the content regularly, posting pictures and updates, and quality assurance - making sure that all the pages of your website are active and do not have broken links or images.

If your web designer tells you that you need him/her to update your website, consider hiring somebody else instead. Ideally, your web designer will be in charge of the design, but not the maintenance. That's why many web designers use content management systems so that their clients can be independent from them and update their websites by themselves.
Useful tips:
  • Always update your website's content regularly. Some visitors may go to your non-profit website to check out the news, events, and activities that your organization is involved in.
  • Keep your website's content short, simple, legible, and plain. Your website is not a scientific journal so you don't need to impress anybody with heavy jargon.
  • Try to learn a thing or two about image editing so you won't have to rely on web/graphic designers for the photos or images you'll put on your website.

How do you know you're ready?

Once your designer has set up the essential non-profit website elements, you can start easing yourself in and eventually takeover the maintenance of your website. While your web designer is coming up with a the mock design for your site, start working on the content so that when the template is ready, all you'll need to do is insert your content. Some web development firms offer support and training that can help you understand the backend and how to update your web site.

What technique works/worked for you? Let us know what you think!
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Monday, April 13, 2009

What Should You Put In Your Non-Profit Website?

Photo by scataudo
To survive the Internet, always remember that Content is King

Websites are basically online publications that show the world what your non-profit is all about. I've seen a lot of individuals or organizations that get so much into the hype of creating their own website, but once they have it up and running, they neglect to update its content. That is a major no-no, for both search engines and real-people visitors alike. Unfortunately, this happens because many people or organizations make websites thoughtlessly. They don't have a clear vision of what the website will become, or how it will serve their purpose.

For most non-profit websites, the primary goal is to establish an online presence, so that people can have access to information about your organization easily and anytime they like. Sometimes, you might find yourself running out of ideas on what to put on your non-profit website or blog. The trick to keeping an updated website is to have a list of categories for your content that should serve as a guide while brainstorming for content.

The following are some useful content categories for your website:

Your non-profit's events or activities

If your organization has a lot of activities going on, then your non-profit website is the best place to announce and document these events. Keep a calendar events on your homepage to let people know upcoming events and how they can participate. Then while these events take place, take some pictures and create a short or long recap on what happened during the event. This not only adds content to your website, this also lets people all over the world see what your non-profit is doing and how you're succeeding at it.

Your non-profit's point of views

This would basically serve fill out the News section for your website. Contantly talk about current events, causes, and other issues that affect your non-profit's mission. For example, Greenpeace.org has a Greenpeace News section where they keep track of environmental laws, movements, and actions that are against or for their cause. Of course, don't be lazy enough to copy and paste news stories from other news websites; just be sure to take a quote or two, then add your thoughts or comments about the story.

Your non-profit's expertise

Majority of people out there surf the Internet to search for directions, instructions, or basically tutorials on how to do something. Why not use this to your own advantage? Writing about stuff you know helps your visitors learn something from your website. For example, if you're a non-profit that supports underpriviliged kids in schooling, then go write on your experiences about how you befriend a child, make them feel safe, have fun with them, etc. Talking about your experiences and expertise can also benefit you in the long run, because as you look back, you'll get to see the things you've learned and how much you've improved since then.


Ideally, your non-profit website or blog should be updated every week, to keep people interested and coming back. A regularly updated website also improves your website's ranking in search engine result pages. Keeping your non-profit website updated should be a breeze, and you shouldn't worry too much whether your audience will like what they see. Just be honest and have fun. Plus, make sure that you don't get too stressed when updating your website, or else you'd really lose interest in doing it and see it as a task. You can avoid unnecessary stress by using a convenient Site Builder that helps you focus only on what you type and frees you technical issues like layout, publishing, and HTML.
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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Recognizing Volunteer Efforts Using Your Non-Profit Website

Use your website to show appreciation to your volunteers
Use the Internet to proclaim to the world just how great your volunteers are -- trust us, they'll appreciate it

Volunteers are angels in disguise. If it weren't for volunteers, organizations might find it difficult to go through its daily operations without digging into the non-profit's funds. Volunteers enable non-profits to help others, achieve their mission, and get far. What's more is that volunteers aren't people that are idle and don't live busy lives. Oftentimes, they come to the non-profit headquarters straight from work, during weekends, or in-between. They fit volunteer work into their busy schedules, just so they could help out.

Now that we've established how great volunteers are, no matter what they do, it's high time we do something great to recognize their efforts. They may say that a simple thank you or a small gesture is all they need, but if you can show your appreciation in an easy way, without making them feel obliged, why not do it? Your non-profit website is a communication gateway not just for people wanting to know more about your organization, but also for people already in your organization.

Non-profits are about maximizing their resources, so you may as well maximize your non-profit website and use it as a tool to recognize the work your volunteers have done.

Dedicate a page for your volunteers

There's no limit to the number of web pages (at least in the web sites we provide), so there is no reason to skimp on this. Call this page "Our Volunteers" or "Awesome Folks" or whatever term you refer to your volunteers. On this page, you can feature success stories and recognize the individual accomplishments of the people that volunteer for your organization. You can update this page on a weekly or monthly basis, depending on your time. It's better if these stories are told from their own words - what challenges they faced while working on a particular task, and how they got to overcome these challenges and accomplished the work.

Have a Volunteer-of-the-Month feature in your non-profit website

If for-profit firms can hold Employee of the Month recognition awards, your non-profit organization can do so too. However, if there aren't enough funds to hold such an event, you can use the non-profit website instead. Create a feature page for the Volunteer of the Month - show some pictures, do an interview, share his/her story, why and how he got into volunteering, his other volunteering efforts, and life outside of volunteering. Once the page is created, send an email newsletter to all subscribers or users of the website so they'll know about it.

Store volunteer resources online

Make your volunteers' life a bit easier by uploading guidelines, documents, and forms that they would need. Just be sure that these documents are not private or confidential, if you're storing them on a public web page. Alternatively, you can make use of free services like Google Docs to store your documents, and include the emails of your volunteers on the collaboration list so they can have access to it.

Provide an update on the people you help

Volunteers are happiest when they see that the people that they've helped have succeed in life, that somehow, their efforts did not go to waste. Create another "Success Stories" page, this time for your clients, so that the volunteer teams that were involved would see how they have succeeded in helping these folks. For example, if your non-profit organization is into helping children find the right education, go ahead and feature the ones that made it through college, have graduated and found better jobs. Get in contact with them and we're positive that they'll tell you, in their own words, how great their volunteer tutors were.


These are just some ideas to get you started. There are still so many ways to show your appreciation to the amazing volunteers that you have, whether online or offline. Whatever method you choose, always be sure that you keep your volunteers motivated and appreciated. There's no greater reward than for them to know that they are doing something worthwhile and that they are recognized for it.
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Friday, March 20, 2009

Great Internet Services to Promote Your Non-Profit Website

It's about time you "techie-fy" your organization and make use of these popular Internet services

Non-profits are essentially bootstrapping organizations, so you must always be on the lookout for free services that provide an effective means to further your organization and raise more funds. Some companies that do not necessarily exclusively target non-profits still offer great services that can be maximized by your organization.

Google Grants

When you do a search using Google, have you ever noticed the Sponsored Links row or column at the top of the page? These are link ads that have been paid for using Google AdWords. A brief explanation on how AdWords works. You create an AdWords account, then select and purchase keywords where you'd like your ad to appear in. For example, if you pay for the keywords "non-profit resources" and somebody does a Google search using these terms, your ad will appear in the Sponsored Links section of the results page for this search. It's a lot more complicated since you'd have to gauge which keywords are often used and how much you are willing to pay for them, but in a nutshell, it works like that.

Google Grants works exactly the same way as Google AdWords, except it provides these keywords for free to eligible non-profit organizations. Using Google Grants, you can promote your non-profit website for free to your targeted public. If you want people interested in cancer benefits to know about your organization, then select the keywords these people would most likely type in their search. Google provides a daily keyword budget of $329 to non-profits that meet their requirements. It's a pretty good deal considering how popular Google is as a search engine, and how reliable they are as an Internet service.

Facebook Pages

Facebook is a popular social networking tool, and it has 175 million active users. Pages is a feature in Facebook where you can create a page that looks like a profile for your organization, except more than one users from your non-profit can update and administer this page. On this page, you can add information about your non-profit to keep your customers, donors, and other publics updated and engaged. It's a very good marketing tool because you're able to see who and how many people support your organization (those that have become fans), and they get to promote your organization for free. When someone claims to be a fan of your Page, a link to your Page appears on their profile page and news feed (this will depend on their settings though), where their friends can see it.

Since we're on the topic of Facebook, you can also use the Facebook Causes Application to gain supporters for your non-profit. The disadvantage of Causes is that it is an application that has to be added, so you can only reach people or make them supporters if they add the application to their profile page (some people may not like adding applications).

YouTube Non-Profit Program

Many non-profits use YouTube to upload their videos, but did you know that YouTube has a special, enhanced services for non-profits? By signing up with the YouTube Non-Profit Program, your organization gets increased upload capabilities and premium branding for your non-profit channel. If your non-profit produces a lot of video campaigns then you will definitely benefit from this service, since it will save you server space, bandwidth usage, and let your supporters spread the video through embedding or passing on the link.

Free press release distribution sites

Spread the word about your products or services using free press release distribution sites. Press release distribution is an neat SEO trick that increases your non-profit organization visibility in search engine results pages. Just search for "free press release distribution" and you'll find dozens of lists and services. The downside is, some of these services are not that easy to use, may offer limited benefits, and try to get you to upgrade to a paid service. You could opt with paid press release distribution sites too, if your budget allows it, but in my opinion, the free ones are already effective enough.


There are so many other great sites out there that do not necessarily target non-profits, but do have non-profit enabling services (intentionally or not). You just have to do your research and be a little more creative when using these services.

Of course, most of these surprise marketing tools will be useless unless you have an official non-profit website. After all, what's the use of having an advertisement in Google result pages or Facebook pages if you can't point them to a direction where they can formally learn more about your organization? And remember, promoting your website is just the beginning of the marketing process; to retain donors you have to keep them involved using online non-profit tools such as email newsletters, online event calendars, and online donations forms.
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Sunday, March 15, 2009

Create a Hassle-Free Nonprofit Website

When you're targeting all kinds of visitors with different backgrounds, it's best to keep your site as easy to view as possible

Web 2.0 enables us to enhance our websites through so many ways, and a popular and easy method comes in the form of applets. Applets or widgets are developed to inject more dynamism, personality and interactivity in the seemingly impersonal system that is the Internet. With so many free and affordable scripts and widgets, it becomes so easy to indulge and add everything to your website.

Widgets require certain technical requirements for the user to view them properly, like JavaScript-enabled browsers, fast Internet speeds, and screen resolutions. Not all people have the same set of software and computer know-how, though. Your goal for your website may be to impress your visitors, but going crazy with the thingamajigs may turn them off all the more. Or, your visitors may not get what they intended to find when viewing your website, because all the widgets and dynamic content (i.e., automatic streaming music, pop-ups) distract them away from important information.

The website is a very effective tool for reaching the public; depending on its quality, nonprofit websites can help generate attention, funds, and volunteers. Sometimes, we badly want our website to be so impressive that we tend to overdo the design and add all kinds of applets that make the site look fancy to us. But in the process, we realize that implementation is not as easy as we had thought (or had been promised to). Based on experience, some unwanted results that applets usually cause include the page suddenly crashing, the layout is altered, some content or parts of the page disappear, or an annoying error dialog box appears every time the page loads.

As a non-profit organization, understanding diversity should come naturally. We all have different experiences, situations, and opportunities - computer and Internet usage included. The problem with with web design is that we can't impose to everyone what their systems should be like, just so they can view the website properly. Of course, some will tell you to download Adobe Flash or have JavaScript enabled, but they do so because having these programs are essential for the web site's functionality. If it's just for widgets or unnecessary scripts, you cannot and must not tell your visitors to enable JavaScript or download certain programs.

Even when you find that the widgets you're using all work properly, think again. The overall code may be compatible with your computer's system, but it may not be with other configurations. If your nonprofit website is a little more complicated (i.e., contains a lot of JavaScript and other scripts), testing is a must. Try browsing your website using different browsers and versions of these browsers, and in different operating systems and Internet speeds. If multiple computers are not available, an easy route would be to test via free compatibility testing providers like Browser Shots. (You can find more providers in Smashing Magazine's excellent review.)

Keep It Simple, Stupid" (KISS) is a great principle to live by when creating or designing a nonprofit website. As it frankly tells us, it is wiser to keep certain things at a minimum. "You Aren't Gonna Need It" (YAGNI) is another great philosophy. Although coined for software engineering, I think it applies to web design as well - don't add widgets or scripts that your visitors will not need. A personal philosophy of mine is "Don't Go Crazy", (DGC) but it doesn't make much for a witty acronym, does it?

Before I wrap this up, here are some tips to keep in mind before implementing scripts or widgets:
  1. Ask yourself: does your website really need it?
  2. Ask yourself: is there no simple way to achieve/implement the desired results/actions? (e.g., using Flash or an image rotator script when you can use an animated GIF instead)
  3. Check the size and compatibility information before placing the script or widget. JavaScript libraries usually include this information.
  4. Set a maximum number of widgets to be added to your page.
  5. Make sure the widget design complements your website.
  6. Perform browser and compatibility testing.

No doubt, scripts and widgets are awesome. But just like everything else, they must be used in moderation. Use only what's right. Nonprofit websites cater to a larger set of people. The less requirements in viewing the website, the better. Creativity and interactivity are still possible even without the help of all these gadgets.
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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

An Introduction to Nonprofit Website Design

A nonprofit website should reflect the nonprofit's mission, identity, and commitment

A website is an efficient tool for nonprofits to draw people into wanting to learn more and work with/donate to their organization. Since its primary goal is to attract people, most nonprofits stay on the safe side and create a clean, structured and professional-looking website design. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to do this, but if all nonprofits move towards this direction, then there is also nothing that would distinguish one organization from another. Plus, Web 2.0 is now much more vibrant and leaves a lot of room for customization. Nonprofits should be bold enough to take risks in website design, as this is more likely to earn them points in the eyes of a visitor.

Whether you are working with a designer or by yourself, it is important to remember that the nonprofit website should reflect the organization’s mission, identity, and commitment.

Add subtle graphics and use colors that represent the nonprofit.

What does your nonprofit do? If you are an elementary school, place images of students from your school in certain areas of the site and use more (primary) colors outside the official school colors. If you are a hospital, check that the design is clean and not too bold; use shades of blue, a touch of red and lots of white space. For charity websites, graphics can be used to highlight your cause and how much support you’ve been getting, to entice website visitors to help out as well. It all really depends on what type of nonprofit you are. The more aware you are of your identity, the easier it will be for you and your designer to come up with the appropriate website design.

Have a plan for the website copy.

Non-designers may sometimes think website design is simply about the graphical elements of the website. It is not. Website design also includes the text or website copy. When planning the overall layout, think about the text that will appear on your site: how much per page, how they will look like, and how they will be laid out. Don’t be afraid to play around with typography. When used properly, different fonts, font sizes and/or font colors can help add life to your website by making certain text pop out from the rest (but don’t overdo it, naturally!) Keep the font size at a readable level. When writing copy, keep it short and pleasingly easy to read. Remember, the best way to attract donors or volunteers is through honesty – just be straight to the point and avoid unnecessary spiels or gimmicks.

Keep in mind that you are still a nonprofit.

You may have fun in coming up with your organization’s website design and that is perfectly fine, even encouraged. But do remember that you are still a nonprofit so your website should not be too much of a pleaser – maintain a restraint over the special effects, trendiness, and creativity that might appear on the nonprofit website. The idea is to be lean: maximize but not overdo and do only what should be necessary in making an interesting nonprofit website design. Also, do not forget certain page elements that visitors will be expecting from a nonprofit website.


It is always good to be experimental and shake things up a little. When attempting to insert some playfulness onto your website design, you may want to consider consulting or working with a professional website designer or a web application development company. Designers also have a different (and more technical) perspective in web design, and could guide you in achieving the maximum potential for your nonprofit website.
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