What you need before hiring a designer to build a new website for your nonprofit organization
After working with many nonprofits over the years, I’ve found there are specific differences between a nonprofit and a general small business. Some things are very similar - the need to determine the target audience, the need to know your ‘why’ and state it clearly. However, when working with a nonprofit, there is usually a board with multiple members, all with different ideas on what needs to be done and how.
The purpose of this blog post is two fold:
to help you to brainstorm and clarify these ideas as an organization to ensure your on the same page from the start, and,
So you have direction already when your designer starts asking you questions, eliminating back and forth emailing before it starts! Let’s get started:
What are your intentions, mission, and goals as an organization?
You should already be able to state clearly what the intention, mission, and goals of your nonprofit organization, including who it is you want to reach, why you want to reach them, why your work makes a difference, and how others can help you achieve those goals. If you can’t articulate this yet, you’ll need more time before you start designing! I talk more about this in my blog post Best Practices for Nonprofit Websites
How do your people find you, and how are you finding them as an organization?
Your designer will also want to know more about how they are currently finding you, and how you are already marketing. Are people hearing about you from word of mouth? Are they finding your already existing website? Are you posting on Facebook and readers are finding you there, but not making it to your site? Are you at networking events and conferences, or are you only online? Detailing this will ensure your site helps bridge any gaps missing in your connections with readers!
What’s not working with your current website?
Let’s get into the nitty gritty. If you’re thinking about a site redesign, you’d better have identified what’s not working, or your new designer might make you the exact same problem. Scroll page by page through your site, and look at what you know isn’t making sense. Think back about the process of making the website, and also the work you’re doing maintaining and updating it. What gets sticky every time you log in? What does no one in the organization want to deal with? Don’t forget to think about what previous readers have already told you - what have they mentioned doesn’t work on the site? Take your time understanding this, to ensure your new project really gets it right!
Do you have a team on this project?
This step gets ignored a lot, but if you’re not ready to bridge it, you could end up in the dreaded ‘Website Project Quicksand’, delaying your project for weeks or even months (“Nooooooooo!!!!”). You need to have the liaison for the project clearly designed, and decide as a team who will be reviewing and giving feedback through the process. I always recommend 1 to 2 main liaisons, who collect the content for the website, deliver it to me, and then relay designs for final feedback to the board members. Too many cooks in the kitchen will spoil your Website Soup, believe me. Your website content and design will get watered down, saying nothing to no one. Okay, I’ll quit with the weird analogies now...
Now that you’ve established some foundation, you’re ready to talk about your hopes and dreams for what your website can do for you! Your designer may call this the “scope” of the project - and it’s important to establish at the start of the project to ensure your timeline and budget are accurate from the start!
What would you like your website to do?
Sell products/services through site? Book consult calls? Build a newsletter/email list? Have a course/class/events schedule? Need a logo or graphics created?
This is a great time to examine other websites in your industry and look at what they are doing to evaluate what yours could need. Of course, as a designer, I can advise as to how much maintenance those things include, and the additional price they may or may not carry with them. The more specific this is now, the more accurate your quote and timeline will be.
What do you want readers to use your website for?
This seems really simple, but think outside the box! Based on what your end goals are that you’ve established, your website should accomplish those for you. Imagine your ideal customer lands on your site. What do you want them to do? Submit a form? Make a donation? Join an event? Knowing this ensures your site will be easy to navigate and straight to the point.
What do you envision for your new website?
As best you can, you should be able to easily lay out for your designer the overall atmosphere of your website. What does it feel like? How does it inspire you and your readers? I guide my clients through this process with visual inspiration and examples, but you can really help your designer by finding some sites from both similar and different fields and noting what you like, what you don’t like, and what you think will build connection with your people.
Where would you like to be in 6 months, a year, 5 years?
Look to the future! Let’s make sure your site is working towards your goals for the future, not against it! Take the time to consider where you’d like your organization to be in the future, as well as what you’d like to use your website for. This is your chance to build a site that grows with you and encourages your readers to join your vision.
If you don’t take time for this, you run the risk of building a site that within a few years you’ll need to revisit and spend more money on. I work hard with my potential clients to draw out this information to ensure that Squarespace will be the right platform to grow with them (read more about that in my blog posts “What is the best website platform for my Nonprofit Organization” and “Why I choose Squarespace as a designer for myself and my clients”. Consider it now, and see how your site can propel you forward beyond your goals.
Great news!
If you’re ready to get clarified on these items, you can download your free fillable PDF of this blog post to help you brainstorm with your board or by yourself first.
Once you’ve filled it out, if you want to run it past someone, get in touch with me! I offer free Consultation Calls to all prospective clients to help them streamline their goals, needs and projects. Then you can present it to your board confidently and get your project underway, organized and completed in no time!
I look forward to hearing all about your organization!
