Make Your Website More Donor Friendly

Your nonprofit’s website has heart-warming photos, a slick promotional video, and links to the organization’s continually updated social media accounts. But can someone visiting the site for the first time find a phone number to call with a question? If she does find the phone number, will it connect her with an actual human able to respond?

These are just a few of the questions all nonprofits should ask themselves before the year-end giving rush, says Caryn Stein, vice president of communications and content for Network for Good. The online donation platform encourages charities to assess their websites with the fresh perspective of a first-time donor on Oct. 22, which it has dubbed “Be Your Donor Day.”

“It’s good for your donor, it’s good for you, and it’s good for all the people that you serve,” Ms. Stein says.

Network for Good shared its “Be Your Donor Day” checklist of questions to use while assessing your nonprofit’s website and email communications. Running experiments to test the site’s effectiveness is important, Ms. Stein says, but she recommends going through this checklist first to make sure your website covers all the basics.

Ask a staff member who doesn’t work on the website to run through the checklist. Someone too familiar with the site may not be objective enough, Ms. Stein says. A friend or family member who is not affiliated with the nonprofit can also give useful, honest feedback.