Web design for charities
Whereas a charity label may open doors for you in the community, there is no such comfort on the World Wide Web. On the Internet, content is king. Get it right and you are often through the door and into the heart and mind of the web user.
So then, should charities and not-for-profits organisations worry about their site content? Is there a web design process charities should follow as they develop content? Is the web that different from other media? If you answered yes to all three, you are right. But you will be wrong if you think you can escape by simply uploading brochures and other printed material to your site on the web. Don't.
Content is critical for charities on the web
Web content refers to purpose written copy, articles and images on a web page which, in place becomes a window on the organisation. Content developed for a charity website will include an overview of the mission and work of the charity. It is also essential that any charity website includes provision for feedback. This is referred in web design as interaction which is a process that allows visitors to the site to exchange information. Therefore, the interaction component on a charity site will need among other areas to facilitate online donations, membership dues, banner ads, search processes, chat rooms/message boards, event listings and ticket sales, volunteer listings and so on.
You have often heard the Web referred to as New Media. Of course it is; and more than that it is all media - press, radio and television rolled into one. This sets it apart from the print or broadcast media, and the expectation of visitors varies with every click. They expect information on your site to be well-organized, useful, brief, easy-to-scan and easy to navigate as well as interact with. This is where good web design for charities starts.
Developing a web content strategy
There are several steps to developing and executing an effective web content strategy. These include: creating a web content strategy, producing the content style guide, creating content and maintaining your site.
Define the goals of your organisation and how these goals can be achieved through your website. This will translate into a content outline that will include all the required web pages and functionalities for your website.
The strategy should determine coverage areas and identify all content sources. From here you will need to define pieces that need to be developed/acquired/edited/updated at launch and on-going. You should also focus on understanding and defining your target audiences.
Target audience
Consider the various publics your charity is trying to reach - donors, volunteers, prospects, media, staff, sponsors, clients, grantees - all have different needs and requirements.
There are times when one message covers all but there will be times when you need to identify the target and tailor you message to communicate directly, with say donors or the media. At the same time you may also need to consider other special requirements including specific accessibility features (e.g. a British Sign Language interpreter for each web page).
Target messages
Consider what the different types of users expect to find on your website. For example, should you publish success stories for potential donors and sponsors? How can you get web users to become excited about your organisation and make them willing to support it? How can you recruit more volunteers?
Target transactions
You'll also need to think about the action that your visitors might want to take on your website, but also consider what you might want them to do as well. The message should lead your visitors to carry out the target actions such as donating online, subscribing to your newsletter, applying to become a volunteer, etc.
Producing the content style guide
The content style guide will ensure consistency, particularly when content is being developed by multiple authors. For most charities, the content style guide evolves around accuracy, grammar, punctuation, writing and editing style and fonts.
However, regardless of how detailed your content style guide is, you should ensure that it focuses on:
- Keeping copy simple and logically structured;
- Keeping your readers interested by using effective headlines and images;
- Getting the user to take action by placing calls to action in strategic places (e.g. donate, volunteer, sign up for an event, etc.);
- Encouraging your visitors to return by giving them good reasons to (e.g. frequently updated content).
Creating content
Your in house team should be comprised of the following: Content Manager, Web Editor and Sub-editor(s). Alternatively, you may wish to investigate the possibility of outsourcing these roles to a Public Relations firm or Freelancer writers.
Content manager
Apart from implementing the content strategy, the content manager, will organise a development team representative of the organisation and drawn from members of the board, Human Resources, Programmes and Service departments. However, the size of the team will depend largely on the overall size of the organisation. For instance a one member team may be all that's needed for a small organisation.
Web editor
The Web Editor will be responsible for all content published on the site as well as ensure that the Content Style Guide is adhered to. The ideal candidate will be expected to bring to the position previous experience as an editor and involvement in the development of Content Style. The Editor will also be responsible for recruiting and training sub-editors.
Maintaining your site
The importance of maintaining your site cannot be over emphasised. Static content will eventually lose its appeal and visitors will have no reason to return. This means that apart from ensuring that all links work and that site navigation is easy, your editor will be expected to keep all content error free, relevant, accurate and up-to-date.
You should consider developing a maintenance schedule in order to keep content current and in any event to update the site at least twice a month.
