A nonprofit website has to move a stranger from sympathy to action in a single visit: understand the mission, believe in the impact, then donate, volunteer or show up. Most charity sites fail in the middle - plenty of mission, no proof, vague ask.
Lead with one concrete number
"We fight food insecurity" is abstract; "2,400 meals served last winter" is believable. Put your single strongest impact number in the hero, next to one photograph of the work actually happening. Concrete beats comprehensive - you can tell the full story further down.
Make the ask specific
Abstract asks ("support our cause") convert a fraction of concrete ones ("€10 feeds a family for a day"). Tie each giving level to a tangible outcome, and repeat the ask at natural moments - after the impact section, after a story, at the page's end. One primary action per page; a visitor asked to donate, volunteer, share and subscribe does none of them.
Proof is your currency
Donors are sceptical, rightly. Answer the scepticism before it forms:
- Stories with faces: one beneficiary, named (with consent), before and after your program.
- Where the money goes: even a simple breakdown ("82% direct to programs") builds more trust than silence.
- Outcomes over activities: "120 dogs rehomed", not "many adoption events held".
Volunteers and events need their own paths
A volunteer form that captures availability and skills, and an events section that's actually current. A stale events page reads as a stalled organisation - if you can't maintain it, cut it.
Keep it alive without a webmaster
The site should be updatable by whoever runs your programs: post the fundraiser, update the numbers, publish the newsletter - without waiting on a volunteer developer. Webkio's drag-and-drop editor and built-in blog make "keeping it current" a ten-minute job, and current is what donors check.
Start from a template built around the arc
The free nonprofit templates follow mission → proof → action: Nonprofit for charities and NGOs, Church for faith communities with service times front and centre, Animal Shelter with adoption-first structure. Impact sections, event listings and signup forms are built in.
Start free - your cause deserves a site that looks as alive as the work is.
FAQ
What should a nonprofit website include?
What you do and for whom, evidence of impact, and clear paths to donate, volunteer or get help - each with its own route.
How do I get more donations from my website?
Make the ask specific and concrete. "£10 feeds a family for a day" converts far better than an open donate button, and visible progress toward a goal helps more still.
Do we need to take donations online?
If you fundraise at all, yes. Most people will not post a cheque, and an online gift takes under a minute while their intent is fresh.