Your nonprofit's website is more than just a digital brochure. It's the front door to your mission, a fundraising tool, and often the first impression potential supporters get of your organization.
When was the last time you took a good look at your website? Not just a quick glance, but really examined how well it serves your mission? If it's been a few years, you might be due for a refresh.
In this guide, we'll walk you through everything you need to know about nonprofit website redesign. We'll cover the warning signs that it's time for an update, how to plan your redesign project, and the essential features that will help you connect with donors, volunteers, and the communities you serve.
Whether you're considering a complete overhaul or just some strategic updates, this comprehensive guide will help you make informed decisions about your nonprofit's most important digital asset.
Part 1: Signs It's Time for a Website Redesign
How do you know when your nonprofit website needs more than just a few minor updates? Let's explore the telltale signs that it's time to invest in a redesign.
Your Website Looks Outdated
First impressions happen fast online. When someone visits your website, they form an opinion about your organization in just seconds.
An outdated design doesn't just look bad—it signals to visitors that your organization might be behind the times in other ways too. Think about how this affects potential donors who might question if you'll use their contribution effectively.
Try this simple test: Would you feel comfortable donating your own money through your website? If you hesitate, your supporters probably do too.
Did you know that users form their first impression of your website's visual design in just 0.05 seconds? That's faster than a single blink. This lightning-quick judgment affects how visitors perceive your organization's credibility, professionalism, and trustworthiness—all crucial factors for nonprofits seeking to build relationships with supporters.
You're Getting Fewer Donations Online
Have your online donations plateaued or started declining even as other nonprofits see digital giving increase? Your website might be the culprit.
Today's donors expect a seamless giving experience. They want to quickly understand your impact and easily complete their donation in just a few clicks.
Take time to go through your own donation process. Count how many clicks it takes to complete a gift. Notice any points where you feel confused or frustrated—these are the same pain points driving potential donors away.
Your Website Is Hard to Update
If updating your website requires calling a developer or wading through complex code, you're working too hard.
Modern content management systems like Webflow have made website updates much more accessible. Your team should be able to post news, add events, and update program information without technical expertise.
The true cost of an outdated system isn't just the developer fees—it's also the missed opportunities when content sits outdated because updates are too cumbersome.
It's Not Mobile-Friendly
Pull out your phone right now and visit your nonprofit's website. How does it look? Is text readable? Can you navigate easily with your thumb? Is the donation button clear and tappable?
The mobile experience is no longer optional for nonprofit website best practices. Recent statistics show that 33% of online donations were made on mobile devices in 2023. If your site isn't optimized for these supporters, you're potentially missing out on a third of your possible donations—funds that could significantly advance your mission.
Your Programs Have Changed, But Your Website Hasn't
Nonprofits evolve. You may have added programs, shifted focus areas, or updated your approach based on what you've learned in the field.
If your website doesn't reflect these changes, it creates confusion. Visitors might misunderstand what you do or miss your most important current initiatives.
Take a moment to compare your strategic plan with your nonprofit's website content. Do they tell the same story about who you are and what you do? If not, it's time for an update.
It Takes Forever to Load
Website speed matters more than ever. When pages load slowly, visitors leave—it's that simple.
Slow loading doesn't just frustrate users; it can also hurt your search engine rankings, making it harder for people to find you online in the first place.
Use tools like Google's PageSpeed Insights to check your site's performance. If your score is low, a redesign with performance optimization could significantly improve user experience and reach.
Today's web users have high expectations for site speed. According to Google, 47% of consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less. When pages take longer, visitors get impatient and often leave before engaging with your content—potentially costing you donations, volunteer sign-ups, and program participants who might otherwise support your cause.
People Can't Find What They Need
If you frequently get calls or emails asking for information that's actually on your website, your navigation might be failing your visitors.
Clear website structure for nonprofits—like how to donate, volunteer opportunities, program details, and contact information—should be immediately obvious to anyone visiting your site.
Ask a few people who aren't familiar with your organization to visit your website and find specific information. Watch where they click and note where they get stuck. These observations provide valuable clues about navigation problems.
Part 2: Planning Your Nonprofit Website Redesign
Once you've decided it's time for a website redesign, proper planning becomes essential. A well-planned project saves time, money, and headaches while ensuring you get the results you need.
Setting Clear Goals for Your Redesign
Before you start looking at designs or platforms, get crystal clear on what you want your new website to achieve.
Your website goals should directly support your mission and organizational objectives. What specific outcomes would make this redesign a success for your nonprofit? It's important to plan for nonprofit website user journeys.
Here's a simple framework to help identify your website goals:
- Identify primary actions you want visitors to take (donate, volunteer, sign up, etc.)
- Define measurable targets for each action (increase donations by X%, grow volunteer sign-ups by Y)
- Prioritize these goals based on your organization's current strategic priorities
Remember that trying to accomplish too many things can lead to a cluttered, confusing website. Focus on the 2-3 most important outcomes first.
Budgeting for Your Website Redesign
Website costs vary widely depending on your needs, but having a realistic budget is crucial for planning.
When budgeting for your nonprofit website redesign, it helps to understand the typical price ranges based on your approach. Options range from DIY website builders ($0-5,000) to template-based solutions ($5,000-15,000) to professional agency partnerships ($15,000-100,000+). Each option offers different levels of customization, support, and strategic guidance to match your organization's specific needs and resources.
If your budget is limited, consider a phased approach. Start with the most critical improvements and add features over time as funding allows.
Don't forget to budget for ongoing costs like hosting, maintenance, security updates, and content creation. A successful website is never truly "done"—it needs continual care.
Building Your Website Redesign Team
Who needs to be involved in your website project? Identifying the right team members helps ensure smooth decision-making and a successful outcome.
At minimum, you'll need:
- A project leader who can make day-to-day decisions
- Content contributors who understand your programs
- At least one decision-maker with authority to give final approvals
Keep your core team small and focused. While getting input from various stakeholders is valuable, having too many people directly involved in decisions can slow progress significantly.
For board members and senior leadership, plan specific checkpoints for their input rather than involving them in every detail. This keeps the project moving while ensuring proper oversight.
Creating a Timeline That Works
Website projects typically take longer than expected. Planning a realistic timeline from the start helps manage expectations and reduce stress.
For most nonprofit redesigns, allow 3-6 months from start to finish, depending on your organization's size and the project's complexity.
Consider your busy seasons when planning your timeline. Avoid launching right before major fundraising campaigns or events when your team will be stretched thin.
Always build in buffer time—unexpected delays happen in almost every website project. Adding an extra 20% to your estimated timeline provides breathing room when challenges arise.
Gathering Feedback from Key Stakeholders
Your website serves many audiences—donors, volunteers, program participants, staff, and board members. Getting input from these groups improves your final result.
Keep feedback gathering focused and strategic. Rather than asking general questions like "what do you think of our website?", ask specific questions tied to your goals and user needs.
Use simple methods like short surveys, one-on-one conversations, or small focus groups. Look for patterns in the feedback rather than trying to address every individual suggestion.
Remember that while all feedback is valuable, you don't need to incorporate every idea. Prioritize changes that align with your primary goals and serve your most important audiences.
Part 3: Essential Features for Your New Nonprofit Website
The most effective nonprofit websites include specific features that support engagement, donations, and mission advancement. As you plan your redesign, consider which of these elements will best serve your organization's needs.
Donation System That Converts
Your donation system is perhaps the most critical element of increasing donations to your nonprofit. It needs to be frictionless, trustworthy, and emotionally compelling.
The best donation forms keep it simple. Ask only for essential information and minimize the number of steps required to complete a gift. Every field you add reduces the likelihood that someone will finish the process.
Make sure your donation system offers options that modern donors expect: monthly giving, tribute gifts, suggested amounts, and mobile payment methods like Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Nonprofit website donation systems should integrate seamlessly with your database to save staff time and ensure proper acknowledgment of gifts.
Compelling Story Presentation
It's vitally important to tell your nonprofit's story. Stories connect people to your cause in ways that statistics alone cannot. Your redesigned website should showcase your impact through compelling narratives.
Consider creating a dedicated "Stories" or "Impact" section where visitors can browse different accounts of how your work creates change. Use real names and photos whenever possible (with appropriate permissions).
Mix your storytelling formats to engage different types of visitors—some prefer reading, while others connect better with videos or photo essays. A variety of formats also keeps your content fresh and interesting.
The power of storytelling for nonprofits can't be overstated. Organizations that effectively use storytelling in their fundraising efforts have a donor retention rate of 45%, compared to just 27% for organizations that don't focus on storytelling. This significant difference shows how personal narratives create emotional connections that inspire long-term support for your mission.
Volunteer Engagement Tools
Make it easy for people to get involved with your cause beyond financial contributions.
Your volunteer section should clearly explain available opportunities, required skills or training, time commitments, and the impact volunteers make. The more specific you are, the more likely you'll attract well-matched volunteers.
Consider adding features like a volunteer calendar that shows upcoming needs, online orientation materials, or testimonials from current volunteers describing their experience.
If you use volunteer management software, ensure it integrates with your website so people can sign up directly without creating extra administrative work for your staff.
Program Information That's Easy to Find
Your programs are the heart of your mission. Make sure visitors can easily understand what you do and how you create change.
Organize program information in a logical way that matches how your audience thinks about your work. This might be by population served, geographic area, or type of service provided.
Use clear, jargon-free language to describe your programs. Remember that visitors might not be familiar with terminology or acronyms common within your field.
Visual elements like icons, infographics, or diagrams can help explain complex programs or show relationships between different services you offer.
Event Registration and Promotion
If events are part of your engagement strategy, your website should make them shine.
Create a consistent template for event pages that includes all essential information: date, time, location, cost, what to expect, and a prominent registration button. This consistency helps visitors quickly find what they need.
Consider embedding a map for in-person events and always include sharing options so attendees can easily invite others.
Your event registration process should be as streamlined as your donation form—minimize required fields and make the completion process clear.
Accessibility Features for Everyone
An accessible nonprofit website ensures that people of all abilities can learn about and engage with your organization.
Start with the basics: proper heading structure, alt text for images, sufficient color contrast, and keyboard navigation. These fundamental elements make your site usable for people with various disabilities.
Prioritizing accessibility isn't just the right thing to do—it's essential for reaching your entire community. Approximately 15% of the world's population (around 1.3 billion people) lives with some form of disability that may affect how they use websites. Despite this, the 2024 WebAIM Million report found that 95.9% of home pages had at least one detectable accessibility error—slightly better than the previous year but still concerning. Making your nonprofit's website accessible shows your commitment to inclusion and ensures everyone can participate in your mission.
Remember that many accessibility features benefit all users, not just those with disabilities. Clear navigation, readable fonts, and well-organized content create a better experience for everyone.
Part 4: Choosing the Right Technology and Partners
The technology and partners you choose for your redesign will significantly impact both the process and the final result. Making informed decisions here sets the foundation for success.
Content Management System Options
Your content management system (CMS) is the software that powers your website and allows you to update content. Choosing the right platform is a critical decision.
For most nonprofits, user-friendliness should be a top priority. Your team needs to easily update content without specialized technical knowledge.
We love Webflow for nonprofit websites because it combines powerful design capabilities with an intuitive editing interface. It gives you the flexibility to create a unique, branded experience while remaining accessible to non-technical staff.
Other popular options include WordPress, Squarespace, and Wix, each with their own strengths and limitations. Consider factors like ease of use, customization options, security features, and integration capabilities when making your choice.
Finding the Right Design Partner
The right web design partner can make the difference between a stressful project and a smooth, successful redesign.
Look for a design partner with specific experience working with nonprofits similar to yours. They'll understand your unique needs around donations, volunteer management, and storytelling.
Check portfolios carefully, but don't just look at aesthetics. Ask about results their nonprofit clients have achieved through their redesigns—increased donations, volunteer sign-ups, or other metrics that match your goals.
Be wary of red flags like vague pricing, reluctance to provide references, or pushing for unnecessary features that inflate the budget. The right partner will be transparent and focused on solutions that match your specific needs.
DIY vs. Professional Help: Making the Right Choice
With many user-friendly tools available, some nonprofits consider the DIY approach to website redesign. But is it the right choice for your organization?
DIY website building can work well for very small organizations with simple needs, limited content, and someone on staff with design sense and technical aptitude. The cost savings can be significant.
However, calculating the true cost means considering the value of staff time, the potential opportunity cost of a less effective website, and the technical limitations you might face.
A hybrid approach often works well: partner with professionals for strategy, design, and initial setup, then maintain and update content in-house. This balances quality with long-term affordability.
Part 5: Managing the Redesign Process
Once you've chosen your technology and partners, it's time to manage the redesign process itself. A well-managed project leads to better results and less stress for everyone involved.
Content Planning and Migration
Nonprofit website content is often the most time-consuming part of a website redesign, yet many organizations don't allocate enough time for it.
Start by taking inventory of your existing content. What should be kept, updated, or removed entirely? Look for outdated information, redundant pages, or content that no longer aligns with your current priorities.
For content you'll keep, plan how it will fit into your new site structure. Will it need to be reformatted, rewritten, or reorganized? Assign specific responsibilities for each content piece to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
New content creation is almost always necessary during a redesign. Identify gaps in your current website and develop a plan to create what's missing, whether it's program descriptions, impact stories, or team information.
Design Review Best Practices
Providing effective feedback on designs keeps your project moving forward efficiently while ensuring the final result meets your needs.
When reviewing designs, focus first on whether they achieve your strategic goals rather than personal aesthetic preferences. Does the design make it easy for visitors to take the actions you've identified as priorities?
Consolidate feedback from multiple stakeholders into a single, clear set of revisions. Contradictory feedback creates confusion and delays.
Be specific about changes you're requesting. Instead of "I don't like the blue," try "The blue doesn't match our brand colors—please use the navy blue from our style guide instead."
Testing Before Launch
Thorough testing before launch helps catch issues when they're easier and less expensive to fix.
Create a testing plan that covers different devices (desktop, tablet, phone), browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge), and user scenarios (donating, registering for events, contacting you).
Involve people both familiar and unfamiliar with your organization in testing. Staff members might miss issues because they know where to find things, while fresh eyes can identify confusing elements.
Don't worry about recruiting dozens of testers for your website—quality often matters more than quantity. According to research from the Nielsen Norman Group, testing with just 5 users can identify approximately 85% of usability issues. This focused approach gives you the insights you need while keeping testing manageable for your team and budget. Start with a small group of diverse testers who represent your key audiences, and you'll catch the most important issues before launch.
Pay special attention to testing your most critical pathways, particularly the donation process. Test with real credit cards (even small amounts) to ensure the entire system works properly.
Launch Planning Checklist
A successful launch requires coordination and attention to detail. Planning these steps in advance prevents last-minute scrambling.
Develop a specific timeline for the days leading up to and following your launch, including who's responsible for each task.
Prepare communication for key stakeholders about the new website. This includes internal announcements to staff and board members as well as external communication to donors and partners.
Have a contingency plan for addressing any issues that arise after launch. Know who to contact and how to quickly resolve common problems like broken links or display issues.
Part 6: After Launch Success
Launching your new website isn't the end of the journey—it's really just the beginning. Planning for post-launch activities ensures your redesign continues to deliver value.
Training Your Team
For your new website to serve its purpose, your team needs to know how to use it effectively.
Identify who needs training and what skills they require. This typically includes content editors, event managers, and anyone responsible for donation processing or data.
Schedule structured training sessions that focus on the specific tasks each person will perform. Hands-on practice is more effective than passive demonstrations.
Create simple documentation for future reference. Short video tutorials, step-by-step guides, or checklists help people remember what they've learned and train new team members when staff changes occur.
Measuring Success
How will you know if your redesign was successful? Establishing clear metrics helps you evaluate results and make ongoing improvements.
Start tracking basic analytics like visitors, page views, time on site, and conversion rates for key actions like donations and sign-ups. Compare these metrics to your pre-redesign numbers to measure improvement.
Set up goal tracking in Google Analytics to monitor specific actions that matter to your organization. This might include completed donations, email sign-ups, volunteer form submissions, or resource downloads.
Review these metrics regularly—at least monthly for the first year after launch. Look for trends, opportunities for improvement, and insights about how visitors use your site.
Maintenance Planning
A website is never truly "finished." Planning for ongoing maintenance keeps your site secure, functional, and relevant.
Create a schedule for regular content updates, including blog posts, impact stories, event listings, and program information. Fresh content keeps visitors engaged and improves search engine visibility.
Plan for technical maintenance too. This includes security updates, plugin updates if you're using WordPress, and periodic performance checks to ensure everything continues working smoothly.
Budget for both expected maintenance and unexpected issues. Setting aside funds for ongoing website care prevents deferred maintenance that can lead to bigger problems down the road.
Case Studies: Successful Nonprofit Website Redesigns
Learning from real examples can provide inspiration and practical insights for your own project. Here are two successful nonprofit website redesigns that illustrate key principles from this guide.
Atlanta Habitat for Humanity
Atlanta Habitat for Humanity has been building strength, stability and self-reliance through affordable homeownership since 1983. As one of the largest affiliates of Habitat for Humanity International, they've helped over 5,000 family members achieve their dreams of homeownership while engaging 13,000+ volunteers annually in their mission to transform communities across metro Atlanta.
Their website redesign delivered impressive results:
- Streamlined the homebuyer application process, reducing support inquiries by 45% and allowing staff to focus on qualified candidates
- Created distinct user journeys for 6 key audience segments, resulting in 40% faster average time-to-task completion
- Boosted mobile engagement by 55% through responsive design optimized for on-the-go users
District 2 Public Health WIC Program
District 2 Public Health Women, Infants, and Children (D2PHWIC) is a vital program dedicated to providing nutrition education, healthy food options, and essential resources to support the well-being of women, infants, and children across Georgia.
Their website redesign focused on:
- Creating a user-friendly, intuitive design that guides visitors to the resources they need
- Streamlining content that breaks down complex topics into easily digestible information
- Building a secure, high-performance website that ensures a seamless user experience
The new site features comprehensive resource libraries, step-by-step application guides, and clear pathways for different user groups to find exactly what they need.
Conclusion
A website redesign is a significant undertaking for any nonprofit, but the potential rewards make it well worth the investment. An effective website amplifies your mission, connects you with supporters, and helps you serve your community more effectively.
As you embark on your nonprofit website design journey, remember these key takeaways:
- Start with clear goals tied directly to your mission and organizational objectives
- Choose the right technology and partners for your specific needs and budget
- Plan thoroughly, especially for content creation and migration
- Test comprehensively before launch
- Prepare for ongoing maintenance and improvements
Your website is your organization's most important digital asset. It works for you 24/7, telling your story and creating opportunities for support and engagement. By approaching your redesign strategically, you'll create a powerful tool that advances your mission for years to come.
