What makes a charity website pop?
Here are some that I think are pretty awesome (other than jhr’s site):
There are all first-class sites because they immediately direct the viewer to act. Donate. Volunteer. Sign a petition. It’s made compelling and easy, from the first click onwards.
Plus, they describe the charity’s work using photo’s and multimedia instruments, not boring old English. Perhaps my favourite here is Charity: Water. Their project page has three sections: photo’s from the field, an interactive graphic showing the number of wells built and the number of people helped, and a Google Earth add-on that maps out all of their efforts. Clear, effective and cool as hell.
These sites work because their developers have thought through the purpose of their websites: to raise money and get volunteers. Why else build a website in the first place? It’s great if people know about your charity, but you want to inspire them to act or get involved in some way. A number of the sites above open directly to their donation or volunteer pages. All of them use big pictures and have simple yet eye-catching design. Never confuse the viewer–make it easy for them to understand how they can help.
When charities don’t think this through (including jhr at various times), their sites tend to be informational and boring–its all about the organization, and not about how you, the viewer, can help. Some of these sites look beautiful and a lot of money has been put into them. But if you don’t A) fall in love with the organization and B) know how to help within 10 seconds, it’s not being as effective as it should be.
This post wouldn’t be complete without a shout-out to Jonathan Wong. Jon has build a great website for jhr with limited time and resources, and is working everyday to make it better. He can be reached through his website if you want his advice or help.
