Benefits of a website and online forms for Nonprofit Organizations
Last weekend I was asked to speak to a group about the benefits of a website and online forms. I had created a website for a local club in this organization. I tried to be general in sharing why this would benefit each club around the United States.
If you are part of a nonprofit or running a nonprofit organization does this sound similar to you?
You do a lot of good work in the community and are impacting many lives. Nonprofit organizations are doing great things in the community. Everyone I know that runs or works with nonprofits are not doing it for the money (as we are all, normally, volunteers.) I find that most of the time people are not doing it for praise but doing what they do to further a cause. Yes, you want to be respected among the peers in your nonprofit organization, but you aren’t doing good work for the praise or acknowledgement of others. You do it for the love of the nonprofit. Donating your time and talents is enough for most of us. But the truth is we need to tell others about what we do and why we do it.
Your board has been together for a while without many new people coming through the door. As with everything, people get comfortable. You work with the same people and projects year in and year out and you have a rhythm going. Until someone moves, leaves. or decides to do something else within the organization you stay the course. Bringing new people in as often as possible keeps the organization running smoothly. Everyone has different talents and time constraints.
People can’t find you or learn about what you do. Many organizations run on word of mouth and just reach out to the same organizations/companies for donations each year. That’s fine but having more people know who you are and what you do is important as time goes on and or your donors may change their business course. Many businesses and nonprofit organizations have begun to advertise events on social media. This is a wonderful way to get the word out about upcoming events but once people scroll through it’s gone. Unless they remember there is something going on they normally won’t see it again.
Personally, I have worked with many nonprofits over the years and currently work with four nonprofits that are doing great things in our local area.
Benefits of a Website
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Benefits of a Website .
Online Presence - What do we do FIRST when we hear about a business? We go right to Google (or another search engine) and look them up. You want to see a professional website that is full of information guiding you through in an easy manner. You can even create a password protected area so that your members can have a place to go for information meant only for them that the public wouldn’t have access to.
Show off your Organization - Tell what you do. List your mission statement and information about you. If you are part of a larger organization link to the national or worldwide website. Show your pictures, videos, and a calendar of upcoming events. When people go to your website, they don’t want to see a brochure they want to see your organization in action.
24/7 Welcome - On my website and in all my promotional marketing information from the beginning I have always said, a website offers a 24/7 welcome to current clients and prospective clients. This is so true. You want your website to be professional looking but easy for anyone to look at and click around to find out who you are, what you do, and how to get involved.
Entice new sponsors - Create promotional videos that you can direct new donors to see. Let them know that you are a thriving organization. Link to social media accounts so they can see what you are doing.
A website gives all of your information a home. You address is the URL and when anyone calls that up they can find you.
Benefits of online forms
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Benefits of online forms .
The online forms I create for nonprofit organizations help them to have all their submissions to be funneled into a spreadsheet for quick retrieval.
Elimination of paper and more - If you are giving out scholarships, signing up people up for membership, or many other reasons to have forms in the past you probably had paper copies. By adding forms to your website, you can eliminate.
Paper going back and forth in the mail.
Postage.
Printing fees.
Each organization is different, so I am sure I’m not hitting on all the benefits here.
Saves Time - As I mentioned, we are all volunteers. By creating online forms, you don’t have to type information into a spreadsheet or drive to and from the post office. For one nonprofit that used multiple forms I sat down with the person who had worked with the forms for many, many years. She told me what she did, along with having a full time job, and my head was spinning. Within hours, I created online forms that have worked well for the last two years with minimal issues. The minimal issues were very old computers and once they moved to something purchased in the last 10 years, they were fine to submit.
Database of information - With the click of a button all form information can be sent to a spreadsheet. From there you can manipulate the data for the organizational needs. Most importantly, you have all the information to reach out to that person in the future.
Modern look - Most forms stay the same unless they need to be updated for a specific reason. I’ve worked with paper forms that are not pretty. Moving forms online can give your organization a very professional and current feel.
I cannot stress how much a website and online forms can save you and your organization time and money. Volunteers give so much of their time and their own money that to streamline this process can entice you to stay with the organization and gives you more time to do what you love.
May Web Design, LLC refreshes and creates affordable websites that enable clients to take ownership and update themselves on a Squarespace platform. I enjoy helping clients increase customer engagement with a website and improve their overall web presence. The most important part of my business is that when I have completed and reviewed the website with a client, I teach the client how to update their website so that they can keep it fresh and new. A website offers a 24/7 welcome to prospective members, showing them what your business or organization has accomplished and what you plan to do. If built correctly it should welcome people to the site and show them around in a comfortable way.
If you are interested in discussing the needs of a website for your business or nonprofit organization, contact May Web Design, LLC. Starting out with a basic brochure website may be all that your business or organization needs. Your website should grow with you and change as needed.
I work with my clients so that I may design the website they envision and, most importantly, teach them how to update their website to keep the information fresh and new. While you are busy building your small business or nonprofit, I can create a website to grow with your dreams. I have a list of services on my website as well as a portfolio of my websites and testimonial from past clients. You may even set up a free 30 minute initial consultation call to discuss your website project.
