'I'm a small charity - do I even need a website?'

Being a change-maker with a tiny budget means you have to carefully choose how to spend the small amounts you have access to. This is an even tougher decision when you don't know when the next pot of funding will arrive. With all that in mind, new non-profits often ask themselves - Do we even need a website for our charity?

The answer depends on your aims, audiences and cash-flow. Let's explore.

Back in the day, a website was essential to tell the world about what we do and how. Now, we have access to a dizzying array of social media options, each with different target audiences and styles. At the same time, the standards and requirements of hosting a website are higher than ever.

So it's worth thinking about IF you need a website, before you jump in and hire a designer.

Some Quick Questions to Ask Yourself

We can figure this out with three simple questions. And the good news is, if you've already had a strategy session with us, you'll have the answers at your fingertips.

Question #1: What are my charitable aims?

Question #2: Which audience(s) am I trying to reach?

Question #3: What should I spend on branding and websites?

Further reading: Real Life Examples

Question #1: What are my charitable aims?

What impact are you hoping to have? How is the world different because of your charity? Who, what, why, where, when and how are you working?

It's important to understand your charitable aims in terms of clarity, goals, impact, inspiration, and approach to decide if you need a website. If your aims require wide online reach, and a place to display your expertise and reputation, a website is an essential first step for your charity brand. If, however, your aims are to work exclusively in-person, and with the same members of the community, and you have limited funding and staff - a website might not be a priority until your aims change.

Still unsure? Check out more examples below.

Question #2: Which audiences am I trying to reach?

Understanding who you're trying to reach, both for impact and support, is key to effective communication. It might seem obvious, but many of us jump into charity communications without first being strategic about our target audience. Organisational Strategy Note: this is why having a diverse team is so valuable—you need people who are great at pausing to think as well as those who are ready to take action.

Charity founders have countless communication channels at their fingertips. Whether it be social media, mailing lists, in-print and traditional media, paid or organic, targeted or broad - the options are mind-boggling. The first step to understanding which audience you are trying to reach (and therefore, if a website is the best tool for your charity) is through creating a detailed 'client persona'. A client persona is a detailed representation of your ideal supporter or beneficiary, based on data and research. For charities, it includes demographics (age/gender/location), psychographics (interests, values, motivations), and behaviours (how they engage with your cause, preferred communication channels). Creating personas helps you understand your audience, so you can tailor your messaging and outreach strategies effectively. For example, a persona might be "Sarah, a 35-year-old teacher passionate about inclusive education, who prefers receiving updates via email."

Now we know our audience wants to sign-up to a mailing-list. Persona-Informed Decision: Let's make a simple website with a pop-up sign-up form on the home page. Cost effective, and can be integrated with our favourite marketing tools - Zapier and MailChimp. This targeted approach makes sure your charity's efforts resonate with the right people, increasing engagement and support.

Question #3: What should I spend on branding and websites?

In an ideal world, charitable comms wouldn't be hamstrung by funding uncertainty. Realistically though, non-profit founders have to be incredibly careful with their budget in every decision. So when it comes to branding and website design, the third consideration is budget. Can your non-profit afford to set up and maintain a website? While there are ways to do it cost-effectively (such as domains through PorkBun), don't underestimate the digital costs associated with having your organisation represented well online. Our recommendation here is simple: look at the existing funds, expected incoming funds, and your impact aims. Does a website fit into this picture? Does allocating budget to a website help you achieve your impact? If the answer is 'Yes', great! Drop us an email and we'll do a charity quote for you.

If not, have a think about the free ways to create a smaller online presence. (Hint: our other blog posts might help).

Charity Website Decisions: Real Life Examples

Example 1: Your charity needs to reach more people, or people from new groups that you haven't reached before. Your funding is coming from national organisations, who need to see that you're legitimate and busy. New partners are approaching you, but have some questions about how and where you work. You would like to show the world the photos and videos of the work you've done so far. Potential value of website: Very high. Your website can be used to represent your current work and aims, request new collaborations, demonstrate your reputation and skills and reach new communities. Mailing lists, photo galleries, collaborators' logos, impact reports and blogs can all be built into a cost-effective website that suits your new needs as your grow. Prioritise this in your budget, as it will boost your impact.

Example 2: Your new charity's aim is to create a community amongst a small group that don't have access to the internet, and your funding is raised at in-person charity drives. Potential value of website: Low. Your website isn't needed to access your target audience, nor to raise funds. While a website may be useful to display your authority and portfolio of work and partners, it may not boost this charity's longevity in the early days. This charity can wait until you have more consistent funding before you invest in a website. For now, we recommend a free Instagram or LinkTree page.

So, now you know how to decide if a website is a good decision for your organisation! Taking the extra time to think about your strategy, budget and aims will help you to make better decisions for your charity, and ultimately allow you to make a bigger impact even when funds are limited. Remember, if you need a friendly chat about your charity digital strategy,

drop us an email and let us help you get some clarity.