development: social, urban, spiritual, media, kebab

The single most important feature of a non-profit organization's website is a prominent call to action. Make your visitors act on what they see on their screens. The sequence of an effective call to action is simple:

1. State the Problem (Tell a Story)
2. Your Solution
3. Your Achievements
4. ACTION ACTION ACTION

Types of Action

Donation
Make the donation process as painless as possible; you should require nothing more of the donor than the donation - no name, no email, no membership. Use Paypal to get donations, its a service people trust more than anything else online.

Media Attention
Undoubtedly it will have a huge impact on your organization. Make information easily accessible for journalists - information about your organization, contact information, other press reports, and a downloadable media kit.

Volunteering
Include clear steps people can take to get involved. Either by joining your organization, by raising awareness, or by joining forces (Mideast Youth Network does this effectively by encouraging people to blog about critical subjects; they also provide hosting for them)

2 Further Considerations

Embrace New Media
Integrate Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Youtube. This is where you'll reach the crowds. "Web Browsing" as we know it has shifted to social networking sites.

News/Blog
Definitely include a news section on your homepage. Show them the life of your organization.

Examples of Effective Non-Profit Designs

http://www.change.org/

http://www.michaeljfox.org/

http://www.joinred.com/

http://www.nature.org/

http://www.takethewalk.net/

Other Resources

Non Profit Website Design: Examples and Best Practices (Smashing Magazine)
(Some) Best Practices for Nonprofit Webdesign (Jelecos)

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