Website design for non-profits and NPOs

Why website design for non-profits is about trust

A non-profit’s website often does the work of a fundraiser. Before anyone donates, volunteers, partners with you or writes about your work, they look you up. In a few minutes they decide whether you are credible, well run and worth supporting.

What they look for is consistent. What problem do you work on, and who do you help? What difference have you made, in numbers and in real stories? Who runs the organisation, and are you registered? Where does the money go? And how can they help, today, in a couple of clicks?

Funders and corporate social investment teams look harder still. They want annual reports, registration details, governance, and evidence that you can report on the money they give. A clear, current website makes those conversations easier, and a dated one can quietly cost you a grant.

We don’t just build to a brief. We build for Google too: fast pages, clear structure, mobile-friendly design and content that answers the questions people search for, so donors, volunteers and the people you serve can find you. Google also offers free tools for registered charities through Google for Nonprofits, including advertising grants, and a well-built site helps you make the most of them.

What we build for NPOs and charities

• A clear mission: a home page that says what you do, for whom and why it matters, in plain language
• Impact you can see: stories, photos, numbers and annual reports that show real results
• Donations made easy: a donation page with once-off and monthly giving, card and EFT options, and the tax details donors need
• Volunteers and partners: sign-up forms, opportunities and a clear route for companies and funders to get involved
• News and campaigns: a news area and campaign pages your team can update without a developer
• Events: fundraising events, runs and drives, with ticketing or registration where needed
• Governance and transparency: registration details, board members, policies and reports in one place
• Safe, POPIA-friendly forms: especially important when you work with children or vulnerable people

How we work

1. Understand your work. We meet your team to understand the cause, your audiences and what you most need the website to do: raise funds, recruit volunteers or inform.
2. Fixed quote. We give you a fixed quote before work starts, so you can budget or include it in a funding proposal.
3. Design and build. We design around your brand and real photos, then build in WordPress so it’s easy to run.
4. Donations and forms. We set up donation, volunteer and contact forms, and test that payments and notifications work.
5. Launch and train. We go live, train your staff or volunteers, and stay available to help.

Donations, data and a limited budget

We build sites for South African NPOs and international non-profits that communicate impact clearly, make donating or volunteering straightforward, and stretch a limited budget further than a typical commercial build. We plan the essentials first and add features as funding allows.

Donation websites need to be simple and trusted. Keep the form short, offer the payment methods your donors use, show what a gift achieves and say clearly whether donations qualify for a tax certificate.

Donor and beneficiary data needs care. Under POPIA you need consent, a privacy policy and secure handling of personal information, particularly about children. The Information Regulator publishes the official guidance, and we set up forms with this in mind.

We have been building websites since 2015 and look after 300+ of them. Non-profits we have built for include the Bryan Habana Foundation, ACTSA, Alliance DFA, Bokamoso Trust, WIETA, Pathway to 17 and Malachi Place of Safety. See some of our live sites below.

We train your team too

NPO teams change often, and volunteers come and go. What makes us different is that we offer WordPress training to all our clients, so your staff and volunteers can confidently publish news, add stories and update campaigns themselves. Training is one-on-one or for your team, in person or online, and we stay available to help when someone new takes over. See our WordPress courses.

Related services

• POPIA compliance for donor, volunteer and beneficiary data
• Newsletters to keep donors informed and giving
• Copywriting that tells your story clearly
• Website hosting with backups and security handled

Your questions