A complete guide to charity websites

Here, we look at three factors that go into the structure of a charity website and how they can engage visitors. 

Like charity:water, charities must let visitors know about the cause they are addressing quickly, especially given the short amount of time you have to communicate with them on a website. To keep visitors engaged, a clear, compelling mission statement can go a long way toward drawing their attention and encouraging them to find out more.

A clear call-to-action makes it easy for visitors to find out how they can contribute to a charity’s cause, whether through writing letters to MPs, sharing information, or donating. The right call-to-action can drive more donations, more engagement, and take visitors from the discovery stage to active supporters. A good call-to-action is clear, concise, and uses strong verbs. There’s a reason the word ‘Donate’ is a successful call-to-action for many charities: it’s short, straightforward, and actionable.

While the information on each page will differ from charity to charity, there is another common factor that charities must not miss. Sharing contact information clearly with website visitors can be a real boost if they want to find out more or cannot find something on your site. Being unable to find answers easily is frustrating and can lead to a poor user experience that prevents people from visiting a charity site again and learning more about its cause.  

Contact information could consist of a contact form, a live chat function, a dedicated email inbox, or social media accounts – wherever your audiences are, in essence. Charities should ensure that their contact information is split by audience, so that different stakeholders can find what they need directly. For example, make sure media contacts are differentiated from events, et cetera. 

Web security is also really important . Contact forms can be a cyber security risk for charities, as cyber criminals deploy bots to gain access to email addresses or other information via the form. A charity’s website, as with any element of their operations that connects to the internet, can impact its cyber security so it is vital that charities monitor and patch vulnerabilities.  

There are lots of digital tools that can help charities improve the cyber security of their websites, such as the National Cyber Security Centre’s Web Check tool and CMS provider Umbraco’s Health Check service which show charities which issues need to be addressed and how. Charity website specialists Oblongata use Umbraco in their web design. 

How charity websites support donations 

An essential element of a charity website is the ability to donate. The Autumn 2023 Donor Pulse report revealed that 45% of donations went through a charity’s own website in the last three months, while the average donation through a website was 24% higher than those through a consumer giving platform (£65.80 vs £51.70).  

As aforementioned, charities should include donate buttons on every page of their website, making it clear for people who want to support them where they need to go to. Ideally, donations should be completed in as few steps as possible to reduce drop-off from supporters who don’t have time or willingness to go through a complicated fundraising process.  

Choosing the right payment processing platform also contributes to the experience of donating through a charity website. There are many payment processing platforms to choose from to suit every need, whether you want seamless branding, the ability to process Gift Aid quickly, or simply, the cheapest fees.  

But one thing that should aways be consistent is the data and analytics your donation page and processing platform provide. Website analytics can show you how often your donate pages are visited and how long people are staying on those pages, while your payment processing platform can show you more about your donors themselves. You can use any data collected to better understand your donor base, building user personas which, in turn, can help you create better donor journeys and ensure you talk to donors at the right stage in the donor cycle.  

Examples of great charity websites 

Disability charity Scope’s website is a best practice example of how charities can structure their websites to suit every audience. There are clear calls-to-action for people looking to access their services or donate to fund them, as well as statistics about disability in the UK, to highlight the urgency of their cause. 

But where Scope really excels is in its web accessibility. Scope tests its web accessibility every four months and is transparent about the areas it is working on to improve accessibility for visitors with disabilities. The charity also shares vital resources for other organisations looking to work on their web accessibility. 

The MS Society’s website aims to provide reliable information to people with MS and their families, bringing people together to share experiences and offer support. 

The MS Society prioritised user experience while developing their site, consulting a panel of 150 people and using feedback from more than 1,000 in order to shape it. As a result, the website delivers real value to the MS community, whether it is breaking down research into the condition, providing information on support services, or sharing news. 

Family charity Baby Bank Network is a small charity that supports families in financial difficulty by providing them with essential baby items and resources. The “Our Impact” page on their website shares an infographic on the help they have been able to provide families in Bristol, delivering 5000 items to more than 1500 families.  

The charity’s website is easy to navigate, with clear signposting towards where people can help, contact, and donate to the charity, as well as providing information on how to best access their services.