How to Create and Secure a Non-Profit Organization Website

Designing a website for non-profit organizations is different from a business one. The key is to get audiences to donate money to your causes.

It is of utmost importance to pay keen attention to design elements. You must also ensure enough security to keep your data safe.

Our article looks at how to create and secure a non-profit organization’s website. Let’s look at some of the critical factors to consider.

1. Make It Easy To Collect Donations

When designing the website, put yourself in the shoes of the donors. Would you be willing to part with money, if you were looking at your site? 

It is important to provide convenience and ease of use. You want to be able to request donations from new and existing members. You should also ease the processing of recurring donations. 

The good news is that there are platforms that can help. One powerful tool you have available is by opening a Google for non-profits account. 

Also Read: 5 Ways to Improve Your Small Business’ Cybersecurity

What do you get when you sign up to the free platform?

• YouTube for non-profits allows you to embed a donation button. You can complete all the transactions on the platform. Donors can give their contributions without needing to switch to another platform. YouTube takes care of all the transactional costs. That means you receive the full amount without incurring any fees.
• Google Suite for collaboration tools on Workspace
• Grant ads that give your non-profit access to more than $10,000 worth of advertising value
• Maps for tracking your activities in different locations. 

Ensure that the donation page has a prominent position on the homepage. Use a powerful call-to-action (CTA) to get the right kind of response. 

Also, avoid bringing in any complications in the transactions. Do not collect any unnecessary information. 

If there are any forms, limit the amount of information you need. It will make them easy to fill. Further, it increases the likelihood of audiences taking time to take the right action.

2. Display What Your Non-Profit Is Working To Achieve

Think about every time you donate to any cause. The one motivating factor is that you have clarity on what they hope to achieve. 

The same should apply to your website. State the problem, the method of solving it, and why it will make a difference. 

Now is the perfect time to use tools that prove the efficacy of your processes. Take advantage of statistics, video content, stories, and graphics.

3. Use PR and Media Relations to Your Advantage

Media attention can be a powerful motivator for people to contribute. Their stories are an excellent third-party endorsement of your activities. 

Include a media section that has relevant information. A ready, downloadable media kit is a must-have feature.  Journalists and editors find them very useful since they don’t have to call every time they need it. 

Also, become the go-to source for information by having tidbits they can use. Such include quotes from the directors, donor recipients, and supporters.

Third-party endorsement does not only target monetary contributions. You will also reach audiences who may want to contribute their time as volunteers. 

Provide enough contact information to make it easy for such people to get in touch. Such include phone numbers, email addresses, and contact forms.

4. Showcase Your Work and Expertise with Blogs

Content generation remains a powerful way of communicating with audiences. Blogs are fantastic for showcasing your work. Relevant, engaging content also provides a way to increase engagement. The result is higher, organic traffic to your website. 

You can also take advantage of link-building strategies to increase brand awareness. Media outlets can also carry the articles as editorial content. 

The advantage is you have tons of formats you can use on your blogs. Such include newsletters, impact stories, news round-ups, and photo/video content.

How to Secure Your Non-Profit Website

There is one thing to admire about Cybercriminals. They are not even slightly discriminating in who they target. That means even an organization that is working to improve the world is fair game. 

Hackers know that non-profit organizations collect a lot of data. It makes such sites prone to cyber breaches. 

There are several types of security risks for non-profit organizations. They include:-

• Breach of confidential information such as credit card information and contact details
• Stolen passwords thus giving hackers easy access into the system
• Website content corruption by introducing viruses or malware
• Phishing that targets emails using malicious links
• Ransomware where hackers hold data hostage. They only release it when the non-profit pays a specific amount of money.

The good news is that there are steps organizations can take to secure their website. 

1. Installing the right security measures. These include antivirus, anti-malware, and anti-ransomware. The organization must also enable firewalls for extra security.
2. Securing websites with SSL certificates and HTTPS connections. They offer data encryption. 
3. Establish the use of strong passwords and multi-factor authentication to get access.
4. Put in place a Zero Trust policy when giving access to data centers. Everyone must go through a verification and authorization process first. The other alternative is the least privilege policy. You only give access to enough information to complete a specific task. 
5. Create a culture of security awareness within the whole organization. It is important to train everyone on present and emerging threats. Everyone should learn how to detect, avoid and react to cybersecurity threats. They should for example not open any links whose source they are not sure of.
6. Run regular updates of all software. It is a critical step that should be routine for everyone who uses the systems. You get access to the latest security features. Developers also remove any patches or loopholes that could compromise online security.
7. Make it a routine to backup data. In case of exposure or loss of data to hackers, recovery will be quicker.

Also Read: Practical Tips On How To Grow Revenue For Your Business

Final Thoughts

We have shared how to create and secure a non-profit website. The aim is to make it easy for donations to come into the organization. Signing on to platforms like Google for non-profits will avail excellent tools.