Some of our favorite projects involve designing websites for our partners in the nonprofit sector. Working with a nonprofit usually means you'll be engaging with passionate people. There tends to be a we're-all-in-this-together attitude that's conducive to really banding together and getting shit done.
We delve into nonprofit pitching and retention strategy here, but suffice it to say, flexibility, accountability, and efficiency go a long way.
When we sit down to design websites for our partners, some tools fit the bill for certain industries better than others. That's why this blog series is going through some common industries we develop for, and sharing the digital tools we've found most helpful. When it comes to nonprofits, there are three standout tools that help deliver flexibility, accountability, and efficiency to the inspiring, dynamic, and sometimes hectic world of nonprofit organizations.
Eventbrite
Main Purpose: Event calendars
There are a bunch of event calendar platforms to choose from as a developer. We bounce back and forth between a variety of them for our partners' sites, but when it comes to nonprofits, it's difficult to beat Eventbrite for its attention to nonprofit-specific needs.
Key Features:
- Donation options (suggested ticket price donations AND general financial gifts)
- Integrates with nonprofit-focused Fundraising apps like Kindful and Fundly
- Provides tax invoices for donors
- Offers Eventbrite Organizer, a mobile version of Eventbrite that lets you take your show on the road to monitor your event in real time, handle tickets, and more.
Eventbrite is flexible to the needs of any nonprofit event planner who gets stuck juggling way too much. The attention to detail is what ends up making life easier with this particular tool. To learn about a few specific ways you can implement this tool for charity events and fundraisers, go here.
Notion
Main Purpose: Sharing documents
for shared documents
Nonprofits come with baggage, and that baggage is called a board of directors. Okay, okay, the board serves a very valuable purpose. It's part of their job to make sure funds are allocated to justified expenses. That's why we talk about "aiding the ask" in the post I linked to above. Nonprofits are accountable to their board, So if you're working on a project for a nonprofit, that means you're accountable to their board too. Notion is a concise platform that ensures documents, schedules, and important information is accounted for. It's an easy way to communicate with colleagues and clients both. User activity is tracked so that details never slip through the cracks and your team's hard work can remain on display.
Key Features:
- Organized workspaces for breezy collaboration
- Task tracker for maintaining accountability
- Workflow sidebar for managing projects and breaking them down into schedules, reference points, and other relevant aspects
Unsplash
Main Purpose: Free photography
When you need a board to sign off on your (tight) budget, you don't necessarily want to be justifying "luxury" expenses like photography (apologies to Ansel Adams) for the website you're building. That's where Unsplash comes in. The platform's database of photographs may be free, but it's never of less than professional quality. In fact, the image for this very blog post came from Unsplash (GRAB PHOTO FROM UNSPLASH?)... Not too shabby, right?
Key Features:
- 1 million+ hand-selected images, all with impeccable resolution
- Search categories save you time
- Easily download and add to your site
Doing web design for nonprofit organizations is a joy, and it's a surefire way to empower local communities. That's why we offer a 25% discount on all services to nonprofits. By implementing these tools and others with the goal of providing a flexible, accountable, and efficient experience, you'll be starting out in good shape on any nonprofit project.
