Website Makeover

Katya Andresen is a popular nonprofit marketing blogger who has made multiple appearances on the Scoop of Nonprofit News. Today she is sharing an organization that is doing a great job turning their issues into stories in an effort to better relate to potential donors. She says, "it is so important to bring a human face to our organizations and our work. Without stories, we are simply abstract words and ideas. With stories, we become a part of our audience’s lives."

Today's nonprofit website makeover is the Crisis Control Ministry. They wrote Katya asking for input on their website, which they are about to revamp. They also sent along an example of some of their new materials. What an improvement! They are absolutely moving in the right direction.

Old website home page:

Here is the advice she gave them on their old website:
-Choose a picture and tagline that tells a story - the photo of the boy looking down and the generic language could represent any nonprofit

-Remove the mission statement and replace it with a great quote from a fan or beneficiary instead - mission statements belong on About Us pages

-Make a clear case for giving

What I like about the current site is the big Donate button, the email signup and the endorsement by Charity Navigator. You always want a prominent way to give, a way to get in touch and a third-party endorsement. However, the Donate button has dollars on it - bad idea. Images of money typically prime people to be selfish. If you use imagery, use a picture of a person being helped or other generous image. Also, the email signup could be stronger - “sign up for updates” is not extremely compelling, though it’s better than “join our mailing list!”

Here is their first attempt at new collateral -

Here is Katya's feedback:
I love the look and feel of the new collateral - I imagine this is a flyer - and can’t wait to see that take shape on the website. That photo and tagline instantly engage me and inspire me to help. Lutricia will take the new home page by storm. So will the vastly improved tagline: Strengthening Our Community … One Neighbor at a time.

I found this really helpful to see a before and after snapshot of a website makeover.  I think the Crisis Control Ministry is moving in a great direction and I can't wait to see their final website design.  I bet it will be well worth it, hopefully Katya will update us to see if the makeover increases their online donations.  I will be sure to post any results I am able to find.  Good luck to this hard working nonprofit and thanks to Katya for sharing her expertise.