In today’s digital age, having a well-designed, functional, and informative website is crucial for any arts organization or nonprofit. And it’s about more than following the latest nonprofit technology trends! Your website serves as a central hub for information, engagement, and support. It’s where new visitors learn about your mission, donors make contributions, and community members stay updated on your events.
To make the most of your nonprofit website, it’s essential to include specific pages that cater to these needs. In this post, we’ll identify four essential pages that every arts nonprofit should include on their website and walk through tips to make each page successful.
While it’s certainly possible to tackle these four pages on your own, enlisting the help of a nonprofit website design expert will help ensure these pages are both attractive and effective. Let’s get started!
1. “About Us” Page
The “About Us” page is the cornerstone of your website, providing visitors with a clear understanding of who you are and what you stand for. This page is critical for making a strong first impression and can inspire visitors to explore further or support your cause.
Here are some key pieces of information to include on this page:
- Mission: Clearly state your organization’s purpose and goals.
- Vision: Describe the future you aim to create through your work.
- Values: Share the core principles that guide your organization.
- Impact: Highlight your achievements and the difference you’ve made so far.
- Team: Introduce the people behind your organization, including staff, board members, and key volunteers.
A well-crafted “About Us” page not only informs but also inspires. It should convey passion and professionalism, encouraging trust and support in your organization.
2. Donation Page
A donation page is a vital component of an arts nonprofit’s website, providing a direct avenue for securing financial support online. Donations enable your organization to offer programs, host events, and fulfill your mission — be it presenting plays and musicals, offering pottery classes to kids in need, or something else.
Include these essential elements on your donation page:
- A compelling call to action: Start with a short, impactful message that encourages visitors to donate.
- A short and simple form: Keep the donation form brief and as easy as possible for potential donors to complete to reduce barriers to giving.
- Suggested donation amounts: Offer predefined levels to guide donors and simplify the process.
- Matching gift database: Empower donors to check their corporate matching gift eligibility and kickstart the matching process.
- A recurring donation option: Allow donors the option to select a monthly gift to easily convert one-time donations into recurring contributions.
- Multiple payment options: Provide various payment methods to accommodate all donors.
- A thank-you page: After submitting the donation form, redirect donors to a personalized thank-you page to acknowledge their generosity.
By incorporating these important elements, you’ll create a seamless and engaging donation experience, boosting the donations you’ll receive and greatly simplifying your fundraising efforts.
3. Events Page
Even if you’re using an external tool to manage your events, an events page is essential for keeping your community informed and engaged with your organization’s activities. This page serves as a hub for all event-related information and can include:
- An events calendar: Display upcoming events in an easy-to-navigate calendar format.
- A registration form: Allow visitors to sign up for events directly on your website.
- A link to your donation page: Provide an easy way for event attendees to support your organization financially through the registration process.
- Images or videos of past events: Showcase highlights from previous events to build excitement for future ones.
- FAQs: Address common questions to streamline the planning and participation process for attendees.
An informative and visually appealing events page encourages participation and fosters a sense of community around your organization’s activities.
4. Regularly-Updated Blog
A regularly updated blog is a powerful tool for keeping your audience engaged, informed, and invested in your organization. It can serve multiple purposes, from promoting upcoming events and educating the community about your art form to sharing behind-the-scenes stories.
No matter how many automations you’re using to lighten your workload, ensure you put the human touch on your blog posts to ensure they resonate with readers. These tips will help make each blog post a success:
- Know your audience. Tailor your content to the interests and needs of your readers.
- Develop a content calendar: Plan and schedule posts to ensure consistent updates, even when things get busy.
- Create diverse content. Mix up the types of posts that you share on the blog, including informational articles, opinion pieces, interviews, and multimedia posts.
- Prioritize search engine optimization (SEO). Optimize your most important posts for search engines to increase visibility and drive traffic to these posts.
- Lean into cross-promotion. Share your blog posts on social media and in email newsletters to reach a wider audience.
A well-maintained blog can significantly boost your online presence, foster community engagement, and support your organization’s mission.
A powerful website with these four essential pages is an excellent addition to a robust tech stack and can significantly enhance your arts nonprofit’s ability to engage with supporters, attract new visitors, and secure funding.
But we know that’s easier said than done, which is why it can really pay to have a helping hand to take your organization’s site from good to great! Investing in professional web design ensures that these pages are not only functional but also visually appealing and user-friendly. By prioritizing these elements, your organization can build a robust online presence that supports and amplifies your mission.
Christine Ward
Cornershop Creative
Christine Ward, Digital Content Strategist at Cornershop Creative, has been strategizing and building content professionally since 2010. She has spent the majority of that time working to amplify nonprofit voices. With a front row seat to the impact of a great digital marketing strategy on an organization’s growth, she’s made it her goal to help as many nonprofits as she can to harness the power of the Internet. She enjoys working with organizations of all shapes, sizes and missions to create and effectively execute marketing plans.
