Building Websites and generate donations for NGO's or Non-Profits

Often, i do get enquires through email or phone from many small or medium non-profits or ngo's in India to build websites and most importantly put a donate page for generating donations.

While, I am in-principal not against it, many vendors or partners who are in the business of website building or focussing on technology solutions to non-profit simply advice to put pages quickly,
generate donations page and make money for themselves quickly, while the non-profits after 2-3 months will be wondering why the website or the donation page is not generating any visits or funds.
Ofcourse, you have tech geeks who are volunteers and may help you put up websites without charging a dime and feel good about it..

What the are reasons that your ngo or non-profit should not build the website for:
a. Our non-profits or NGO's need to have website as other ngo's or non-profits have it or it's the in-thing in this technological age.
b. Once you put up website or donation page, people are going to visit your website and give you their monies, it's as simple as that.
c. You have just attended a seminar or workshop on websites or digital marketing - where people gave you enough facts and figures to build the website as a technological tool for your Ngo or non-
profit.

On top of this, if you tell this problem saying that your website or the donation page is not generating any visits or generating donations - to a Search Engine Optimization or Search Engine Marketing company - they will give a list of things which your Ngo or Non-Profits should do and again make dent in your shoe-stringed organisational budgets.

I can hear you saying, yeah i know, but tell me how to go about it? - well here are my answers:
Disclaimer: I am not website designer nor technology solutions company (in the business of building softwares) nor an SEO or SEM company - but having worked in the Non-Profit Sector or NGO for
pretty long time, am giving some tips for this based on my little understanding.

1. Does your non-profit or NGO really require a website?
A silly question to be asked, but i ask the question, because many small non-profits which works at the grass-roots level or depend almost 100% funding on International or National NGO's or Non-
Profits for their programmes, why does they need a website?

2. Does your non-profit or NGO understand brand or website as a medium?
Does your non-profit or NGO know about brand or brand-building or beyond a basic understanding of web as a medium, i would ask people who is responsible for websites (if there is one!) - to put a broad road-map or more fashoinable word 'Web Strategy' before spending any money on any consultant or vendor.

First of all - what's the objective of putting up a website is answer you need to do. Don't say it - write it in a piece of paper and discuss with your people in the organisation or with people who can
understand both non-profits and technology who is not there to rip off the money.

Giving some questions to start with: (answers should not exceed not more than 500 words)
a. What's the primary role of your non-profit/ngo's website?
b. Explan how a website could further your mission of your non-profit/ngo?
3. I have answered your 2nd question, what next?

Who's going to be owner of the website? or who is going to own it? What is the organization structure like in your ngo or non-profit?

Don't say - that we will hire or outsource (fashionable statements these days) website consultants or vendors whose core-comptence is do this. It can be dangerous to outsource to somebody
without you understanding it.

Once you have a person or group/committe (which is a reality in non-profits or ngos!) - then you need to put again a set of questions based on the answers of question 2:
a. What should be website road-map/plan for this year and next year?
b. What should the website contain or broad site-map?

To question b - most people tend to go other ngo or non-profits sites and most of them get inspried or why re-invent the wheel(or copied - to put bluntly). Though i may somewhat agree - some of
recommedations that i will give:

a. Which Non-profit or NGO website names do you remember offhand and go that website?
b. Which non-profit or ngo website do you envy upon?
c. Though the word 'competition' is bad-word in this sector - who is your closest competitor/benchmarked organisation?

Once you taken notes of which one you like and dislikes, now re-write - what the website should contain or broad site-map should be.

Part 2 to be continued.. next week