Very recently, I completed a copywriting project for a non-profit organization in Bangalore. The project also involved advising on the information architecture and persuasion architecture of their community portal.

In the course of the project I discovered tons of stuff about non-profit organization, motivation factors of their usual target audience, how building a non-profit website or portal is different from commercial website so on and so forth.

But the thing that really got me surprised and pleased was how the organization was taking internet and their website very seriously. Now that is something very rare when it comes to non-profit organization scene.

At least in India.

So I did me some research on the current trends and study results about how seriously a non-profit should be taking the internet and their websites.

As the implications of the information I found gradually sunk in, I realised that our Indian non-profit scene is more removed from the latest trends and practices than I thought.

Of course, there is the occasional organization that uses the net to leverage the power of the community but most organizations tend to neglect the gold mine.

Take these study results for example:

• Increasingly, nonprofits in the U.S. are using their websites to encourage community engagement and civic participation, says the study by David Suarez, assistant professor of policy, planning and development at the University of Southern California. "Websites provide a novel opportunity for nonprofits to scale their social impact and expand their civic purpose," Suarez says in a statement
• According to a new study from Convio, major donors to charities tend to favor using the Internet. 72% of respondents said donating online is more efficient and helps charities reduce administrative costs.
• Recently The Nonprofit Sector's $100 Billion Opportunity study illustrated four ways a nonprofit sector could generate over $100 billion by changing the way it operates. One of the four was “soliciting donations over the internet”

So what is ailing the non-profits websites?

The chief motivator for the existence of a website for non-profit organizations is to raise funds. But there is empirical proof (and my personal analysis) that most non-profit websites do a poor job convincing the donors.

For example, Jakob Nielsen on Donation Usability says "Non-profits would collect much more from their websites if only they'd clearly state what they are about and how they use donations."

The article also goes on to say that “only 43% of the sites we studied answered the first question on their homepage. Further, only a ridiculously low 4% answered the second question on the homepage.”

Also, the websites who do ask for donations and have a clear checkout process (thus clearing the first hurdle) kill the donations at the second hurdle: treating donors like cash machines. A non-profit website needs to communicate with their constituents and continue building relationships.

In conclusion, the best thing a non-profit organization can do right now is to take internet seriously and their websites even more seriously.

Free Websites for Mangalore Based Non-Profits

This recent project I mentioned earlier has brought in a sea change in me. After interacting with the members of the non-profit and their audience made me rediscover my sense of duty towards the environment and society. So giving out my copywriting services at a reduced price was a natural step.

But I want to give back more to our community. I realize that sometimes non-profits just need a website now and don't have a budget at all. Hence I have decided to donate one free website every six months to a worthy cause in Mangalore area. When I say free, I mean 100% absolutely free – from concept to creation (copywriting, graphic design, HTML, flash etc.)

Open To: Non-Profits, Parks, Communities and Special Interest Groups located in the Mangalore area (religious and political outfits will not be considered).

Contact Me on 99864 21658 or info@vishal-nayak.com