We all know that many non-profit organizations typically fail miserably when it comes to having an internet presence. And quite honestly, this is very very sad because most of them provide excellent services to the community they are in and deserve much better. Let me list some reasons a non-profit needs to front the money to have a decent web site and a way to utilize social media to it’s fullest.
- First off, people love to talk about local companies and organizations more so than they like to about larger corporations. If you’re a church, people want to ask their neighbors to come and need an easy way to give them information. Any local event that non-profits organize such as 5K runs, walks, fund-raisers, etc. need exposure and need a way for locals to share information with the click of a button. Imagine if your organization suddenly had 50, 200, 0r even 1000 people talking about your event on facebook or twitter. It would no doubt help the turnout. So having a dynamic website that connects with these services is a must.
- Non-profit organizations typically provide very note-worthy services in their communities. These services often serve the less-fortunate and those with health needs and the like. And many times, they work off of donations either monetary or physical goods. The internet can utilize services such as PayPal to accept donations at no upfront cost. This service can be connected to a dynamic web site very easily giving a very easy way for people to donate in just a few clicks.
- Blogs are all over the place today, but from my experience, very few non-profits are utilizing these types of websites to get relevant information to the community. I realize that it requires someone to sit and write about what is going on in the company, but that’s usually being done to some extent anyway and it can be very easily published to the web. This would give the community a way to stay updated on what’s going on with the organization and should also tie in with the first and second point. A website is no longer a static bit of information on what your company morals and ethics are. They are a 24/7 recruiter and central information location for everything going on with the organization.
- If I haven’t convinced you by now that it’s imperative to get a decent site up and running asap, then I’m afraid you might need to open your mind a bit to try something new. Technology is rapidly changing and the internet and social media as we know it are not going away. Whether you’re a church, a food bank, or a 2nd hand clothing store, you need to be on the bandwagon as well. Don’t waste another minute hoping someone will come along and donate one to you for free. That would be awesome, but from my experience, donated sites and marketing materials LOOK like they’ve been donated and don’t have the functionality or the aesthetics that a great organization needs.
So in closing…take Nike’s advice and “just do it.”