Like any other entity, nonprofits can realize a huge benefit from having a well-designed website. A website is a place to share information about your mission, collect donations, and solicit support through volunteering and other ways. For many nonprofits, cost is an issue when it comes to building and running a website, which is why more than half turn to WordPress for their site.
WordPress is an open-source content management system used by major corporations and government agencies. It is known for being relatively easy to use, low-cost, and customizable. However, you will need to update the site regularly and address issues like speed and performance.
Inclind works with nonprofit organizations nationwide to help them design, develop, and maintain their websites using WordPress and other popular CMS. We work with our clients to better understand their needs, capabilities, and budgets before recommending a CMS and a plan for moving forward. We offer a full range of services, including website design, redesign, custom integration, and technical SEO. To learn more about how we can help you build a great WordPress website for your nonprofit, reach out today to talk to one of our experts.
What Is WordPress?
WordPress is an open-source content management system (CMS) that allows you to build and manage a website without programming. The code is accessible to everyone, so anyone can use or modify WordPress software for free.
WordPress is based on themes and modules. Essentially, when you use WordPress, you pick a theme - or how you want your website to look. You can then customize your website using plugins. For example, if you want to add an option to translate content into different languages, you can add a plugin for that feature.
There are thousands of themes and plugins, both free and paid. The quality of each piece of coding can vary, so it is important to only download themes and plugins from trusted sources with good reviews.
While it initially started as a blogging platform, this software can now be used to build any type of website. This includes everything from eCommerce stores to business websites to membership sites to nonprofit websites.
WordPress is the most popular CMS worldwide, including for nonprofits. According to a recent survey, 60% of nonprofits in the United States use WordPress for their websites. With numbers like these, you might be wondering: Should I use WordPress for my nonprofit website?
Benefits of Using WordPress for Your Nonprofit Website
There are many reasons why nonprofits tend to prefer a CMS like WordPress. It is easy to use and manage, cost-effective, and customizable. Below, we break down some of the top benefits of using WordPress.
WordPress Is User-Friendly
WordPress started as a way for anyone—regardless of their coding experience - to start a blog. It isn’t surprising that it remains an incredibly easy-to-use CMS.
Building a WordPress website is fairly simple. Depending on the complexity of your website, you might even be able to build a basic site on your own. It starts with choosing from one of thousands of themes, which provide the framework for the site and how it looks. You can then select plugins for particular features, like contact forms.
Once the site is up and running, you can manage it all through the administrative dashboard. Your staff will be able to upload new content - such as information about fundraisers or blog posts - edit or add pages, and more. The simplicity of the administrative dashboard is a key benefit, as many nonprofits don’t have a dedicated IT team to assist them with the day-to-day running of the website.
WordPress Is Cost-Effective
Most nonprofits don’t have a huge budget when it comes to things like websites. That is another reason why WordPress is so attractive. The open-source version is free to use. You can then customize your website with free or low-cost themes and plug-ins.
Because WordPress is so popular, getting support for your website at a good price is relatively easy. There are also plenty of tutorials available online, which can make running a WordPress website far more affordable over time.
WordPress Can Be Customized
WordPress has tens of thousands of plugins available - both free and paid. Plugins are little snippets of code that will add a particular feature to your website. For example, if you want to be able to accept donations to support your mission, you can download a plugin to accept both one-time and recurring payments.
Because WordPress is open-source, anyone can develop and contribute plugins to its store. As a result, you can almost always find a plugin to enhance and customize your website in whatever way you want. However, you should be careful about the plugins that you download to make sure that they are high quality. You should also regularly update your plugins to maintain security.
WordPress Is Mobile-Friendly
Most people look at websites on their phones or tablets. For this reason, your nonprofit website should be optimized for mobile. If it isn’t, then a visitor might come to your website to learn about volunteering - and then get discouraged and scroll away if they have a hard time learning about the requirements or filling out an application.
Most WordPress themes and plugins are designed to be mobile responsive. This means that it is fairly easy to create a beautiful website that looks great and is easy to navigate from a smartphone and/or tablet.
Downsides of WordPress for Nonprofits
Of course, every CMS has its drawbacks - and that includes WordPress. While the platform is popular, it isn’t the right choice for every nonprofit. Here are some reasons why WordPress might not be the best CMS for your organization.
Site Updates and Maintenance
One of WordPress's features is that it is open-source. This can also create some issues because anyone can contribute themes and plugins. When you install themes and plugins, you will have to make sure that you properly maintain your site.
This primarily means that you will have to regularly update your site to maintain both its health and security. Unfortunately, the updates aren’t always straightforward. For example, you might have to revert back to a prior version of WordPress if the update causes issues with your site. For this reason, you may need to hire a WordPress developer to do ongoing WordPress website support and maintenance.
Speed Issues
WordPress websites are somewhat notorious for speed issues. When you add themes and plugins to your site, they may have unnecessary code that can increase loading time significantly. If people visit your nonprofit website and it takes forever to load, they may simply leave the site rather than wait.
It is possible to pick less “bulky” themes and plugins if you have some WordPress knowledge. You can also run some diagnostics to determine what exactly is slowing down your site - and then fix it. As with updates, this may require some tech knowledge to fix speed issues properly without impacting your site.
Potential Security Issues
Being an open-source CMS, WordPress is more vulnerable to cyber attacks than a proprietary CMS. This is particularly true if your nonprofit isn’t staying on top of updates and if you pick themes and plugins that aren’t necessarily high quality.
To avoid the potential for a hack, it is important to carefully read reviews before installing any theme or plugin on your site. You should also make sure that your site and all of its components are regularly updated. These are the best ways to protect against cyber threats and keep your nonprofit site—and its data—secure.
Cost for More Complex Sites
A basic WordPress website can be relatively inexpensive to build and maintain. However, if you want a more involved site, it will cost you. Generally, the more customized and flexible your site is, the more expensive it will be to build. It will also often require more money devoted to site maintenance.
Of course, even a more complex WordPress website will typically cost far less than a website built with a proprietary CMS. However, you should be mindful of your budget when building your site because it can be easy to go over budget when adding features if you aren’t careful.
Work with Inclind on Your Nonprofit Website
An open-source CMS like WordPress makes it easy to build a beautiful website chock full of great features. It is particularly great for nonprofits, as you can build a website that is easy to use and doesn’t cost a ton to create or maintain. However, you should be aware that while WordPress is pretty user-friendly, you will likely need some tech knowledge or assistance to maintain your website properly.
Inclind is a collaboration of award-winning website designers and developers who combine our skills and knowledge with CMS like WordPress to help our clients build the best possible websites for their needs. We work with nonprofit organizations throughout the United States with the goal of helping them build the best possible website based on their needs and budget. We have experience with all types of CMS, including WordPress and Drupal, and can help you weigh the pros and cons of each as they relate to your organization.
Interested in learning more about our WordPress design and development services for nonprofit organizations? Fill out our online contact form or give us a call at 800-604-8139 to talk to one of our experts about your website.