Pro bono web design sounds like an incredible deal, especially for the famously under-resourced nonprofit. A beautiful, powerful new website that engages your visitors and moves your mission forward, all at no cost? It’s hard to say no.

While pro bono website projects can absolutely work out, they can also turn into pretty big wastes of time. We’ve heard from way too many nonprofits over the years who wasted months of time and effort and were stuck with a half-finished website.

So if you’re thinking of relying on free or donated services to build your nonprofit website, this post is for you. We’ll break down the most common issues that arise and key considerations to help you decide whether pro bono web design services are right for you.

Pro Bono Web Design for Nonprofits

It’s easy to see why pro bono design is such an attractive option for nonprofits.

Building a new website has historically been a big, expensive and time-consuming endeavor. When you’re looking at a months-long project with a $50,000 price tag, a free alternative starts to look pretty appealing.

But a lot has changed in recent years, and there are ways to build a nonprofit website that don’t carry the same price tag or time commitment as a traditional custom project that’s built from scratch.

Common Web Design Approaches

In fact, there are three approaches to building a website we see nonprofits take most often, each with their own benefits, challenges and price points:

  • DIY Builder: Think of a do-it-yourself builder, like Wix or Squarespace.
  • Custom Website: The traditional approach most nonprofits are familiar with, where your new website is built from the ground up by an agency or freelancer.
  • Nonprofit Website Platform: Website software built specifically for nonprofits with a monthly subscription that covers many of the typical ongoing costs for a new site.

No matter which approach is right for your project, if you’re considering pro bono services to get the job done, it’s important to plan ahead for the most common pitfalls.

Key Considerations for Pro Bono Design

Before committing to using free services to build your nonprofit website, take some time to consider common risks associated with pro bono design and, importantly, how your team might prepare to manage them.

Capacity to Manage a Free Project

One of the first stops nonprofits make on their search for a pro bono designer is their volunteer base. Maybe a volunteer has past website experience (or at least some level of comfort with technology) and extra time to pitch in.

That availability can easily change as a project goes on, though. And if it does, you could end up with a partial project and no great way to complete it.

As an alternative, you might find a freelancer or agency willing to build a free website for your nonprofit. But if you’re competing against paying clients for their time and expertise, your project likely won’t get priority when it comes to meeting deadlines or making revisions.

Ultimately, working with a volunteer, external freelancer or agency that’s building your site on the side can be more complicated than you think.

How to Avoid Issues

It’s tough to completely eliminate the possibility of an unfinished or delayed website project. But one of the best ways to avoid it is by setting clear expectations early on.

Ask your prospective partner:

  • Are you concerned about having enough time to complete this project alongside your full-time work or other commitments?
  • What can we expect if your availability or capacity changes as our project is in development?
  • How will our project be prioritized among other client projects? Will we have a rough timeline, or should we expect delays as your agency takes on other work?

Potential Compromises in Quality and User Experience

It’s not uncommon to lower the costs of a website project by tabling “nice to have” features and focusing on the most important ones, at least to start. That type of phased approach is actually one I recommend often for nonprofits looking to build and launch a new website quickly!

Where it helps to be extra cautious, though, is when a simple pro bono site turns into one that doesn’t meet basic standards of web design and usability.

Because at some point, a free website that cuts corners on user experience best practices, mobile responsiveness or accessibility guidelines will end up costing you in the long run when it comes to visits, engagement and conversions.

And a free website doesn’t do you a whole lot of good if it doesn’t ultimately help you better serve your community and achieve your goals.

Everyone involved wants the project to be successful. But a volunteer designer may have a hard time accomplishing everything you’re looking for —especially when relying on free labor, tools and plugins to cobble together a website.

How to Avoid Issues

Be clear from the start about your “need to have” website features and who your audience is. What are your must-have features or qualities in a new website? On what, if anything, are you willing to compromise?

Share that information with your partner and confirm:

  • How much experience do you have building websites for nonprofits? Can we see any examples from organizations similar to ours?
  • Can the website integrate with the third-party tools we use for things like donations and email marketing?
  • Will the site be responsive and accessible?

Knowing your must-haves and what’s possible early can help you make more informed decisions later if you need to scale back on features or design options without sacrificing the usability of your site.

And if your new site won’t meet those minimum standards you set, then it’s probably time to question the real value of the project.

Long-Term Maintenance Time and Costs

Websites are more of a long-term investment than a one-and-done project. No matter how your site is built, it will require maintenance, technical upgrades and other updates to keep it secure and functioning at its best for the long term.

There’s more to managing a website than the initial costs to build and launch it. It’s important to consider the ongoing costs associated with a website, like hosting, security, performance updates, your domain, SSL certificates and more, along with what happens if and when something breaks or goes wrong.

These costs can add up quickly, and they can feel even greater when you come into the project expecting a totally free website.

How to Avoid Issues

Clarify what’s included in your pro bono web design project and discuss the pricing for technical maintenance with your designer up front to avoid surprises later on. You might ask your designer:

  • Is website hosting included? How does it work?
  • How will software and plugin updates be handled?
  • What happens if the website goes down?

Another option to help manage this risk is to avoid a completely custom site built from scratch.

Like I mentioned, there are various approaches for building a new website. And while they all require maintenance, most DIY builders and nonprofit website platforms roll these ongoing costs into the subscription fees so you don’t end up with a large surprise bill down the road.

The Amount of Support You’ll Receive

In addition to technical maintenance, your new site will require ongoing content updates. Your website is a tool, and in order to use that tool effectively, you need to be able to make additions, edits and updates to it over time. Will you have the access or support you need to use your website to its full extent?

When a website becomes outdated and the information it provides your visitors is no longer helpful, relevant or accurate, then it’s not exactly helping you reach your goals. By that point, your site may actually be working against you.

Unfortunately, the same under-resourced nonprofits that can benefit the most from pro bono design services are often the ones who could use a little extra support after that website is live. Be wary of sacrificing your long-term needs for a short-term gain.

How to Avoid Issues

Confirm with your pro bono designer how content updates and day-to-day website management will be handled.

  • Who will be responsible for making ongoing website updates?
  • For how long will we be able to rely on you to make changes, and what is the process for requesting your help?
  • What happens if you decide to stop volunteering your services?
  • If it’s up to us, will we receive any training or documentation to help manage updates ourselves?

Clarifying these questions before making a commitment will save you a lot of time and headache down the road.

Is Pro Bono Web Design Right for You?

Clearly there’s a lot to consider before making the final call on whether pro bono services are right for your nonprofit. At the end of the day, there are a few key questions that should help you land in the right spot.

  • Can the volunteer designer realistically commit the time and resources needed to complete your project alongside their other work and priorities?
  • Will this project deliver a website that actually meets your nonprofit’s goals, needs and quality standards?
  • Do you have a clear understanding of what is and isn’t included in your project?
  • Do you have a plan for handling (and potentially paying for) website maintenance, support and updates after the site is launched if needed?
  • Have you considered any alternatives to pro bono design that might offer more stability, reliability and long-term value?

Remember, it’s not impossible for pro bono web design to work out well for everyone involved. But using free or donated services to build your site also includes risks with the potential to leave your team in a tight spot should something go wrong along the way.

Make sure your team understands those risks and has a plan to avoid common pitfalls before making any decisions. Your nonprofit website is too important to leave to chance.

What’s been your experience with pro bono web development, either as a nonprofit or as a volunteer? Any tips or tricks for building a great relationship with a pro bono web designer? Let us know in the comments.

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