Nonprofit Website Project Prep Kit

There are three primary approaches most nonprofits take when building a new website:

1. Custom Website – Essentially building a website from scratch. Some developers may start with a template to save time and money, but this is the most high-touch approach, which will also be the most expensive.
2. DIY Website Builder – Think Squarespace or Wix here. With these tools, you’re responsible for building and launching your new site. This approach is the least expensive, and can be a good fit for a nonprofit with simple needs that’s just starting out.
3. Nonprofit Website Platform – Basically a combination of the custom and DIY approaches. These tools are often built specifically for nonprofits and based on templates. So they’re less customizable than a custom site, but often a lot less expensive as a result.

Choosing the right approach will come down to your nonprofit’s needs and what your visitors are looking for in a website.

The short answer is no. In fact, writing a lengthy, technical RFP is often a pretty big waste of time.

But creating a simple RFP or website brief can help you clarify your needs and ultimately find the right partner.

Here’s a simple nonprofit website RFP template specifically designed for mid-sized nonprofits. The idea is you can spend time on the pieces that’ll help you find the perfect partner for your project (and avoid the most common issues that pop up in RFPs).

You definitely can. And for some organizations, it can work really well. Especially if you have a volunteer or board member with a background in nonprofit marketing.

To help avoid issues, we recommend asking whoever is donating their time these questions:

• Are you worried about having enough time to complete the project alongside your full-time job or other commitments?
• What happens down the road if you decide to no longer volunteer with us?
• How much experience do you have building websites for nonprofits? Any examples we can see to get a sense of what the new site could look like in action?
• What happens if we have questions or need support after the site launches?

Getting clear on expectations from the outset can help you avoid being left with a half-finished website down the road.