How to Use Your Website to Promote Your Cause
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A website is a powerful tool for sharing information about your cause and the impactful work you are doing in the community. By effectively using your website, you can engage the public, keep visitors informed about your projects and events, and invite people to support your cause. Here are some tips to help you design an engaging and effective website that promotes your cause and enhances your fundraising efforts.
Show Your Work
Visual content is crucial for showcasing the impact of your cause. Use images and videos that feature your team actively working together and making a positive change. Capturing moments of volunteers in action, beneficiaries receiving help, and events in progress will help convey the real-world impact of your efforts. Ensure that your visuals are high-quality and tell a genuine story about your cause.
Keep It Simple
People tend to scan websites rather than read every word. To make your content easily digestible, use bullet points, short paragraphs, and clear, simple language. Highlight the most important information and make it easy for visitors to find what they are looking for. A clean, uncluttered design will help keep your audience focused on your key messages.
Include Calls to Action
Encourage visitors to take action by including clear calls to action (CTAs) throughout your website. Whether you want people to donate, volunteer, or join your cause, make it easy for them to get involved. Use buttons and other visual cues to guide users towards the actions you want them to take. Ensure that your CTAs are prominently displayed and compelling.
Use Your Brand’s Colors and Logo
Consistent branding helps build recognition and trust. Use your organization’s official colors and logo throughout your website. Place your logo in the header and footer to ensure it is visible on every page. If you don’t have a logo yet, consider creating one using templates or graphic design tools.
Highlight News and Updates
Keep your audience informed about what’s happening in your organization. Regularly update your website with the latest news, upcoming events, and stories about your work. Share photos and success stories to illustrate the positive impact you are making. Providing fresh content will keep visitors engaged and coming back for more.
Explain Your Mission
Clearly explain what your organization does and why it matters. Include an overview of your mission, the causes you support, and any relevant background information. This section should provide a compelling narrative that inspires visitors to support your cause.
Encourage Involvement
Invite visitors to get involved in your projects. Provide information on how they can contribute, whether through donations, volunteering, or participating in events. Make it easy for people to sign up and get started by providing clear instructions and contact information.
Share Contact Information and Meeting Details
Make sure it’s easy for people to contact you and learn more about your organization. List your meeting times, locations, and contact details on your website. Keep this information up-to-date to ensure that potential supporters can easily reach you.
Use a Calendar for Events
An online calendar is a great way to keep your audience informed about upcoming events. Include details about meetings, activities, and other events related to your cause. This helps keep your supporters engaged and informed about opportunities to participate.
Ensure Responsive Design
Your website should look good and function well on all devices, including desktops, tablets, and mobile phones. Use responsive design to ensure that your site adjusts to different screen sizes and remains easy to navigate. A mobile-friendly website is essential for reaching a wider audience and providing a good user experience.
Conclusion
By incorporating these elements, you can create an engaging and effective website that promotes your cause and encourages support through iGive. Your website is a vital tool for communicating your mission, showcasing your impact, and inviting people to get involved. Keep your content fresh, your design clean, and your calls to action clear to maximize the effectiveness of your online presence.
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Frequently Asked Questions
A shopper starts shopping online by first going to iGive.com.
The shopper, your supporter, identifies your cause as the one they support. If your cause is not already on our list of causes either they or you can add it. This tells us where to send the donation. This only has to be done once unless the shopper wants to stop or change causes.
The shopper then identifies the merchant where they want to shop that day from our categorized list of over 1700 merchants. Once they click on that merchant, they are finished for the day with iGive and taken directly to the merchant’s website. If they have shopped there before, they begin shopping. If it is their first time shopping at this merchant’s website, they will have to follow the merchant’s instructions for registering there by providing their name, delivery address, payment method, email address, and perhaps some other information depending on the merchant.
When they are finished shopping, they check out as usual. They are done and only have to wait for their order to be sent to them.
Meanwhile, back at iGive, a message is received from the merchant which documents the transaction. Periodically the merchant adds up what they owe iGive in the way of commission and sends iGive the money. This sometimes takes a month or more after the shopping trip because the merchants want to take into account returns, exchanges or other modifications to the total amount they collect.
iGive then adds up all of the commissions that they have received that are designated to be shared with your cause and sends you the accumulated portion for your cause. This is usually added up on a monthly basis for the period since the last donation to your cause.
There is no cost to the shopper or to your cause.
iGive works with all types of causes — big or small, local or national, and regardless of whether they are a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit or not.
Merchants pay iGive a commission from the shopper’s purchase because iGive referred the customer to them. They want customers to shop at their store, and shoppers with iGive want to shop at stores that support their cause. iGive utilizes that commission to facilitate a donation to your cause on behalf of the shopper.
The money sent to your cause is the incentive iGive offers shoppers to use iGive.com as the entry to online shopping at our 1700+ affiliated stores.
This is different from when a cashier asks if the shopper wants to round up or add a dollar to donate when the shopper checks out — in that case, the shopper is paying slightly more to donate to the store’s chosen cause—not the shopper’s. With iGive, the shopper pays the same amount they would if they didn’t use iGive. Your cause receives a donation from iGive for all of your supporters who use iGive.
The amount the cause receives depends on how many of your supporters use iGive and the amount of money they spend shopping online. You can increase the amount of the donation by encouraging your supporters to use iGive.com when shopping online. Your cause does not pay iGive anything.
iGive has a wide range of participating stores. These are listed at iGive.com either by category of merchandise or a comprehensive list of all merchant affiliates. This includes popular online retailers in categories such as clothing, electronics, travel, and more. See the list of affiliated stores here.