Episode 25 - Must Haves for a Non Profit Website

Web Vendors generally build websites that are too formal and sterile. 

When speaking with nonprofit directors who don't feel confident in their web presence, there's almost always the same issue at play:

The way the organization talks about their mission face to face is totally different than how it's described on their website.

In other words, the way they talk about their work in normal conversation is clear, compelling, and interesting. Let's talk about how a non profit can build a website that moves people to action.  Let's discuss must haves for a Non Profit Website.

Transcript

Welcome to the, This is HIS story podcast. The executive director

and pastor guide to sowing and reaping online givers. Welcome to episode.

25 Must haves for a non-profit website.

Well, if you know me or you listen to this podcast,

normally I don't even hide my secret weapon as a consultant,

the whole basis of the title of this podcast.

And the content is the me,

taking Leaders of nonprofits,

or the founders, and I listened to their stories.

And then I compare it to their marketing or to their website and print and emails and social media.

And I just find the difference between their passion

and what drives them and then with their marketing.

Well, there's another level that's very similar.

I want to talk about today and that is who ever built.

Built. The website are generally two formal,

that's because a lot of nonprofits Outsource their

website and those people try to grab the essence of an organization and mix it with best practices.

So you'll organizations get templates,

and they get filler content.

That looks good and it sort of says,

what the organization does.

But Nonprofit to come to me

and they're like well we're just don't talk our websites doing what it needs to.

Well of course it's not because they went into it incorrectly

and without telling the vendor exactly what to do.

I get a kick. Sometimes people want to hire me and they said well let's go build our website.

Then we'll hire you and I'm like no it's backwards.

You have me help you build the website. Otherwise we're just going to deconstruct it

and tweak it and fix it.

Why not? Just get it right from the first time.

So, That's for me when I get called in.

So the way your team I'm going to say web team talks about the

organization online is normally not the same way your team,

not just web team, but your organization's talks to people individually

and it's like we allow web teams.

Our web vendors to build websites that Have their own language if you will.

And I realize that talking is different than print,

which is different than websites,

but it's just homogenized.

Best practice, templates,

gobbly, gook speaking. That is not converting people

because there's not really a plan or really a toner language that works on the website.

So basically, you know, people can talk about their work and normal conversation,

they make it Clear compelling and even interesting,

but when you go to the website, it's more dense.

It's confusing. Filled with jargon and taglines,

that weren't really well thought. And so anyway,

here's with that problem. Mind, here's two things.

I want you to take away one,

explain your org chart your organization,

explain your organization and simple.

Language and normal language pretend the person is not trying to read a press release from IBM.

But talk to you at lunch,

like keep it very simple plain inorganic,

okay? This is going to tie into my second point

and told portal blend the two together but they are distinct.

The second one is talk to the scanner.

Even more than the reader. What happens sometimes is organization.

We think we have so much to say we hand out,

press releases and It's through your web team and they copy paste,

the content into their template. And what it does is it doesn't tell a simple story,

especially a simple story to the Scanner.

Listen, let's let's think about this.

You and I both our scanners.

We get an email, we sort of scan it to know whether we want to read it or not.

We go to a webpage, we don't just read every single word,

we scan, we scan the title, we just sort of crisscross.

Our eyes to pull out the point.

Well, that's what we do. That's what a lot of your donors do.

They do it with emails? They do it with social media,

and they certainly do it with your website.

And so I, I always,

I think I can use that word. I always think about the scanner,

any time? A client hands. Me an email and says,

can you help us make it look better? I will bold things.

I will pull out, pull quotes. I will throw in images that somebody who didn't read the Melt at all.

Can still walk away with the essence of the email because they scanned it.

And if you just sit there and copy paste words,

that's not going to do it. Who has time to read.

All the words, here's the thing. I'm not saying the words don't belong there,

there is a small segment of the population that will read everything.

It's a small segment, even the people who love you won't read everything.

Maybe if you're lucky, they will from time to time,

but I don't mind. The content being on a web page.

I don't mind it being in an e-mail

because one it helps with search engines and there are some readers,

you got to give them what they want, but in general,

it's the scan. Well then if it's the scan you've got to put everything in simple language

so that they feel like they're being talked

to and not reading a formal press release like sometimes,

we try to sound official or trustworthy

and we fall back on a style that we may have learned in school,

or we feel like, professional or academic,

Or whatever versus just putting everyday human conversations

and feelings and thoughts in simple language for our users to consume.

So you know what? Again explain your org organizations

work and simple language and then put it in design it for a scanner.

Make sure Clarity comes before everything else.

Don't I mean I Obviously, we don't want Miss spellings

and we don't want horrible layout

and whatever but at the end of the day is some of you go to your website

and just sort of scroll and 20.

I know what they do. I know

what they're passionate about. Oh I'm allowed to be part of this and I know where to go to do that.

Like, just simple simple,

simple overview of your organization and I know trust me.

I know I've been doing this 25 years.

Almost, everybody says the same thing.

Well we're unique. Well, of course. You're unique every organization's unique,

but your unique just like everybody else.

And so, some organizations,

like, when we do this, we do this, we do this, we do this.

And then it looks like somebody threw up on their website

or the homepage of all the stuff they do and they're proud because look at all the stuff we do.

And I have to come in and say, well, these really bundle into this

and this really bundles into this at the end of the day,

you know what, it all really fits under this.

This is the statement, and this is who you guys are and they're like,

Oh yeah, you're right. You're right.

Yeah, while we really got a mess here like, yep.

You sure do and then I help them fix the mess,

right? I have a bring in Clear

Eyes because organizations get stuck in their procedures and their weather guy.

Before me told me this, and here's

what I believe to be true and my boss the other day said this in a meeting.

And, you know, we're all right, rallying around that concept

and I just come in and I'm the devil's advocate.

V until I get away with things that poor employees,

don't get away with that. They said you their heads chopped off.

I get to say it. Like this is confusing and I are you talking to your donor?

Hear you talking to the people, you serve here? And I just push them because they over complex.

They don't keep things simple and you'd have to do a lot.

A lot, a lot, a lot of reading to know what they do.

It's funny. I sometimes talk to people on my intro,

conversation, I'm asking, you know, what are they doing?

They tell me and of course, I'm really interested in what they do but really part of what I'm doing,

as I want to hear what their answer is a 30. Second answer,

is it a three-minute answer? I asked a guy once.

I'm swear, he didn't take a breath for 30 minutes.

Tell him everything he did. And then I just said, well,

can I repeat that back to you and I did it in 10 seconds heels,

yeah, that's right. And I go, okay, well, I feel sorry for your web readers because it,

if your employee takes all that stuff, you just said about it on the website.

Good luck. Getting a donation. People wouldn't even understand

what you're doing or why they need to be a part of it.

Less is more. Keep it simple for the simple readers.

Your poor donors are busy people who are considering partnering with you.

They don't want to lift anything heavy every single day.

They need to simple. Keep it simple.

All right guys, blessings talk to you soon.

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