If you have a sense that a lot of nonprofit websites are pretty bad, you're right. At least according to web usability guru Jakob Nielsen, who did a study where he sent regular people to nonprofit websites to see how things went. Summary of results at Alertbox, Donation Usability: Increasing Online Giving to Non-Profits and Charities.
Talking to the donors, Nielsen found that they wanted to know the organization's mission, goals, objectives, and work and how the organization uses donations. But ...
Sadly, only 43% of the sites we studied answered the first question on their homepage. Further, only a ridiculously low 4% answered the second question on the homepage. Although organizations typically provided these answers somewhere within the site, users often had problems finding this crucial information.
On top of that, he cites these "donation-killers":
- 47%: usability problems relating to page and site design.
- 17%: users couldn't find where to make a donation.
- 53%: content issues related to writing for the Web, including unclear or missing information and confusing terms.
Sound distressingly familiar? My advice: Get professional help. It's worth it.
Technorati Tags: fundraising, usability, nptech
Hi:
I really appreciate your comments about what potential donors are looking for when they view a nonprofit website. I have forwarded your blog to my listers in the NonProfit National Resource Directory (http://www.nonprofitnationalresourcedirectory.com) who provide communication and web design services.
Thanks!
Marcia Bloomberg, CEO
The Bloomberg Group
Greenfield, MA
Posted by: Marcia Bloomberg | 16 April 2009 at 08:52