Strategic Web Design for Nonprofits
Crafting Websites That Support Your Mission
Our approach
We understand that your website is a powerful tool to tell your story, rally supporters, drive change, and further your mission. That’s why, at Trajectory, we take a personalized approach to every web design project.
We think beyond aesthetics—our design philosophy centers on functionality, usability, and brand alignment. The first thing we do is arrange a call to understand your mission, values, target audience, and message. This information helps us craft a custom website design that reflects your values, vision, and voice.
Whether you’re a small startup or a large, established nonprofit, we bring the same level of dedication, expertise, and heart to every project. Once we understand your unique challenges and goals, we work tirelessly to build a website that supports your cause.
Our expertise and experience
As an Atlanta-based design agency specializing in the nonprofit sector, we bring decades of experience. We’ve had the privilege of working with remarkable organizations like Ronald McDonald House Charities, Lannan Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, GSGA, Data for Democracy, and Georgia Junior Golf. Through these partnerships, we’ve gained a deep understanding of nonprofit needs and the challenges of nonprofit website design.
From online donations to event registrations and fundraising needs, we know nonprofit organizations have specific needs that generic templates can’t fulfill.
So whether you need:
- A payment processor to facilitate seamless contributions
- A donation button to meet your fundraising goals
- Tools to organize and promote your upcoming events
- Sign-up forms to recruit new volunteers
- A powerful way to convey your message
- Find corporate sponsorship
- Tell impactful stories
We have you covered. Whatever the scope of your web development project, we can handle it.
The perfect nonprofit website design process
Strategy
We start with a strategy call to set clear goals for the new website design, define your target audience, grasp the essence of your brand, discuss your content strategy, and analyze the technology needs. The outcome of this phase is a document that outlines the brand strategy, project information, and a site structure document with information architecture (website organization).
Wireframing and content
In this phase, we focus on creating wireframes that visually represent the website’s layout and functionality. For example, we might place a prominent donation button at the top right corner of every page or integrate a simplified donation form directly into the homepage. You can quickly iterate design ideas during this stage. Wireframes also include meticulously crafted website copy, which eliminates the need to modify the copy to accommodate the design.
Design
After we finalize the wireframes, we move to the visual design phase. Key user interface decisions, such as website color palettes and calls to action, are made during this stage. We begin by designing the homepage and then move on to the rest of the site. With this approach, everything on the website, like the navigation menu, color scheme, and typography, stays consistent. The design phase ensures the best user experience for your visitors.
Development
The final step is launching the newly designed website. This includes setting up a secure hosting environment, coding the designs into a functional site, search engine optimization, and rigorous testing across various browsers and devices to ensure optimal performance. If everything appears to be in order, the website will be published and ready for visitors to see.
Ongoing support
At Trajectory, we believe in establishing long-term partnerships with our clients. Beyond the launch, we offer continuous support, including services such as conversion rate optimization, search engine optimization, content updates, design refinements, and more. Our dedicated team can always assist you with post-launch needs or enhancements.
How we build strong foundations for nonprofit websites
Certain features and functionalities, such as integrated donation systems, event management tools, and volunteer sign-up forms, are non-negotiable in nonprofit web design. So, we incorporate them into our website to encourage visitors to get involved and contribute.
From the start, we’ve woven search engine optimization (SEO) into our design process, ensuring that each website is user-friendly and ranks well on search engines. This includes optimizing URL structures to be intuitive and keyword-relevant, creating compelling meta titles, setting up proper indexing, and much more.
Our web designs are meticulously crafted to enhance conversion rates. We integrate powerful elements such as testimonials, clear call-to-actions, impact reports, and engaging personal stories and customize the messaging to resonate deeply with specific audience segments. This strategic approach ensures that our websites captivate visitors and encourage them to take action.
We craft compelling stories to help you build a strong brand presence and connect with your audience. We ensure your website conveys the essence of your nonprofit through the use of emotionally charged visuals and persuasive copy. Showcasing the struggles and triumphs of those you’ve helped can foster empathy and inspire action. This narrative approach informs and inspires action, highlighting the difference that each contribution can make.
This holistic approach ensures our nonprofit clients have the tools they need to succeed.
A showcase of our favorite nonprofit websites
Ronald McDonald House Charities
Trajectory partnered with the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts (RMHC-CTMA) to completely revamp their website. RMHC-CTMA’s former website was cluttered and confusing. We redesigned it as a user-friendly website that stayed true to Ronald McDonald House Charities’ global brand while highlighting the local chapter’s unique aspects. The redesigned site offers intuitive menu navigation, secure donations, and improved user navigation. We included a robust News and Stories section to help the chapter showcase its volunteers’ work and demonstrate its deep connection to its surrounding communities.
Lannan Foundation
We worked closely with the Lannan Foundation, a nonprofit that supports artists, writers, and activists, to give their old website a complete makeover. Our main goal with the website redesign was to simplify the site structure and make it easier for visitors to navigate. We strategically restructured thousands of pages and made the media archives easily searchable. This redesign transformed the website into a clear and user-friendly experience for everyone.
Data for Democracy
We teamed up with Data for Democracy to transform their outdated website into a modern, secure online home that appeals to a global community. We built a simple, secure site with international standards. The new website featured a custom pledge form that has gathered thousands of signatures worldwide. The redesigned site is built on Craft CMS for enhanced security and easy updates.
Sing Out Loud
We collaborated with Sing Out Loud, Florida’s biggest free music festival, to create a vibrant new website. Our goal was to enhance their online experience with an eye-catching and quick-loading site that would make it easier for music fans to learn about the festival and connect on social media. The result? A user-friendly platform that attracted nearly 15,000 attendees and raised significant donations.
Georgia Junior Golf
The old Georgia Junior Golf website was tough to navigate and outdated, making it hard for young golfers to find what they needed. We redesigned the website to be user-friendly, SEO-optimized, and fast-loading. The result is a sleek, modern site that ranks first for all five of their target keywords. The revamped site is a big hit with players and their families.
Don't just take our word for it
FAQs about nonprofit web design
Yes, we specialize in optimizing nonprofit websites for search engines, helping to increase visibility and drive more traffic to your site.
The timeline can vary based on the project’s complexity, but we strive to work efficiently and collaboratively with our clients to launch their websites as soon as possible.
Let’s shape the future together together
When you choose Trajectory to create a website for your nonprofit organization, you’re getting a passionate partner with experience, expertise, and enthusiasm for your cause. We share your commitment to making a positive impact on the world. Let us help you tell your story.