Here’s how your nonprofit website can drive engagement and action.
Imagine this: A potential donor hears about your nonprofit through a friend. They Google your name and land on your website.
Within seconds, they’ll decide whether to stay or click away.
Does your site give them a compelling reason to engage? Or does it act as a brochure — static, outdated, and missing the opportunities to turn interest into action?
Nonprofit websites are often treated as online pamphlets rather than engagement hubs. But when used strategically, they can deepen relationships with your supporters, increase funding, and drive real action.
Is your website guiding visitors through the 3 key levels of engagement?
- Information – The foundation: clarity, credibility, and transparency.
- Interaction – The bridge: two-way communication and active engagement.
- Action – The goal: commitment through donations, volunteer sign-ups, and advocacy.
Let’s break down how you can leverage these insights to transform your website from a passive information hub into a dynamic engagement platform.
Step 1: Get the basics right — information that builds trust
The first stage of engagement is simple: ensuring visitors can quickly find essential information. Sounds easy, right? Yet, many nonprofit websites fall short, burying key details under cluttered layouts, jargon-heavy text, or outdated content.
The information you need on your nonprofit site
- Clear, inspiring mission statement and impact stories
- Contact details and physical location(s)
- Board members and leadership bios
- Financial transparency (annual reports, budget summaries)
- Recent news and press releases
This information provides credibility. It reassures potential donors, volunteers, and partners that your organization is legitimate, well-run, and making an impact.
Pro tip: If you have a good mission statement but it’s buried on a separate page, bring it forward. A short, compelling version should appear on the homepage — people shouldn’t have to dig for it. They should know what you’re about, instantly.
Step 2: Make your site interactive (two-way communication matters)
If your website is purely one-way — just broadcasting information — you’re missing a major opportunity. The second level of engagement focuses on interaction. This means inviting your visitors to engage, respond, and take part in your mission.
Every bit of interaction helps
- Email sign-ups: Offer an easy way for visitors to subscribe to updates.
- Videos and multimedia: A homepage video explaining your work is more engaging than paragraphs of text.
- Event calendar: Let people know what’s coming up and how they can participate.
- Live chat or FAQ sections: Answer common questions in real-time.
- Social media integration: Don’t just link to your social media — embed live feeds to showcase real-time engagement.
Pro tip: People support causes they feel personally connected to. Adding a blog with real stories from beneficiaries, volunteers, or staff can humanize your work and deepen engagement.
Step 3: Move visitors from passive interest to action
The highest level of website engagement is action. You want visitors to go beyond learning and interacting — we want them to commit their time, money, or resources!
What drives action on nonprofit organization websites?
- Easy donation processing: Make donating simple, secure, and fast.
- Volunteer sign-ups: Allow people to express interest or schedule shifts easily.
- Online store: If you sell merchandise, make it easy to purchase (bonus: branded items increase awareness).
- Advocacy tools: Provide email templates, petitions, or other ways for supporters to spread the word.
Pro tip: A generic “Donate” button is not enough. Providing multiple ways to help increases engagement. Instead of just a “Give Now” button, offer monthly giving options, in-kind donation requests (supplies, goods), peer-to-peer fundraising opportunities, corporate sponsorship or matching gift programs.
Why all this matters: Engagement predicts results
The more ways your nonprofit gives people to engage, the higher the level of stakeholder involvement and financial success.
Nonprofits shouldn’t rely on social media alone for engagement. While platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and LinkedIn are important, they serve different purposes. Your website is the primary engagement hub — the place where donors, volunteers, and supporters make real commitments.
Final thoughts: How can you improve your nonprofit website?
If your nonprofit website is still operating as a digital brochure, it’s time to rethink its role. Take a moment to ask:
Can visitors clearly understand our mission and impact within 5 seconds?
Are we inviting two-way communication or just broadcasting information?
Do we provide multiple pathways to engagement, beyond just a “Donate” button?
A well-planned website can be a tool for building long-term relationships, mobilizing supporters, and driving real action.
If you’d like to chat about strategies for improving your nonprofit’s website and engagement strategy, we’re always happy to help. Let’s build something that works — not just something that exists.
Key takeaways
- Social media is great, but your website is the real home base.
- Engagement happens in stages — inform, interact, then inspire action.
- More ways to help = more engagement — give visitors multiple ways to get involved.
- Better engagement leads to better financial results — it’s a direct correlation.
Now, take a look at your website. What’s the next step?
Ready to geek out? Here’s some further reading:
Carrillo-Durán, M. V., Tato-Jiménez, J. L., Chapleo, C., & Sepulcri, L. (2023). Enhancing non-profit engagement: the extended model of webpage engagement and adoption for strategic management. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10(524). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01980-9