How Websites can Support your Impact

With over 160,000 organisations now registered with the Charity Commission, the third sector is a competitive place to operate in. Reduced funding and increased demands are adding to the pressures of every third sector organisation.

Effective communication can give organisations the edge whilst engaging all stakeholders particularly the all important funders. Effective, consistent and constant communications with stakeholders is essential for third sector organisations.

In one of the first papers on the sector‘s use of the internet in 19981, one of the conclusions drawn was that: in order to raise funds, organisations must maintain exposure to ensure that the public is aware of their mission and needs. This still applies today but with the added focus on transparency and accountability. In the past supporters of third sector organisations have been less concerned with results unlike the shareholders of companies however this has evolved with more questioning how their donations are being spent.

Websites are the perfect tool for third sector organisations. Convince surfers that you are accountable and transparent with a worthy cause and they will donate more, volunteer, sign your online petition and champion your cause. Key online features that will help demonstrate your organisation’s accountability and impact online are outlined below.

Mission and Vision StatementObvious but so important. Tell visitors to your website your raison detre and what your vision is. Succinctness and clarity of message are important. Make sure your mission and vision statements are inspiring. If you don’t engage visitors here, there is no hope of them getting involved with your organisation.

About UsBe open about the history of your organisation. Give visitors a sense of the culture and philosophies of your organisation, what drives it and how it has developed over the years. People buy people. The more personal you make this area of the site, the better the engagement. List all your members of staff including board members, what they do, how they can be contacted and the contact details of your organisation. Don’t give people a reason not to get in touch and find out more.

Impact and Annual ReportsIn the private sector, companies post their annual reports on their website mainly to demonstrate their ROI to existing and potential shareholders. There are a multitude of reasons why posting this type of information on a third sector website is important. Impact (non-financial, narrative) and Annual (financial) reports are crucial for influencing potential stakeholders and demonstrating return on donations, funding or society. With increasing

1 Elliott, B., Katsioloudes, M. and Weldon, R.(1998) Nonprofit Organizations and the Internet Nonprofit Management & Leadership, vol. 8, no. 3, Spring

competition and reduced government funding, demonstrating the value that the organisation can bring, is key for future donations.

Research2 conducted in the US suggested that the disclosure of the finances and performances of 100 not-for-profit organisations lead to increased donations: in effect donors were ‘willing to pay in the form of increased donations, for quality information disclosed on nonprofit websites...”. Whether this research is generalisable is largely unimportant. Shouldn’t this information be shared as a matter of course?

Well written reports will convey professionalism and will attract the more questioning donor or funder. They may be more inclined to invest in your organisation if they believe that their money is going to be utilised wisely. Their judgement may be based on what they read in your report.

The beauty of websites is that your reports can take any format you like. A PDF download, MS Word document, or PowerPoint presentation or podcasts. Be imaginative and accommodating, offering different formats according to your key audiences.

Case Studies Possibly the most compelling message for your organisation is the case study. These can be used to demonstrate your organisation’s performance, the benefit to your beneficiaries or your impact on society. Case studies can convince the sceptic that your cause has really made a difference. Provide them in different online formats to engage with and communicate how important your organisation is.

Funding Where does your money come from; why did you receive it and what did you do with it? Showing how you are funded will make others more likely to invest in your organisation as they have gotten a sense as to why others have invested in your cause. Be clear about how you intend to spend their donation. This adds to the all important organisational transparency.

Online CommunicationOnce you have all this information on your website, get people to visit it by constantly talking about it. Use social networking tools such as Twitter, LinkedIn, You Tube, Facebook and Share This Page software to create online buzz and encourage dialogue between your organisation and existing and potential stakeholders. Send newsletters updating them on what your organisation has been doing and how this has helped your mission and users. It’s a relationship. The more communication there is in a relationship, the more transparency there is and the more trust is built. Project accountability and trustworthiness through continued communications and reporting.

Where possible on your website, ask for feedback and what your site visitors would like to see more of. User journey experiences are key. Not all third sector organisations can afford to have

2 Saxton, G.D., Neely, D.G. and Chao, C, (2010) Web Disclosure and the Market for Charitable Contributions. Independent Paper

the website user journeys examined but you can ask users to give feedback directly or check the analytics to find out how they are navigating your site.

Accessibility With all of the features above it is important to have all of them easily accessible on your website. Being buried under pages of less relevant material will only frustrate someone eager to find information on your organisation so make it easy for your information to be found.. Test your site to ensure those with visual disabilities can access the site easily too. RNIB can provide further guidance on online accessibility.

Accountability, Clarity and TransparencyBottomline: demonstrating accountability, clarity and transparency can engender trust. The more your website can demonstrate this, the more value you will get from it. Trust is a core actor in the donor/third sector organisation relationship. It is therefore important for third sector organisation websites to demonstrate accountability over and above their private and public sector counterparts.

Research3 has indicated that by improving communication, non-profit organisations can create a lever for improving trust with their funders. Websites can provide this two-way communication that builds both a relationship with different stakeholders and ultimately your ImpACT.

Agnes Jumah, Head of Marketing, ACEVO

3 MacMillan, K., Money, K., Money, A., and Downing, S. (2003) Relationship marketing in the not-for-profit sector: an extension and application of the commitment–trust theory. Centre for Organisation Reputation and Relationships, Henley Management College