One of the biggest mistakes I see nonprofits make is focusing their website on what they do instead of why they do it.

For example, if your website tells me that you provide after school care for kids, great. That’s nice.

But if your website tells me that you give kids a safe place to do homework, have a snack, and make friends instead of going home to an empty house….now that’s an impact.

When we figure out how to talk about the why in our marketing messages, we naturally segue into talking about our impact instead of our programs and services, resulting in less confusion for those not in the trenches with us day to day.

One way to use your website more effectively is to showcase your impact through strategic wording and evidence, emotion-invoking photos, video, and testimonials (or social proof).

You could absolutely have a website that works without taking this approach. But if you miss this step, you may leave your audience wondering whether or not their gift really matters. If they have to use their own imagination and create a narrative about your work and the impact it has, they probably won’t. And they probably won’t donate, either.

We don’t want that.

So what does showcasing our impact look like? Here are a few examples of what you could include on your website to better demonstrate your impact:

✅ Share impactful data (evidence) and include the people behind the numbers with strategic content. People aren’t motivated by stand-alone numbers or numbers they can’t relate to. But the combination of relevant data plus stories is magical. Give your audience a few interesting pieces of data about what you’ve accomplished and then provide a story that goes along with each data point.

For example, you might tell me that you served an average of 300 kids per day in your after school program and then highlight how “Steven discovered his love for art through a special collaboration with the local art school.”

✅ Use emotion-invoking photos and meaningful captions to highlight impactful moments. Great photos that evoke emotion are key to keeping your website visitor reading. But photos by themselves aren’t much help. Ensure each photo has a meaningful caption and demonstrates a key component of your program.

For example, a long slideshow of kids working with art supplies is okay. But a smaller sample of three photos with a short caption next to each one telling how that student has grown or benefitted because of your program will go even further!

If you don’t have great photos to use, be sure to read this post about how to use stock photography well and check out the Nonprofit Resource Library for several links to great stock photography websites.

And, if you’re wondering how you’ll have time to create this additional content, it’s easy to repurpose your other marketing materials for the web! For example, if you had someone design a brochure for you, you can use the same content on the website! This creates consistency in your marketing and saves you time!

✅ Make a video of your program in action. When you can demonstrate your program in action, you help the reader visualize how their support will be used. If you include a video on your website:

• Be sure it’s great quality and looks great on both desktop and mobile screens

• Caption the video if at all possible. Most people who watch a video (at least on a smartphone) do not use sound. YouTube offers a free service to caption your video once it’s uploaded!

• Consider putting your video on YouTube where you can capitalize on the SEO with a great video description and link back to your website donation page.

✅ Share testimonials and offer social proof. We can tell potential donors over and over again how great our programs are but when they hear it from those who are actually benefitting, it takes it to a whole other level. Be intentional about asking for testimonials whenever you can. Add a form to your website where you can collect them easily. (Check out this YouTube video for help creating a form in Squarespace)

Testimonials can be from different points of view and it’s okay to change names, where needed. Ask your clients, volunteers, family members of those you serve, and even collaborators to share the impact your nonprofit has on the greater community you serve. Spread those testimonials throughout your website and be sure to add the best one on your donate page!

Pro Tip: If all this sounds like a lot work, figure out what content you already have where you can reuse the wording and photos. Already publish an annual report? Turn that into an Impact Page on your website by using what you've already created. Don't post a photo of it -- you'll lose all that keyword goodness! Instead, turn the report into text and photos on an attractive website page and link to your donation page at the bottom.

To wrap up this first post, I’ll end with a few action steps to help you get started.

• Go look at your website and determine if you’re showcasing your impact or not. If yes, great! What can you add? If not…

• Brainstorm for five minutes and write down what comes to mind when I ask “how does your work impact your community?”

• Use those words to get you started! Find photos, videos, or testimonials that demonstrate that impact and start there!

When you are able to implement this strategy, your website will become your primary sales tool for converting visitors into donors. A well-designed website will do the work for you, demonstrating the value you add to your community and providing a platform for others to join you in that work. Imagine looking at your website traffic numbers on Google Analytics and knowing that every single visitor to your website was able to visualize the impact you make. When we do the work to tell our story and educate our community about the impact we’re making, the result will be better informed readers who understand our work and hopefully, want to join to us through giving, volunteering, or sharing our story with others.

Andrea