Wondering what some of the top nonprofit websites look like?
Wondering what makes the best nonprofit website stand out from the rest?
We are going to tell you!
Check out our list of the best nonprofit websites that we love as a design agency – we also give you some insight into what elements we love that make them our favorite nonprofit websites! It is not just about the look and feel – it is more about the way it makes us feel, the user experience and how strong of an impact they can make to get me to take action or get involved with their organization.
We will update our best nonprofit websites list as we find new sites that we think are awesome!
Best Nonprofit Websites List!
NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Visit NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
The simplicity of this website that allows us to focus on the historical treasures they are saving is what makes this site a part of our best nonprofit websites list. The menu is well organized and the overall subtle color scheme with the pop of orange in just the right places tells the user to come in and join them to help save more historic places.
The interior pages are clean and well organized with a touch of accents to make them a bit unique.
ROYAL CONSERVANCY
Visit ROYAL CONSERVANCY
Beautifully simplistic! The site is filled with strong compelling imagery and clear font and call to actions, make this website a winner in our books. The menus are incredibly well done and easy to understand and the interior pages, although clean and content focused offer enough aesthetic to give the pages a unique and elegant look.
HUMANE RESCUE ALLIANCE
Visit HUMANE RESCUE ALLIANCE
The cuteness factor works on the Humane Rescue Alliance website. The intro video makes you smile, the icons in the impact area are adorable and we particularly love this whole area because it is one that we think many nonprofits forget the importance of. Letting visitors know right away about their impact is a great way to bring a sense of trust. The site is incredibly well organized and has a clean aesthetic so the focus can be on the animals. The only change we would make personally is to make the video less high – and include higher up on the page where they are located.
DOGS ON DEPLOYMENT
Visit DOGS ON DEPLOYMENT
There is so much to love about this nonprofit website – from what they do to the great content. As soon as you land on the page it is clear what they do – they have a search right at the forefront that is paramount to their offerings. They clearly note how funds are allocated, how much they have helped and profile dogs that are currently being helped. Everything you would want to know about a nonprofit – is right there in a clean and organized way. The interior pages are very well done also – keeping the search readily available and all the content well organized and easy to read.
THAT’S NOT COOL
Visit THAT’S NOT COOL
Thatsnotcool.com is a fantastic website dedicated to helping people understand that dating abuse is never OK! The website offers a fantastic design for what we imagine is a younger demographic that is tech savvy. Large images with focused text clearly outlines what the site is about, what the user can expect and how they can get help if they are feeling “abused”. It is filled with useful statistics, a social hub and even an app. The website is well thought out, engaging and bright and bold which will appeal to the market they are trying to reach.
CYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION
Visit CYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION
We love the cleanliness of this foundation website, the ease of finding out what they do and how they can help those affected with Cystic Fibroses. The header is able to deliver a lot of information but is done in a way that is not overwhelming, the large main image tells you right away what the team is up to and the news section overlaid on the image is a great way to keep visitors engaged!
The creative use of the varying colors for the call to actions really helps “pop” the various messages like their drug development work, advocacy and clinical trials. The mega menu is well done and easy to navigate to find information based on the level of CF a person is dealing with.
ONE
Visit ONE
We love the uniqueness of the design of this nonprofit website – great use of space to highlight the most important pieces of content that they want visitors to see right away. The clear subscribe box with text makes it clear what readers are signing up to do – “fight poverty”. The interior pages are kept simple and basic – and it works in helping deliver their messaging and content easily.
DIFFA
Visit DIFFA
Bold is what comes to mind with this design. Bold fonts, colors and call to actions round out why this website made our list. This nonprofit website has a clear tagline when you land on the site, great use of fonts to break up content areas and simple design elements to keep it aesthetically pleasing.
LAST MILE HEALTH
Visit LAST MILE HEALTH
reat imagery that tells a story, clean design style and elements coupled with great content that clearly defines their mission and how visitors can be involved round out why we think this website is great.
NOBEL WOMENS INITIATIVE
Visit NOBEL WOMENS INITIATIVE
Visit NOBEL WOMENS INITIATIVE
Well thought out site that allows a lot of space for the organization to post content about upcoming events and actions they want visitors to take. Simple and clean design aesthetic with good typography to get their message out and the slide functionality for the blog posts and Take Action areas help them deliver their best content easily.
WORLD MONUMENTS FUND
Visit WORLD MONUMENTS FUND
Great introduction that makes it very clear what they do along with other content that clarifies how they do it and who they work with. We like the navigation menu – it brings attention to the 4 sections of the website they most want visitors to reach – but added an additional menu icon that offers a drop down to all pages of the website. (Although we sometimes find that visitors do not know that a “hamburger” menu on a full website is an option – so we shy away from that personally), but it is well done here.
The design is beautifully done and works well with the mission. The Trending Now section is a great way to promote different critical content.
ALLEY CAT ALLIES
Visit ALLEY CAT ALLIES
First, it is a website about cats – so what is not to love? But seriously this is a fantastic website that does a great job of breaking out the content areas. We particular love how you can get information tailored to who you are by simply clicking on a link. This is an exceptional example of “personalizing” a visitors experience. Well done navigation and great interior pages with strong call to actions in the sidebar make this website one of the best!
GALAPAGOS
Visit GALAPAGOS
Displaying strong images pulls you in to the Galapagos Conservancy, who focuses on preserving the Galapagos Islands. We love the creative block elements on the that direct users to different areas of the website. They are will done with simplicity and clarity!The menus are creatively done while still offering a clear hierarchy for their content. The only thing we would recommend are interior pages with more beautiful imagery to give that same wow factor we get on the home page.
UPSTREAM
Visit UPSTREAM
Upstream looks for people that are doing great things in the world but are limited in the change they can make due to lack of resources. They then work with these world changers to make a bigger impact. This website may very well be a top pick for us.
It is creative – breaking out of the norm in terms of design, but still leaving it very easy to use and understand what they do. The warm colors and textures with powerful imagery offer a great storytelling aspect. We love the icons and how they can provide all the core information with so little text. Everything about this website is well done.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY – FOX CITY
Visit HABITAT FOR HUMANITY – FOX CITY
Habitat for Humanity is about people – and the website definitely does a great job of promoting that fact. Creative use of images as call to action blocks allow users easy access to the areas that the nonprofit wants to promote. The about section is well done with a strong image and creative opacity use.The donate button in the red pops on every page and the interior pages are clean and easy to read. Creative icon use also gives the website a nice touch while allowing users to understand what each item is about.
MEMPHIS ZOO
Visit MEMPHIS ZOO
A minimalistic design with well thought out accents make us love this site. The main image and creative use of call to actions make it easy to find the content that visitors are most interested. We particularly love the use of the animal icons that allow visitors to easily see each unique section of the zoo.
TEAM RUBICON
Visit TEAM RUBICON
Team Rubicon focuses on not only helping veterans but offers disaster relief to those in need. The website does a great job of clarifying their mission helping visitors get a clear understanding of what the organization does. The clean design is well done with use of strong fonts and great imagery that tells the story of their successes. The mobile experience was extremely well thought out as well which makes this standout experience.
TO WRITE LOVE ON HER ARMS
Visit TO WRITE LOVE ON HER ARMS
Addiction, depression and suicide are all things that touch us personally somehow – and To Write Love On Her Arms provides support for those who are struggling with these issues. The website allows for story-telling, resources for help and more to help people see they are not alone.
The compelling Learn page is well thought out and tells the story of their beginnings – the whole website offers exceptional details to allow for users to find the help they need and the support they want. The only recommendation we would make on this site is to have the call to action items be a different color to help them pop a bit more!
THE GESUNDHEIT! INSTITUTE
Visit THE GESUNDHEIT! INSTITUTE
A fun and creative website that sets itself apart with its creative illustrative type elements. Personally we would like to see these used more in web design! Great use of color to showcase different topics and we really like the area that showcases their Facebook, Twitter and blog posts – uniquely done and easy to read! From the creative fonts to the blocks that hold the information – the details make this not only a great looking website, but one that is easy to read and navigate.
LOVE146
Visit LOVE146
Strong imagery tells the story on this website and that is what nonprofits are about – storytelling. Easy to navigate, creative use of both photography and simple design elements keep the look unique – but yet clean and fresh. The navigation is clear and well organized and the interior pages are well done as well.
RAW FOUNDATION
Visit RAW FOUNDATION
We rarely see left sidebar navigations anymore – but this one has it and it is well done. The creative elements on this website are so well done and they do a good job of introducing their foundation mission and what visitors can do to learn more. The Problems and The Solutions blocks are well done and make usability first and foremost for getting engagement and the latest news and twitter updates are also eye catchers. We really love the unique look of this website – and coupled with clear call to actions it becomes a fast favorite. Our only concern on initial visit was the lack of a clear navigation – often icons are misunderstood – but their hover effect on the icons makes that a non issue!
SHARING AMERICA’S MARROW
Visit SHARING AMERICA’S MARROW
Simplicity at its best is why this one made it to our best nonprofit list! A beautiful web design with the main page that features an engaging video followed by interior pages that are clear and to the point about how they want a visitor to interact with the organization.
There is not a lot of “design” going on but we love that as it allows the user to focus on what matters – the content. The only dislike we have is the lack of a title or logo in the header to further brand who they are and what they do. But the clean footer menu with a clear focus on things like “get involved” are what we look for in a great charity website.
JUST ACTIONS
Visit JUST ACTIONS
We absolutely love the design aesthetic of this website. We find the imagery sucks us in and we particularly like how the “10 Just Actions” section is done with the slider effect on the and even on the actual page. Good use of white space and simple design elements that “guide” users makes this charity website stand out.
INTERPARES
Visit INTERPARES
This website we love because of the uniqueness of it in terms of the design. So many websites these days are filled with images and are full width websites, but this group took a different direction with creative illustrations and bold use of color and design in a fixed width layout that is still responsive and looks amazing on mobile too.
GLOBAL FUND FOR WOMEN
Visit GLOBAL FUND FOR WOMEN
Bold, bright, informative – these are all the things we see when we land on this website. This is one of our best nonprofit website picks because of the bold font usage and easy navigation. From promoting their work to helping visitors see how they can get involved – everything is well organized and easy to acces.
Strong images and great use of typography are what makes this site really stand-out in the nonprofit web design world. The imagery is incredibly powerful as well which definitely adds to the storytelling that we so highly recommend in organizations like this.
VINTAGE HOPE
While we noticed the website is down – we wanted to keep this one up to draw inspiration from. Because the aesthetic of this web design is so unique and may be something to consider for a nonprofit we felt it was worth keeping on the list!
A beautiful design that fits with the mission of renting china dinnerware with all proceeds going to help children in Malawi. A beautiful color scheme with imagery subtle in the background do a good job of story telling. The only change we would have recommended was being a little clearer at the top about what the mission is exactly – we had to scroll to the bottom to find it! We love the uniqueness of this one page website and it will work well for smaller nonprofit organizations.
Planning your nonprofit website.
When developing nonprofit websites there is a different mindset that needs to be taken. 2 Dogs Media primarily focuses on web design for nonprofits and organic seo services and have built hundreds of sites for all kinds of charity organizations over the years.
Creating the best nonprofit website for your organization may seem challenging, but with the right website design agency – it will be easier than you think.
One thing we do know for sure is that no two nonprofits are alike and it is important to have a web design agency that will work with you to understand your specific and unique needs so you can get the best nonprofit website for your supporters!
This will ensure your message is clear, your user experience is great, your site is easy to navigate – all resulting in having the best nonprofit website to help you gain supporters, donations and of course making an impact.
The best nonprofit websites usually have the following items!
- Clear messaging – the best nonprofit websites make it easy for a visitor to know what they do and what mission statement is.
- Design – is the web design aesthetic appealing to their specific demographic?
- Are the fonts well used and complement each other? Do they draw the reader in with color treatments for call to actions?
- Photo usage – does it align with the websites messaging and make a visitor “feel something”?
- Is the website well done on mobile as well as desktop?
- Is the navigation clear and direct making for a good user experience?
- Does the organization have clear defined strategies for helping users learn how they can get involved with the charity?
- Is there a strong focus on following the organization on their various social media outlets?
- Are social sharing icons easy to find on important information?
- Providing options for communication like newsletters and text updates should be at the top of list of features!
- Is the contact information clear and easy to find?
- Is the donation page amazing and designed for conversions? See some of the best donation page examples we could find and be inspired!
Although the visual elements are of course important – usability is key to top nonprofit websites and some organizations sacrifice that for more advanced design elements – and we do not recommend that! The best nonprofit websites feature web design that is clean and simple with bold call to actions – that is it!
With most nonprofit organizations having a wide array of demographics it is important to have a web presence that appeals to many different people and is as user friendly as possible. Nonprofit website design is a unique niche within the web design world – having the right partner to create a website for your organization can make all the difference to your success!
Wild Apricot did a great roundup of 22 features that every top nonprofit website has which is worth a look as well if you are still in the planning phases and want to be the next website added to our best nonprofit website list!
LOOKING FOR A NONPROFIT WEBSITE DESIGN AGENCY THAT CARES?
Well, you found us!
As WordPress web design professionals we take our non-profit clients web design needs seriously – and spend a lot of time analyzing trends, data and case studies to see what makes a website for a nonprofit successful. How we develop a website can directly affect the future of our client, so we understand how important it is to create a site that not only engages but converts on actions that they require to happen whether it be a newsletter sign-up, donation or volunteering!
If you are inspired by one of the designs here or looking for something unique – we can help!
Share your thoughts!