Non-profit websites: donations, volunteers & boards

A non-profit website has multiple audiences to serve at once: donors who need to trust you with their money, volunteers who want to get involved, board members who need access to documents, and the community you exist to serve. Balancing all of those needs — on a tight budget — is the core challenge.

This guide covers what a non-profit website needs to accomplish, the legal and compliance considerations that apply specifically to non-profits, and the features we most commonly build.

What non-profit websites need to do

Non-profit websites typically serve three distinct groups:

1. Donors and funders — they need to understand your mission, see your impact, and have an easy, trustworthy way to give
2. Volunteers — they need to find opportunities, sign up, and stay engaged
3. The community you serve — they need to find your programs, services, and how to access them

A fourth audience — your board of directors — often needs a secure, private area for meeting materials and governance documents.

Typical website goals

Compliance & legal considerations

501(c)(3) status and required disclosures

If your organization is a US 501(c)(3), donors can deduct contributions on their federal taxes. Your website needs to clearly identify your organization as a 501(c)(3) — including your legal name and EIN (Employer Identification Number) — on your donation receipts and donation pages.

State charitable solicitation registration

Most US states require non-profits to register before soliciting donations from residents of that state. Because your website is accessible nationwide, this can mean you need to register in multiple states. This is commonly called "state charity registration" or "fundraising registration."

This is a legal matter outside the scope of website design — but we mention it because many organizations are surprised by it. The National Council of Nonprofits has guidance at councilofnonprofits.org.

Donor data privacy and security

Donor data — names, email addresses, giving history, and especially payment information — is sensitive. Your obligations include:

• PCI DSS compliance for any credit card processing (handled by your payment processor if you use one properly)
• Never selling donor data to third parties — this is both an ethical obligation and, increasingly, a legal one in states like California (CCPA)
• Secure storage — donor records should not live in unsecured spreadsheets or generic email inboxes
• Transparency in your privacy policy — donors have a right to know how their information is used

We write privacy policy templates tailored to non-profits as part of our project scope — but always have your attorney review the final version.

Accessibility requirements

If your organization receives federal funding — grants from federal agencies, HHS, Department of Education, etc. — your website must meet Section 508 accessibility standards (which align closely with WCAG 2.1 AA). Even without federal funding, accessible design is the right practice for organizations serving the public.

Grant funder visibility

Many foundation and government grant funders will look at your website as part of their due diligence. A professional, up-to-date site that shows clear programs, measurable outcomes, and financial transparency (annual reports, 990 forms) can meaningfully improve your grant success rate.

Recommended features

Tech & integrations we use

Common pitfalls

• Burying the donate button. Your donate button should be prominent on every page — not just the homepage. We see organizations triple their online giving just by making the button easier to find.
• No recurring giving option. Monthly donors are worth 10–20x more over their lifetime than one-time donors. If you don't offer recurring giving, you are leaving significant revenue on the table.
• Outdated program information. Visitors researching your organization — donors, grant funders, volunteers — form their opinion based on what your website says right now. Outdated program descriptions or stale statistics undermine trust.
• No 990 or annual report available online. Sophisticated donors and all grant funders will look for this. Make it easy to find.
• Donation form that opens a new tab to a third-party site. Embedding your donation form directly on your website converts far better than redirecting to a generic donation platform page.

Common questions

Related guides

• Accepting payments online
• PCI compliance basics
• Data privacy basics for your business
• Web accessibility basics
• Email not sending or receiving?
• Writing a great About page

Learn more

• IRS: Exempt Organizations (Non-profits) — official IRS guidance for 501(c)(3) organizations
• National Council of Nonprofits: Charitable Solicitation Registration — state registration requirements for fundraising
• Charity Navigator — the leading non-profit accountability and rating platform