Why Your Nonprofit's Website Feels Outdated (And How to Fix It Fast)
Your nonprofit website might be costing you donors and volunteers. Here's why it feels outdated and what you can do about it.
Key Takeaways
- • Outdated sites hurt trust and slow donations
- • Small fixes can make a big impact
- • You don't need a full redesign to improve
- • Focus on what donors see first
In This Article:
Donors land on your site and bounce. Volunteers never fill out the form. You know something is wrong. But you don't know where to start.
Why This Matters
Your website is often the first thing people see. If it looks old, they may think your work is old too. That's not fair. But it's how donors think.
Trust drops when a site feels stuck in 2015. So does the chance they'll give. Every bounce is a missed gift.
Signs Your Site Is Outdated
Some signs are easy to spot. Tiny text that you squint at. Big gaps on the sides on a phone. Buttons that don't work on mobile.
Other signs hide. Slow load times. Photos that look fuzzy. Outdated staff bios or old event dates. Donors notice these things.
“A nonprofit leader told us: We raised 40 percent more after we fixed our site. Same mission. Same team. People just stuck around long enough to give.”
Quick Wins You Can Do Today
You don't have to rebuild everything. Start with what donors see first. Update your homepage headline. Make sure it says what you do in plain words.
Next, swap in fresh photos. Real people, real work. Stock photos from 10 years ago scream outdated. Also check all links. Broken links kill trust.
When to Consider a Redesign
Quick wins help. But sometimes the whole thing needs work. If your site is slow on every device, that's a sign. Same if you can't add new pages without a developer.
Think about a redesign when small fixes stop helping. When you're embarrassed to share the link. Or when your team avoids updating it because it's too hard.
A Real Example
A food bank in the Midwest had a site from 2012. Donation form was hard to find. Mobile layout was broken. They ran a simple audit and fixed the top 10 issues.
Within two months, online donations went up. Not because they changed their mission. Because people could actually give without getting frustrated.
You don't need a big budget. You need focus. Pick three things. Fix them. Then pick three more.
If you need a hand, AYNI offers free help to nonprofits. Nominate your org or book a chat at ayni.io. We'll help you figure out what to fix first.
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