Many children, animals, the elderly, the abused and the ill are helped by charitable contributions. People who cannot make large contributions or travel to foreign countries to help others in need may be looking for ways that their small contributions can make a difference. An easily created Web site can be a useful tool to educate about your cause, advertise what your cause needs and collect needed contributions. Your charity's Web site is a great way to help many in need.
Instructions
Build a Charity Web Site
1. Select and register your domain name. To do this, go to a domain-registration company, such as GoDaddy.com, and perform a domain name search to make sure your desired domain name is available. Your domain should end in .org (which stands for organization) for this type of site. Once you've found a unique name, register it.
2. Select your hosting company. The hosting company you select will depend on the services you will need. You can either select a discount hosting company, such as GoDaddy.com, which will offer fewer features for a lower fee. On the other hand, you can choose a full-service option, such as CharityAdvantage.com, which will design your Web page, host your site, collect donations and provide information on your donors.
3. Write your site content. The most important aspect of your site is the content you provide your readers. You will want your readers to know all about your cause at first glance. On your home page, you will want to tell your readers the name of your charity and the cause it is dedicated to, what your charity provides to its recipients, if your charity is tax deductible, your 401(c) number, donate to your charity (covered further in step 5) and any other pertinent information. On other pages in your Web site, you will want to provide your readers with your charity's history, some testimonies of what has been accomplished and the charity's vision for the future.
4. Design and upload your new Website. You may choose to design the site yourself (if you have the technical skills), use a Web site building application (available through most hosting companies) or hire someone to do this. If you wish to hire someone for this task, freelance companies, such as RentACoder.com, can help you find someone with the skills you need. Using photos will give your new Web site a more personal feel. Your Web site's written content needs to be used together with the design features (colors, photos, etc.) to convey your message.
5. Collect donations. Now that you have created your site, you will want a way for your readers to provide donations online. This can be easily done through PayPal.com. This option will not require to you open a merchant account to accept credit cards, which usually requires both high start-up costs and monthly fees. To accept payments through PayPal.com you will need to open an account and add a "Donate Button" to your new Web site. Although online payments are the most convenient for most people, it is always good to provide a mailing address for those who prefer to mail in their donations.
Tags: your charity, your readers, will want, your site, domain name, hosting company