In November I asked for help from anyone who wanted to help a few local non-profits with their websites. The demand is greater than the supply, so if you want to help you can still email me. I asked my friend Mike Gellman for advice. Mike started SpireMedia in 1998 during the dot com boom, and he survived the bust and has a great business that has customers such as Echostar, MapQuest a bunch of the Colorado ski resorts. I admire Mike’s perseverance and creativity, so I asked him, "What should a non-profit with a very limited budget do for a website?" His answer was so good I asked if I could just publish his email. Here it is:
Here are my thoughts on non-profits. The first thing they should do is see if one of their volunteers knows how to make web sites. Some of the best non-profit sites have come from people are truly passionate about the organizations. Plus, they will always be available to update and maintain it.
Next, they should start contacting local web firms, especially smaller, newer ones, to see if they have a non-profit budget or want to develop a marquis site for exposure, access to donors, or display in their portfolio. A lot of the newer firms need live sites that will display their talent. They may decide to do the site for free or at a majorly discounted rate. Many of these companies will also have a rudimentary content management system that they include, which will allow the non-profit to update it themselves.
Finally, if they can’t find a donor, they should consider using some of the inexpensive online site building tools like Godaddy or Yahoo Small Business. These tools offer templated designs, content management, and if necessary, e-commerce for anywhere between $10-$50/month. Once established, they site can be managed by an administrator who doesn’t have any web knowledge.
Overall, non-profits need web sites that will provide up-to-date information. They do not need to be too extravagant AND they definitely should not take large amounts of money from their budgets that can be spent elsewhere. The previous three options should get them where they need to be.— Mike
Thanks Mike!
I would suggest contacting local user groups who might be willing to take on the project.
For the JAXDUG Code Camp last August we did a we site redesign and upgrade for a charity. It was done as an all day track with a team of 4 or 5 developers. Camp attendees could wonder in an out of the room making suggestions and helping out during the day. At the end of the day the new site was demonstrated during the closing session.