And, a satisfied visitor with a charity website is…?
Howard Lake | 14 May 2009 | Blogs
65 percent more likely to recommend the site to others;
57 percent more likely to have a favorable overall impression of the organisation;
55 percent more likely to return to the site;
49 percent more likely to donate; and,
38 percent more likely to volunteer.
These are some of the fascinating conclusions from a survey by Ann Arbor, Michigan based ForeSee Results agency which gauged visitor satisfaction to a variety of charity websites across the US. (see The Nonprofit Times article, Social Networks Are Red Hot, Web Sites Are Diddlysquat by Mark Hrywna – 4th May 2009 http://www.nptimes.com/09May/news-090504-1.html)
Apparently, the top two reasons people gave for visiting nonprofit sites are news and events (40 percent) and to stay informed about the organisation’s cause (40 percent), while almost one in five (18 percent) specifically go to make a financial contribution.
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What’s all the more interesting though is that the above mentioned research and the article in The Nonprofit Times strongly argue that a charity’s website presents colossal opportunities for engaging with present and potential donors.
So, the question is: Where are you focusing on right now?
Let me guess… the social media. After all why should you spend your time on your charity’s boring website when you can really engage with people on facebook or Twitter?
And that’s just the problem — most charity websites are boring, look and feel the same, some of them have not been updated for ages and are generally un-engaging!
But think about it… while you are adding up all those Twitter followers and facebook groupies … what you are actually doing is driving more traffic back to your charity’s website.
Oooops – yes, that’s right – your exciting social media tactics are sending people to your boring and un-engaging website. So what are you going to do about it?
If you are seeking to engage with people for more than a few fleeting moments then having an inspiring and engaging website – where they can visit again and again is worth the effort.
Redina Kolaneci
Senior Consultant
McConkey Johnston International UK
www.mcconkey-johnston.co.uk
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.