Our Process

Research. Design. Development.

Let's create an impactful website for your nonprofit so you can engage directly with your donors, volunteers, and recipients.

Our comprehensive design approach is unparalleled.

The process behind creating your website is holistic. Our research-driven approach dives deep into the foundation of your cause in order to guide design decisions. The result is a beautiful and effective website that amplifies your mission.

What sets us apart:

We are people-centric

From beginning to end, we put humans first. Whether we’re researching your cause or constituents, showing in-progress designs to real people, testing for accessibility and responsiveness, ensuring your project is inclusive and diverse, or providing outstanding support, you and your community are our priority.

Fully-custom, premium websites

We don’t squeeze your mission into a one-size-fits-all web template. Both what you see and how your website runs in the background is tailored to fit your needs. Your new site will be fully optimized to support your cause and perform quickly and efficiently.

Here for you now and in the future

Once we work with you to deliver the perfect website, we will stay in touch and support you. You can consult with us to find the best supplementary apps or technology. Also, we can continue to help you with site updates, both in terms of content changes and backend updates.

Want to get started on your site?

Get in touch

Our approach

We provide a sure-fire service that is mapped out from start to finish. Our streamlined process will allow us to make progress together without overwhelm. Here’s what to expect when working with us.

Yes! We’re so ready to start working on your nonprofit’s website. There are just a few housekeeping tasks we need to complete to make sure we’re in sync.

Onboarding

You will fill out a comprehensive onboarding form so we can learn more about your organization, your goals, your must-have features, and more.

Brand Preparation

Do you have an existing brand and logo, or do you need a new design? In this step we will also gather your brand guide and elements.

Website Audit

In this examination phase, we thoroughly explore your existing site. This includes taking inventory of your existing content, as well as performing a usability and technical audit.

Next Step: Research

Here’s where we get to know more about your donors, volunteers, and website visitors. This step helps us make informed decisions during the rest of the project.

Analysis & Metrics

We research parallel organizations to see how they’re similar and what we can learn from them. In this step, we also look at the metrics of your existing site to find out how long people are spending on your site and if they’re taking the desired action on the right pages.

Personas & User Flows

We’ll interview your donors and volunteers and compile profiles—or personas—designed to represent your website visitors. This helps us understand why the various personas may visit your site, and what they will be looking for when they get there.

Information Architecture

Information Architecture, or more simply a “site map,” helps us to see how content is structured on your site. This is the outline that will help us determine what content goes where, and how a person may travel through your site.

Next Step: Content & Design

Now that we have a strong base of research, we can begin to analyze your content and create your website design.

Content & Copy

We take inventory to make sure we have all your web-friendly content in place as informed by the site map we created in the previous step. New copy is created if necessary.

Wireframes

We start with simple outlines of your website design to focus on structure and functionality. We’ll test and refine your wireframes to make sure they’re usable.

Design

This is the icing on the cake. We apply your design aesthetics to your wireframes so you can see what your final site will look like. Thorough testing is also key in this step.

Next Step: Development & Launch

It’s time to build your website! From the technical set up to testing and launching, we code from scratch to ensure your site will load quickly and run efficiently.

Technical Set Up

Here’s where your site is built and developed. There’s a lot happening in the background, but basically we work some SEO magic, add your content, and also ensure that you will be able to manage your site easily in the future.

Quality Assurance

Let’s make sure your site will work for everyone, everywhere. We test for accessibility, browser-compatibility, device-compatibility, performance, and more. You’ll also help in this step to ensure we haven’t missed anything.

Launch & Training

Your site is ready to be viewed by the public, woo hoo! After launch, we will also teach you how to manage your new site moving forward. After training, you’ll be able to add content as well as check for software updates.

When your website project is completed, you will also have the opportunity to sign on with us for ongoing maintenance. We can help with general updates, bug fixes, and further enhancements.

Helpful resources

Woman working from home at her dining table.

Post-Pandemic, Nonprofits Rely On Their Websites More Than Ever

A man uses a braille writer to input information into a computer.

Is Your Organization’s Website ADA Compliant?

6 Distractions to Remove from Your Website for a Big Impact

Let’s start your web design project!

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Frequently asked questions

Every site we build is fully-equipped. Your nonprofit website will be integrated with your CRM or donation platform, accessible, secure, designed and built just for you, responsive, SEO-ready, and backed by research. Below we address more questions you may have.

Do you offer payment plans?

Absolutely. First, you’ll send us a deposit to begin work. Then, our fees are structured so you pay a portion of the total cost as we complete each project phase. We know you may have unique circumstances, so if needed, we can also work with you to offer payment plans for up to one year.

How long does a website design take?

It depends! A lot contributes to a timeline estimate: your project scope, your communication style and availability, and your existing branding and content. Generally, it could take anywhere from 3 to 6 months, but we’ll be able to give you a more solid answer after you have your initial free consultation with us.

Can I skip the research phase?

There are multiple packages available for your organization, ranging from a light project to a more robust one. Keep in mind, though, that the research phase is necessary to provide a delightful user experience. With research, you will see results that far surpass simply having a beautiful website. The research for your project can be light and simplified or can be all-inclusive, but either way, it is required. Read Why is UX Design Crucial for Your Organization?

I’m not 100% sure about all of this. Should I have my website redesigned by an expert?

We're biased, but since you asked: A website redesign is a big undertaking, but the benefits of choosing professionals to complete the project far outweigh the costs. Not only will you have a new visual look, but your site will be more secure, perform better, and will provide a better user experience. Need more info? Read 6 Reasons To Update Your Nonprofit Website.

I need something very specific added to my site, like a private portal or something else. Can you do this for me?

Since we build your site from scratch, the sky's the limit. Whether you need a private portal for your board members or a volunteer dashboard or something else, we will provide a solution. During your initial free consultation, we can discuss the scope of your project.

Will my website be optimized for SEO?

Absolutely! We build your site to be Search Engine Optimization (SEO) friendly. While optimizing for SEO is an ongoing task, you can rest assured knowing the backend structure of your site fully supports your SEO efforts.

Will you design my website to be accessible and ADA compliant?

Yes. Creating accessible websites is very important to us as web experts. Throughout the entire project journey, we will audit your existing site to see how it can be improved for accessibility. We will also build and design your site so it will meet A, AA, or AAA levels of accessibility standards.

How do I communicate with you during the project?

All of our projects are managed through our private client portal, which we use to keep track of everything. This is an optimal way to communicate, so everything is in one place. We can still communicate by email, and everything will be documented through the portal.

Let's get started.

Does your organization need an impactful and unique website? Get in touch.