Building An Efficient Web Development Framework: An Essential Guide For Non-profits

Non-profits can gain a lot from having a website developed for their operations. At least, the probability of becoming more visible increases with a good website in place. Before getting into the thick of things, you must devote significant attention and effort to doing some background work.

This is especially concerning the process leading to building a highly functional website for your non-profit. So, without further ado, let us look at the steps you need to take – your essential guide.

Create Your Web Development Team – Internally

The very first thing to do as you aim to engage a web development service is to create a web development team internally. The team has to be a part of the process from the get-go. This will not only contribute to the building of a substantially effective website but also advance the sustainability cause. 

This boils down to the fact that you will have a team to monitor the website's functioning regularly. Consequently, proactive and prompt measures can be taken to avert operational hindrances.  

Evaluate Your Needs

You should consider what your web development needs are before going further. Yes, having a website to run your non-profit operations is good, but you have to highlight the specifics. 

Most non-profits have a website set up as they attempt to scale up their operations, banking on increased visibility/accessibility. Again, non-profits can drive more interest from volunteers and donors and see increased conversions with a website in place.

Evaluating your needs will help guide your initial conversation with the web development companies you will reach out to. Moreover, the web development service provider can only adequately address your needs if the objectives are clearly highlighted. You can cooperate with a web development company to thoroughly evaluate your operational needs before setting up the website. 

This helps accelerate the development of a highly efficient website for your non-profit. It follows that it is at this stage of evaluation that the set of features and resources that have to be integrated into the website are determined. The cost estimate for the project can also be raised at this stage. 

Prospect Top Web Development Companies

There are a lot of companies available to provide web development services, but it would be good to prospect for the top trusted ones. You can resort to checking the review on the companies you come across to know if they are up to par. Plus, the profile and past projects – as provided on their sites – of the provider should also suffice.

Again, you have to watch out for how each of them responds to your queries – how efficient is the customer service end? Over and above all, you should compare the service offerings in relation to the price they are charging. You don't have to break the bank to develop a highly functional website.

Create And Send Out a Request for Proposals (RFP)

You should request the service of companies more formally by asking them to send an RFP. The RFP should describe your web development project and the scope of service to be delivered by the provider. 

You should also itemize other elements you expect the company to present, including the cost estimate and other things a regular RFP should contain. And do not forget to communicate the email or phone number to which all correspondence should be directed.

Scrutinize The Options and Choose the Best Web Development Company

The next step will be to scrutinize all the companies that submitted an RFP with respect to providing web development services. You should make your final decision based on the response to the RFP and the preliminary evaluations you made earlier. 

The final decision doesn’t have to be a one-person thing, especially as you seek nothing but the best. As such, it would be helpful to brainstorm with your internal web development team before selecting the company to work with.

Proceed With the Web Development Proper and Follow the Process

Once you’ve engaged the (choice) web development company, the next port of call will be activating the process of building the website for your organization. It is vital that the company gives you a timeline for the project delivery.

With this timeline, you will be able to follow the web development processes adequately. That said, you should pay close attention to the content uploaded on the site. 

Although some web development companies also offer content creation services, you still have to be an integral part of the (content creation) aspect. Your internal web development team should work around selecting a unique domain name and communicate it to the company. It will also be your oversight function to provide details such as contact information, your story, social media page links, upcoming events, and so on.

Review The Website and Accept – If Satisfied

A functional non-profit website should be completed between 8–12 weeks. After you must have taken delivery of the site, your team should take time to check its performance. Elements such as layout, mobile device optimization, donation features, etc., should be thoroughly evaluated. You can then proceed to accept the job if you are satisfied with the web development company’s input. 

Generate Traffic to Your Website

Now that your website is ready, it’s high time you let the world know about it. This is where traffic generation comes in, and one of the ways to do this is through SEO. 

Ordinarily, SEO capability is significantly boosted when a website is efficiently built with high-quality content injected. Besides SEO, you can run paid ad campaigns, engage volunteers (influencers), capitalize on content marketing, leverage social media channels, etc., to increase traffic to your site. 

Final Thoughts 

Exploring the digital space is about the best thing you can do for your non-profit business in this very age. This is why you need to consider investing in web development today. By so doing, you will be able to gain an edge over other non-profits and remain relevant for a long time.