As a nonprofit organization, your website is a crucial tool for communicating your purpose to potential donors, volunteers, and supporters. One essential element of your website is the impact page. This page can serve as a powerful platform for showcasing the real-world impact of your work, inspiring audiences, and building trust with potential partners.
In this guide, we’ll explore nonprofit impact pages in greater detail and provide best practices for creating an effective page that communicates the vital work that you do.
What are nonprofit website impact pages?
An impact page is a designated area of your website that includes information about your purpose, goals, and achievements, highlighting the specific progress that has been made toward the cause that you serve. This type of web page is especially important for grantmakers who seek to quantify the impact of the dollars they invest in local nonprofits.
It can also help inform potential donors and volunteers about the impact of their contributions if they are to support your organization, build trust with existing supporters, and help set the organization apart from others that may be vying for the same resources or attention. Overall, a well-crafted nonprofit impact page can be a powerful tool for showcasing the real-world effect of your work and encouraging engagement with your cause.
4 tips for creating a successful nonprofit impact page
1. Focus on design.
Designing a nonprofit impact page should be done strategically, keeping your purpose top of mind. Follow these best practices to design an impact page that communicates your message and makes a lasting impression on users:
- Include branded elements like your logo and color scheme.
- Break up longer blocks of text with images, headings, and buttons.
- Prioritize visual hierarchy by placing important information, such as your impact statement or call-to-action, at the top of the page.
- Ensure that visual elements such as images, videos, and infographics are high-quality and aligned with your messaging.
- Feature success stories, testimonials, and data to underline your organization’s impact and inspire more donations.
- Make the page user-friendly through intuitive navigation and organization of information.
If you’re still having trouble designing an impact page, check out other nonprofit websites and explore how they promote their work. For instance, Results.org has a dynamic impact page showing the outcome of their fight to end poverty and a timeline of their accomplishments. This gives the reader a sense of their long history and the progress they’ve made through the years. Use this as a source of inspiration to guide your own efforts!
2. Narrow down your impact statement.
Create an impact statement that summarizes your purpose and lists your greatest achievements to date. While it may be tempting to pack your impact page full of stats and information, it’s best to keep this statement brief (under four to five sentences) so that readers can easily understand and remember your message. If possible, also include a few numbers and statistics to help readers better understand your ability to effect positive change in the community.
For instance, a nonprofit focused on providing their community with new, educational-based opportunities might display the following statement on their site:
“Our nonprofit is dedicated to promoting education and opportunity for underserved communities. Through our innovative programs and partnerships with schools and educators, we strive to empower students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the 21st century. In the past year, we have reached over 1,000 students across five neighborhoods, providing them with access to technology, mentorship, and extracurricular activities.”
After you’ve done a few top-line impact statements, move into the secondary outcomes. These are items that are just outside of the focus of your work, but are still meaningful and show the value of your organization.
Using the example above, the nonprofit might go on to say:
“Through our efforts, we have seen improvements in student engagement, self-esteem, and academic outcomes. Our goal is to continue to expand our reach, creating a brighter future for our communities, one student at a time.”
Though the statement may not be as compelling as the first, it highlights how your work goes beyond its main purpose and has a broader appeal to the audience you serve.
3. Use images and video to represent your impact.
Incorporating videos and images on nonprofit impact pages can be a powerful way to communicate the work the organization is doing and the impact it’s having. That’s because visuals help to tell a story in a way that text alone cannot. For instance, a photograph of volunteers engaged in a project can showcase your efforts more effectively than a static paragraph describing their involvement.
Videos can be even more impactful, as they provide deeper insight into the organization’s work and its impact on the community. Consider taking viewers on a journey through the communities you serve or through your facility. This will help to humanize your organization and its work, making it more attractive to potential donors who might be moved to offer funds or their time as a volunteer.
4. Add a call-to-action.
Including clear and persuasive calls-to-action (CTAs) on a nonprofit impact page is an essential aspect of converting visitors into donors or supporters. CTA buttons or links should be strategically placed throughout the page, providing visitors with an opportunity to take action after they’ve been impressed by the organization’s achievements.
These can include options to donate, volunteer, or even share the impact page via social media to help spread the word. Regardless of the intent, ensure that the CTA you include is prominent and stands out from the rest of the content on the page. Strategically use color, bolding, or even font size to make your CTA pop. Optimizing the CTA placement and design can make a significant difference in conversion rates, so it’s important to test different options to determine what works best for the organization.
Get started with nonprofit impact pages
Using the tips in this article, you can begin creating your own impact page. Remember to prioritize design, include persuasive calls-to-action, and review other websites in the space for inspiration. Doing so will help your nonprofit showcase its achievements and inspire meaningful support from stakeholders.
