Have you ever wanted to launch a charity resource site of your own, or maybe you already have a charitable organization in place but haven’t had the time or resources to create and launch your site to the public?
Right now is the best time to launch a site for your charity, especially while Covid-19 is affecting so many people in need. With an online outlet and resource available, this can lead to much higher donations and volunteer engagement rates.
In either case, today we are going to walk through a simple five-step process on how anyone can go live with a brand new website or blog for their charity, while also requiring no technical or design skills in the process.
Let’s get started.
Step 1: Secure Your Domain Name
The first step in this process is to secure your domain name. If your charity or organization already has a name, this is what you will want to go with. Try to get the .com name, and if it’s not available, go with a .net or .edu.
Try to stay away from any other TLDs, as these ones are most trusted and respected.
Step 2: Create a Web Hosting Account
The next step in the process is to set up your web hosting. Every site on the internet needs to have hosting for other people around the world to access it.
When it comes time to pick a web host, simply find one that is low cost and has years of experience and is a trusted name you are already familiar with. In most cases, web hosting should only cost around $10 per month.
Step 3: Launch Your Site Using WordPress
Of the many different ways to design and create your site, using WordPress is probably one of the easiest. It’s also free to use and offers a lot of customization and design features. There are also no coding or design skills required, as it is a pretty simple content management system to use and only takes minutes to learn.
Most web hosting solutions will now include WordPress for free. In some cases, you may need to click a single button or have to install it yourself. In either case, it’s pretty simple.
Step 4: Write a Few Articles for Your New Site
With your domain name, hosting and WordPress now in place, you can start working on the content for your site. This content should cover the many different areas of your charity or organization.
Such examples may include an about us page, contact info, new blog posts on upcoming events and also examples of where and how your organization has made a difference in the world.
To see an example of the type of content you should be creating for your charity, view this example of Marc Kielburger from WE Charity.
The more information you can provide to an audience, the more likely they are to become a fan of your charity and end up donating their time, money or services.
Step 5: Start Sharing Your Site and Content on Social Media
Last but not least, once your site is live and ready for visitors, it’s time to start sharing it with the rest of the world. One of the best ways to accomplish this, is through the use of social media. Ask friends and family members to share your new site with their audiences as well.
It’s also a good idea to start new social profiles and accounts for your charity as well. Be sure to link to each of your new social profiles from your site, and also link back to your site from your new Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram profiles as well.
By continually linking and sharing your content, this will help your site rank in Google for various keywords and phrases as well.
How to Get the Most Out of Your New Charity Site
As with all things in life, anything worth doing is going to take some serious time, work and effort to accomplish. And when it comes to launching and creating a successful site for your charity, this is definitely true.
When you first launch your site, it might be a slow and lonely process. However, as new content is added and your site starts to rank higher in Google, the more traffic your site will see.
Don’t get discouraged. Put in the time and effort, and you might just be amazed at how great it turns out — while also helping to change the world in the process!
