The non-profit for which I’ve worked for the past three years has struggled to launch an addendum to our Web site that promotes the impact of philanthropy and conveys our need. There’s a million reasons, but one big one is that we never took the time or resources to identify what our constituents might seek in a development-centric Web site. Wht would they even need one, and what would people use it for? We are still trying to figure that out (and starting to make headway, thanks to a consulting company that sees dollar signs but also is willing to push us forward.) While thinking about that, I found a blog post on “Zen and the Art of Non-Profit Technology,” that puts together, simply, a list of mistakes non-profits tend to make on the Web. The list promotes the need for transparency, and warns Web sites not to over promise, because failure to deliver is the death of a Web site.
It’s a good guideline to keep at top of mind when developing Internet strategy for any organization, non-profit or not.
