{"id":27695,"date":"2021-10-12T08:57:37","date_gmt":"2021-10-12T12:57:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/?p=27695"},"modified":"2023-06-23T11:24:22","modified_gmt":"2023-06-23T15:24:22","slug":"4-ways-nonprofits-can-make-the-most-of-wordpress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/4-ways-nonprofits-can-make-the-most-of-wordpress\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways Nonprofits Can Make the Most of WordPress"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Headshot<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

About De\u2019Yont\u00e9 Wilkinson:<\/strong> De\u2019Yont\u00e9 is the Director of Site Builds at Cornershop Creative<\/a>. De\u2019Yont\u00e9\u2019s a late-80s baby who found his passion for web design and development during MySpace\u2019s heyday, when he helped his friends create awesome profiles. He\u2019s spent the last three years specializing in WordPress and conversion optimization, and is an active proponent of coding guidelines. In his off time he enjoys cooking, rugby, and hanging out with his wife.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you know, your organization\u2019s website is the heart of your online fundraising strategy<\/a>. From the moment donors land on your homepage to when they click that submit button on your donation form, your website\u2019s design, navigation, and content influence how they will connect with your organization and your mission. Still, sometimes encouraging potential donors to contribute can be a little tricky without the right nonprofit website builder<\/a> backing you up.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enter WordPress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress is the most popular website builder on the internet, and for good reason. Used by a wide range of businesses stretching all the way from The New Yorker\u2019s<\/em> official site to Disney\u2019s official \u201cStar Wars\u201d blog, WordPress is able to support such a large number of organizations due to its high customizability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means that your nonprofit, no matter how big or small, can cash in on the same perks as these massive corporations\u2014if you know how to use the platform.<\/strong> To help your nonprofit make the most of WordPress, your nonprofit should: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Invest in a custom design. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Research and add plugins. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Make the most of analytics and sharing tools. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Use WordPress\u2019s extensive community to find resources. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Keep in mind that while WordPress is brimming with possibilities, all of that potential is only potential until it\u2019s actually put to use. But don\u2019t let this intimidate you! Even if you aren\u2019t a coding master or tech wiz, your nonprofit can still design a website full of personality and passion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Invest in a custom design, created by someone who understands nonprofits <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Picture this: you\u2019re about to start designing the website for your nonprofit. You\u2019ve created a WordPress account, registered a domain name, and are browsing all of the different themes that WordPress has to offer. The themes are sparkly and clean \u2014 and you think you\u2019ve found the perfect one. But, hold on a minute, is this really <\/em>the best choice? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    WordPress is used for nearly every kind of organization under the sun, which means that most pre-built WordPress themes were created with a more generic, for-profit organization in mind. It might be tempting to squish your content into the constraints of a really pretty WordPress theme, twisting and molding your text here and there until everything is shoved into place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Maybe you even try hiring the flashiest marketing firm in town to get everything to fit, but then they could miss the mark by focusing more on looks than the substance and more on the sale than the donation. The end result could mean a snazzy looking website<\/a>, but not necessarily one that drives meaningful engagement nor donations.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is why investing in a custom theme built just for your nonprofit matters.<\/strong> WordPress has a large range of personalization and design options, so there\u2019s no reason to limit yourself to a few generic options, especially if you\u2019re taking a do-it-yourself approach. In fact, here are just a few things investing in a custom, nonprofit-focused theme can help you do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n