What donors, volunteers and funders look for
Non-profit website design has to work for several groups at once. A donor wants to know where the money goes. A volunteer wants to know what the shift involves. A person who needs your help wants to know when you are open and whether they qualify. A funder wants to see that your programs are real and that you report on them.
Each group should find its answer from the homepage in one click. That usually means a short menu with a donate button, a volunteer link, your programs and a “Get help” page for the people you serve.
Show proof. Numbers from last year, photos from real programs and a link to your annual report give donors more to check than a mission statement on its own.
Online donations and CRA receipts
Most people give on their phone, so the donate page has to be short. We recommend:
- Monthly giving as the first option, with one-time gifts one tap away.
- Three to five suggested amounts, each with a line on what it pays for.
- Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay, with no account needed.
- A receipt in the donor’s inbox within minutes.
Only registered charities can issue official donation receipts. The CRA lists the details every receipt must include, such as your registration number, a serial number, the donor’s name and address, the eligible amount and the CRA website address. The full list is on the CRA page about what an official donation receipt must include. For receipts sent by email, the CRA guidance on computer-generated receipts says they must be in a format that cannot be edited, and the charity must keep a copy.
Donation platforms built for Canadian charities, such as CanadaHelps and Zeffy, can do this for you. We connect the one you choose, match it to your site, and send a test gift through it before launch.
Fundraising events need extra care. When a donor buys a gala ticket, the receipt can only cover the amount above the value of what they got, such as the dinner. The CRA guidance on fundraising events explains how to work this out, and your ticket page should state the receiptable amount clearly.
Volunteer sign-up and events
A volunteer form works best when it asks only what you need at that step. Ask for a name, contact details, the roles the person is interested in and when they are free. Police checks, training and waivers can come after you reply.
If you manage a lot of volunteers, a tool such as Better Impact can handle shifts, hours and screening. We link the website to it so people land on the right form. If you only need a simple sign-up, a form on your own site is enough.
Events get their own pages with a date, a place, a map and a registration button. The page stays up after the event with a short recap and photos, which gives funders and new volunteers a record of what you do.
Accessibility and the AODA
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) sets website rules for businesses and non-profits. The Ontario government’s page on accessible websites says a non-profit with 50 or more employees must make its public website meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA. Two criteria are exempt, live captions and pre-recorded audio descriptions. When you count employees, include full-time, part-time and seasonal staff. Do not count volunteers.
There is a second deadline this year. Non-profits with 20 or more employees must file an accessibility compliance report by December 31, 2026, according to Ontario’s accessibility rules for businesses and non-profits.
We build every site to WCAG 2.0 Level AA as a minimum, and we follow the newer WCAG 2.2 criteria where they apply. In practice that means enough colour contrast, headings in the right order, alt text on images, forms that work with a keyboard, and captions on your videos. These features help people with low vision, people who cannot use a mouse and people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Planning a website on a grant budget
Many non-profits pay for a new website with a grant or a one-time capacity fund. Funders usually want a fixed quote, a clear scope and a timeline. We give you all of that in writing, in a format you can attach to an application.
If the grant does not cover everything, we can split the work into phases. For example, build the donate page, programs and volunteer form first, then add an events calendar or a resource library when the next funding comes in. Our pricing page shows each package as a one-time price or a monthly plan, so you can budget for the years after the grant ends. If you pay once and the site does not need WordPress or an online store, hosting is free.
Google Ad Grants
Google Ad Grants gives eligible non-profits up to US$10,000 a month in Google search ads. In Canada, Google accepts CRA-registered charities and several types of registered non-profits. Hospitals, schools and government bodies are not eligible. The details are on Google’s eligibility page for Canada.
Your website matters for this program. Google’s Ad Grants FAQ says you need a high-quality website that meets its website policy. That means a secure HTTPS site, a clear description of your mission, useful content and working links. Google also requires accounts to track conversions, such as donations or volunteer sign-ups, so every form on the site needs to report when someone completes it.
The pages a non-profit website needs
- Homepage with your mission in one sentence, a donate button and a “Get help” link.
- One page for each program, with who it serves, when it runs and how to join.
- Donate page with monthly and one-time options.
- Volunteer page with roles and a sign-up form.
- Events calendar and registration.
- About page with your board, staff, annual report and charity registration number.
- News or stories from your programs.
- Contact page with hours, address and accessibility information for your building.
Charity website design also has to plan for staff and volunteer changes. The site should be easy to hand over when someone moves on. We document how it works and keep the logins in your name. Our monthly plans cover hosting, updates, backups and a set amount of edits after launch.
