Nonprofit websites don’t aim to sell products or services to their visitors, but they still need to convince people to support their cause. Websites are one of the primary ways the charity organisations connect with their potential patrons.

A nonprofit website should serve five main purposes. These are: Establish a good brand image Showcase their work and success stories Encourage donations and support Build a community and connect like-minded people Reach the group they aid

Nonprofit websites should be well-organised and easy to navigate. They also need to be visually appealing and have a feel-good vibe.

Based on these criteria, we have compiled a list of some of the best nonprofit website design example.

1. Charity: water

Charity: water works to bring clean water to people in developing countries.

Why their site is excellent:

Excellent choice and placement of images. The homepage has three vibrant photos that cover edge to edge screen space, dividing the page into three distinct segments. The colour scheme is bright and welcoming.

The navigation bar sections – Why Water? Our Work and About Us are perfect to let a new visitor find more about them.

Correct placement of call-to-action buttons. The Donate and Fundraise options at the top-right are easy to access, while small enough to not be obtrusive. The Give Monthly button overlaid on the top of feature image takes a little more focus, but still allows space to focus on the work that charity: water does. Scrolling down, you’ll see a grid of six photos accompanied by short text and more call to actions.

The site features well-chosen headings and an organised footer section.

With a mobile-friendly and responsive design, the site looks equally good on the small screen. The top bar still contains the Donate button for a call to action, but the fundraise option is moved off so as not to take up too much space.

Website: charitywater.org

2. Red Cross Australia

Red Cross AU is the Australian chapter of the prolific charity organisation.

Why their site is excellent:

Red Cross’ website has a very user-friendly navigation bar. The bar has three sections – Get help, Get involved and Support us. Additionally, it has two call-to-actions – Volunteer and Donate. There’re also a link to Contact and a Search

Every page of the site looks neat and modern. The design and colour scheme is consistent across the site, which goes very well with the brand image of Red Cross.

The banner image shows a direct example of how the Red Cross is helping people, and also encourages the visitor to donate with a call-to-action button.

The site works well on mobile devices. It retains the look and feel across different screen sizes. The sticky navigation bar stays in position as one scrolls

Website: redcross.org.au

3. World Wildlife Fund

WWF works on wilderness preservation and protection of the environment.

Why their site is excellent:

WWF has a very informative website that aims to educate visitors about the current status of wildlife across the planet. The navigation bar includes Our work, Species that you should know and care about, Places that are important for wilderness preservation, About us and How to help. Hovering mouse pointers on these headings brings out drop-down menus with well-organised sections.

The Donate and Adopt call-to-action buttons at the top right corner take the visitor to a page with multiple donation options and information. This is a great way to convert potential participators.

The rest of the homepage presents informative content from WWF. It blends images, text and social media content using a grid of rectangular boxes. The site looks great on a small screen. Overall the design is visually appealing.

Website: worldwildlife.org

4. Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity provides housing for those who are in need.

Why their site is excellent:

Their site design is simple. It uses monochromatic grids with images to present information, news and stories. The presentation is elegant.

The top bar has a search box, several social media profiles and a Donate The organisation is very active on social media platforms, and they use their site to encourage people to visit their social pages.

As expected, the site renders nicely in mobile devices. Like the desktop site, it has a Load more button at the bottom of the News and stories section instead of the infinite scrolling seen in some sites. Though infinite scrolling is a good thing for social media or ecommerce websites, users may find that annoying in on a mobile platform.

Website: habitat.org

5. Feeding America

Feeding America is a hunger relief organisation that operates throughout the US.

Why their site is excellent:

The homepage has a carousel of appealing images with appropriate call-to-actions. Each page of the website uses real-life photos to communicate the message of the organisation.

Feeding America makes it very easy to find food banks or get help for those who are in need. The navigation bar sticks to the top as you scroll down the site. It has a Need Help button in addition to the usual Donate.

The overall design of the site is neat and tidy. It’s completely mobile responsive.

Website: feedingamerica.org

6. Greenpeace Australia

Greenpeace works for a green and peaceful future. They address environmental issues with protests and campaigns.

Why their site is excellent:

The site of Greenpeace is beautifully designed. They use a combination of images, whitespace, graphics and social media posts to make the website come alive.

As an action-focused organisation, Greenpeace makes it easy for people to participate in their movements by providing take action links to various environmental campaigns.

Website: greenpeace.org.au

7. One Drop

One drop provides sustainable access to safe water to millions of people across the world.

Why their site is excellent:

This charity website has a modern design with a beautiful colour scheme. Use of bold colours, the right combination of image, beautiful typography, and use of real-life photos make this site stand out from other nonprofit organisation websites.

The site homepage features a full-page inspirational video that will definitely make the visitors like One Drop and what they do. The rest of the homepage is simple but at the same time, aesthetically It introduces the visitors to the projects and events run by the organisation.

One Drop’s website looks equally good on small screen. It has interactive elements and smooth transition effects.

Website: onedrop.org

8. Rotary

Rotary is a social organisation working across the world to create lasting changes.

Why their site is excellent:

The site uses a video with multiple segments on the homepage which showcases the people of Rotary in action. Though auto-playing videos aren’t perfect for all sites, here it serves the purpose.

The navigation bar of the site is well-organised. Hovering your mouse pointer on it brings out a detailed drop-down There’s also a search bar and call-to-actions like Join and Donate.

Website: rotary.org

9. Oxfam Australia

Oxfam is a well-known international organisation empowering communities and tackling poverty around the world.

Why their site is excellent:

Oxfam is an excellent example of a standard nonprofit website. Their site is very organised, informative and contains several case studies. The choice of images with human faces and a green-focused colour palette, help them quickly connect with the visitors.

The site makes it easy to donate and gives several donation options. Some of Oxfam’s project pages have intriguing design taking advantage of full-page images, animations and transition effects. These pages help them stand out among other nonprofit donation websites.

The site is completely mobile responsive. Even some of their content-heavy pages work perfectly on mobile.

Website: oxfam.org.au

10. Children International

Children International helps children who live in poverty.

Why their site is excellent:

The site uses scrolling using images of children in the background. The overall design goes well with the brand image of the nonprofit organisation.

Apart from the search box in the navigation bar, there is another search function that lets the visitors search for children to sponsor. This is an excellent feature.

Website: children.org

11. Ford Foundation

Ford Foundation is a private organisation with a mission to build a fair and peaceful world.

Why their site is excellent:

Ford Foundation has a very simple website. But it’s organised and follows user-friendly design principles. The homepage features multiple banner images, with links; which can be scrolled by clicking on left or right arrows.

The rest of the homepage contains a nicely presented section on news, blog posts which can be filtered by type. The navigation bar is properly organised.

All of the pages have a clean look, lots of whitespace and elegant design elements. The site’s simple design choices make it more appealing.

Website: fordfoundation.org

Nonprofit websites have different business purposes. But still, they need to follow the best-practices of web design to provide the necessary information to their target groups and supporters.

Maintaining a good brand image is also another critical factor. Good looking websites help nonprofits to reach more people and motivate visitors to advance their causes. If you are a web designer, you’ll find the above sites to be useful design-inspirations.

On the other hand, if you run a nonprofit organisation, feel free to use these examples as samples for your new site. Regardless of size and type, all nonprofit companies deserve to have a solid web presence. After all, they are working for the greater good.