Create a charity website that people trust, search engines understand and AI systems recommend.
A charity website design guide to help you create a website that supports donations, volunteering, fundraising, service delivery and engagement.
If you're working with a website designer or developer, this guide will help you create a specification so your website delivers what your charity needs. It also explains how charity website design is changing as AI search tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity increasingly influence how people find information online.
What Is the Purpose of Your Charity Website?
The first thing you must be clear about in charity website design is what your website is for. Specifically:
- What do you want visitors to do?
- Who are those visitors?
- What information are they looking for?
- How will you encourage them to take action?
Trying to engage everyone about everything rarely works. The most effective charity websites have clear objectives. What are the purposes of your charity website and which are the most important?
- Donate.
- Engage with your charity.
- Volunteer.
- Use your services.
- Learn about a topic.
- Contact you.
Website Audience
Think carefully about who your website is aimed at.
- Existing staff, volunteers and beneficiaries.
- Potential new staff, volunteers and beneficiaries.
- Funders.
- Donors.
- Supporters.
- Influencers and decision makers.
- Partner organisations.
Engaging Visitors
Provide content that your audience actually wants. Use language and terminology they understand and engage with.
Encouraging Visitors
Website traffic increasingly comes from a combination of:
- Search engines.
- AI search tools.
- Social media.
- Referrals.
- Direct visitors.
To increase visitors:
- If you are a registered charity, you can apply for the Google Ad Grant.
- Use social media to direct visitors to relevant content.
- Join relevant groups and communities.
- Mention your website in presentations, emails, newsletters and printed materials.
- Publish content people genuinely find useful and keep it up to date.
How Good Are Charity Websites Generally?
The Charity Excellence Sector Data Store tracks many aspects of charity performance, including website effectiveness.
Website fundraising remains one of the weakest areas for many charities.
Your website is often the first impression potential supporters, volunteers, beneficiaries and funders receive. Small improvements can make a significant difference to engagement, donations and enquiries.
Complete the communications online health check (30 mins) and the system will assess your website and connect you to a wide range of support, resources and funding opportunities. Our Help Finder Directory has 28 search categories, including Websites, Social Media and Apps. We're a one-stop-shop for everything your charity needs - Register Now
How Do I Increase Website Visitors?
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Is your website mobile friendly?
- Does it load quickly?
- Is your website secure?
- Is it easy to navigate?
- Is your content relevant and up to date?
Use Google's free PageSpeed Insights tool: Google PageSpeed Insights to identify performance improvements.
Charity Website Design for the AI Age
Website design is no longer just about creating a website that looks good and works well for visitors.
Increasingly, your website also needs to be easy for search engines, AI search systems and future AI assistants to understand.
Tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Perplexity can increasingly answer questions directly without sending users to websites.
This means your website is becoming more than a destination for visitors. It is increasingly becoming the information source that AI systems use when answering questions.
The challenge is no longer simply attracting visitors.
Increasingly, the challenge is becoming the trusted source that people and AI systems choose to use.
Design Your Website So AI Can Understand It
When creating or redesigning your website:
Must Do
- Use Clear Page Titles. Give every page a simple, descriptive title. "Debt Advice in Leeds" tells people and search engines exactly what the page is about, while "Our Services" tells them very little.
- Use Logical Headings and Subheadings. Organise information with clear headings. Good headings help visitors find what they need quickly and make it easier for AI tools to understand the structure and purpose of your content.
- Create Dedicated Pages for Services, Projects and Activities. Avoid putting everything on one page. Give each service, project or activity its own page so people and AI can clearly understand what you offer and who it is for.
- Keep Important Information Up to Date. Regularly check contact details, service descriptions, opening hours, pricing and eligibility criteria. Out-of-date information frustrates visitors and reduces trust.
- Answer Common Questions Clearly. Include a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section that addresses the questions people ask most often. AI tools frequently use clear FAQ content when answering user queries.
- Use Plain English Instead of Jargon. Write for your audience, not for other professionals. If a member of the public would struggle to understand a phrase, rewrite it in simpler language.
- Make Contact Information Easy to Find. Display your phone number, email address, contact form and location clearly. Visitors should never have to search your website to work out how to contact you.
- Ensure Mobile Compatibility. Most people now access websites on phones. If your website is difficult to use on a mobile device, many visitors will leave before finding the information they need.
Should Do
- Publish Evidence of Your Impact. Show the difference your organisation makes through statistics, case studies, testimonials and success stories. This helps build trust and demonstrates your expertise.
- Include Trustee and Governance Information. Publish details about trustees, leadership, policies and annual reports. Transparency helps reassure visitors, funders and AI systems that your organisation is credible.
- Make Your Content Accessible. Use clear fonts, good colour contrast, descriptive links and alternative text for images. An accessible website helps more people use your services and understand your content.
- Clearly Explain Who You Help and Where You Work. State your beneficiaries and geographic area clearly. For example, "Supporting unpaid carers across Essex" is more useful than saying "Supporting local communities".
- Create Content That Demonstrates Expertise. Publish guides, resources, research findings and practical advice. Organisations that consistently share useful information are more likely to be found and recommended.
- Link Related Pages Together. Help visitors move easily between related services, projects, resources and contact information. Internal links make websites easier to navigate and easier for AI tools to understand.
Nice to Have
- Add Structured Data (Schema Markup). Schema is hidden code that helps search engines and AI understand what your content represents. It can improve how your website appears in search results, but most charities should focus on the essentials first.
- Make It Easy to Verify Information. Include your charity number, annual reports, accounts, policies and other key organisational information. These provide additional trust signals for visitors and AI systems.
- Review Your Website Regularly. Set aside time every few months to review pages, remove outdated content and update key information. Small improvements made regularly are often more effective than a major redesign every few years.
Simple rule: If a visitor can immediately understand who you help, what you do, where you work, why it matters and how to contact you, you've already done most of what both search engines and AI systems are looking for. You can find more on our How AI Search Will Affect Charity Websites (and What To Do About It) web page.
What Does the Future Look Like?
Think of your website less as an online brochure and more as a trusted source of information feeding:
- Search engines.
- AI assistants.
- Supporters.
- Funders.
- Fundraising platforms.
- Future agentic services.
The charities most likely to succeed will not necessarily have the biggest websites.
They will be the organisations providing the most trustworthy, useful and up-to-date information.
SEO for Charity Websites in an AI-Enabled World
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) remains important.
In fact, many of the things that help websites rank well in search engines also help AI systems understand and trust content.
SEO is no longer just about rankings and website traffic.
Increasingly, charities should think about how their information appears in:
- Google Search.
- Google AI Overviews.
- ChatGPT.
- Microsoft Copilot.
- Perplexity.
- Future AI assistants and agentic services.
The good news is that many traditional SEO best practices still apply.
These include:
- Clear website structure.
- Useful content.
- Frequently asked questions.
- Impact reports.
- Strong page titles.
- Good accessibility.
- Trust and transparency.
- Schema markup.
- Links from trusted organisations.
For a detailed guide, read: How AI Search Will Affect Charity Websites (and What To Do About It)
This explains how AI search is changing website visibility, how charities can appear in AI-generated answers and what practical actions you can take now.
How Do I Engage Visitors and Encourage Them To Take Action?
Design your website so that when visitors arrive:
- It is simple to navigate.
- Content is up to date.
- Key messages are clear.
- Information is easy to understand.
- Calls to action are obvious.
- Visitors know exactly what to do next.
How Do I Increase Donations?
To maximise donations:
- Use fundraising messages that resonate with donors.
- Clearly demonstrate impact.
- Make your donate button highly visible.
- Give donors options where appropriate.
- Keep donation forms short and simple.
- Ensure donation forms work on mobile devices.
- Avoid requiring unnecessary registration.
Useful resource: 10 Easy Fixes for Donation Forms
How Do I Monitor and Manage Website Traffic?
Use: Google Analytics to understand:
- Where visitors come from.
- What content they use.
- Which actions they take.
- Which pages generate enquiries or donations.
Learn more through:Analytics Academy
Free Charity Website Imagery
Help Finder includes a category that connects you to 36 free image libraries, including resources covering a wide range of communities and causes.
Charity Website Grant Funding and Free Support
To find free support and funding opportunities for websites, digital projects and technology, use: Charity Website Funding and Support Resource
Your Charity Website Contract
Before renewing or commissioning a website:
- Is the website delivering what you need?
- Does it support your strategic objectives?
- Does it provide value for money?
- Is your supplier responsive and reliable?
- Does the contract give you flexibility?
How Can I Find a Charity Website Designer?
This website was built by: DJMWeb and we have 0.75 million visitors a year. Dan is fast, flexible, affordable and provided excellent service.
What Should I Look for in a Charity Website Designer?
When choosing a designer or agency:
- Experience with charities and nonprofits.
- Understanding of your mission and values.
- User-friendly design.
- Accessibility expertise.
- Responsive design capability.
- Clear communication.
- Affordability.
- A strong portfolio.
How To Achieve Even More
A registered charity ourselves, the CEF works for any non profit, not just charities.
Plus, 65+ policies, 8 online health checks, the Quality Mark and the huge resource base. Our AI Ready programme and our 11 free online AI training courses.
Find Funding, Free Help & Resources - Everything Is Free.
Register Now!
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