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The Best Nonprofit Websites of 2019

This is part of a series highlighting our 2019 top website picks across mission-driven industries. If you haven’t already, check out our favorite higher education, association, and government websites!

Nonprofits have a special place in our hearts. I mean, we really love our nonprofits around here. They do all kinds of important work that furthers so many great causes, and that passion for impact extends beyond their own organizations. They’re open to collaboration and sharing ideas for the greater good because there’s simply no reason to hinder moving that collective needle.

We’ve seen a LOT of websites for mission-driven organizations over the years. Heck, we’ve built one or two of ’em in our time! As part of a greater series on our top website picks across mission-driven industries—nonprofits, associations, higher ed, and government—we’re kicking things off with the best nonprofit websites we’ve seen in 2019.

So, as we round out the year, try implementing some ideas from these nonprofits that are doing it right:

Save the Children

For nonprofits, it’s all about showing impact. The decision for anyone to interact with your organization is an emotional one, so put your mission-centric content first. On Save the Children’s website, you can’t scroll far before you’re met with an image spanning the entire width of your screen with the bold words at the top, “How You’re Changing Children’s Lives”. It immediately engages the reader and tells them how they can not only participate with you but also make an impact through you. This impact section is beautifully laid out, where choosing any of the four areas of impact (Health, Education, Protection, and Emergency) changes the background image entirely while providing an overview and relevant statistics. The result is quick, digestible information that hooks the reader in.


Pencils of Promise

This website is so, so good. I know we geek out about these things over here, but just have a look for yourself. Visually, it’s stunning—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It’s fun, it’s not too crowded, and there’s consistent branding throughout in the yellow, all highlighting areas to educate the reader (statistics) or to engage (donations). The top of the homepage has an effective video component with high-quality visuals over which is a simply-stated hero message. The powerful storytelling is engaging as you scroll through the site. The bottom of the homepage features individual fundraisers while plugging you right in by inviting you to start your own fundraising campaign. It’s an A+ from us!


Meals on Wheels of Central Texas

There are plenty of feel-good visuals to take in on the Meals on Wheels of Central Texas website, but when you land on the page, your eye is drawn to the donation button. Putting a donation button on your homepage immediately makes a user’s life easier, especially if they’re already familiar with your organization’s mission. If someone is coming back to your website for information or resources, all that’s between them and a donation just might be a simple prompt. That’s something to think about, especially considering that 65 percent of nonprofits require three or more clicks before a donation form. Here, in particular, the potential donor has a clear picture of what their money is funding and the greater call to action. It’s a great example of emotional appeal, the foundation of any decision we make as human beings. It immediately connects the user to the mission. Full disclosure: Mighty Citizen created this website!


Slavery Footprint

Slavery Footprint is a nonprofit bent on building awareness around modern-day slavery, or simply, identifying who contributes to the supply chain that produces the products and materials we use every day. The question posed right when you open their website is purposely alarming: How many slaves work for you?

Mighty Insights

Insights, delivered.

The two options you have from there are “What? Slaves work for me?” and “Find out. Take the survey”. Either choice initiates a crash course in quality user experience design. In taking the survey, the user is guided through a series of questions about their possessions and habits, for example, their diet, type and amount of clothes and jewelry, housing, etc. Each question is accompanied by an interactive animation to help you select your answers. It all feels very seamless, and the whole experience ties the reader to the message, while also educating them.

In selecting the former option, you’re guided down the homepage as animations interact with information about modern-day slavery. As you scroll, hands place various facts on the page, moving forward or backward depending on the way you’re scrolling. It’s an effect that brings the page to life, educating the user about the important work Slavery Footprint is doing. You should have a look for yourself, and take the survey while you’re there!


Museum of Science and Industry Chicago

While this is certainly another great-looking website, the element that landed MSI on our list is found in the “Explore” drop-down, under “Exhibits”. This page functions as a “choose your own adventure” search, where you can narrow your view to, for example, exhibits for adults related to environmental science. You can select the “Add to My Visit” option for each one, which pulls them into an interactive sidebar where you can buy the tickets for your selections. Additionally, the detail pages are nicely organized with unique colorways to add more variety to the experience. We can’t get enough!


We believe successful websites share similar characteristics. Components like great storytelling, user experience design, and visuals go a long way. A great start to evaluating your website is by using Mighty Citizen’s free Website Evaluation Kit to help define the overall effectiveness of your website.

Keep an eye out for the rest of our series highlighting our picks for other mission-driven industries!

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