When it comes to online member and supporter engagement, there is no better tool than your organization’s website. Your website is your digital home for sharing information about your organization’s mission and recruiting new members.
If you’re looking to make your website as engaging as possible, your search for inspiration can start right here!
In this guide, we’ll assess examples of effective association and nonprofit website design, along with tips and best practices for implementing similar strategies into your organization’s website.
These examples represent organizations of all different types and sizes to help you find web design strategies that resonate with your organization’s needs. Let’s get started!
1. Society of Women Engineers
About this organization: The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is a membership organization with a mission to promote the advancement and success of women engineers.
What stands out about this website: The SWE website includes multiple call-to-action (CTA) buttons that help visitors find the information they want. The homepage features a stand-out “join” button that leads users to a simple registration form. Thanks to a partnership with Fonteva and a streamlined Salesforce configuration, SWE offers prospective members a join process that takes less than five minutes.
Takeaways for your website strategy: Association management software (AMS) can play an important role in streamlining your audience engagement activities and fostering a convenient online registration process. Review whether your current AMS system integrates effectively with your website so you can offer a simple registration experience for members and your staff.
2. International OCD Foundation
About this organization: The International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) seeks to provide a community and resources for individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
What stands out about this website: The IOCDF website stands out for its robust resource directory. Visitors looking for information about clinics and programs, support groups, therapists, and treatment groups can browse options in their area. Users can also narrow their search using various filters to browse by specialty area, treatment strategy, payment type, ages served, and more.
This level of search specificity gives website visitors incredible access to organizations and healthcare providers that offer the specialized support they need.
Takeaways for your website strategy: Reference your audience’s motivations and needs when developing your user pathways, especially if your website offers critical medical information. According to Kanopi’s healthcare website design guide, visitors looking for medical advice might feel stressed or overwhelmed when seeking help, making it even more essential that crucial information is as easy to find as possible.
3. AARP
About this organization: The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) is an association based in the U.S. that prioritizes issues related to individuals over 50, including healthcare, health insurance, and age discrimination.
What stands out about this website: The AARP website emphasizes accessibility and follows the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level A+AA. The site’s accessibility page details what this means in practice. For example, when browsing the AARP website, users can:
- Increase the font size
- Browse the site using just a keyboard
- Turn on closed captions for videos
All of these efforts make the site more user-friendly for visitors with permanent or temporary disabilities that make navigating a website more challenging.
Takeaways for your website strategy: Consider your audience’s unique accessibility needs when developing your web design strategy. Apply accessibility best practices to all web design elements, from color choices to video production and navigation structure.
4. Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
About this organization: Chattahoochee Riverkeeper is a membership organization with a mission to educate the public about and advocate for the protection of the Chattahoochee River and its lakes, tributaries, and watershed. The Chattahoochee flows from north Georgia to the Florida Panhandle.
What stands out about this website: Support from its members forms the foundation of Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s advocacy activities and environmental cleanups. Member donations power the organization’s projects and programs, but members also receive valuable benefits in return.
The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper membership page effectively highlights membership benefits, such as:
- Access to exclusive newsletters
- Notifications for upcoming events
- A complimentary decal
- Member-exclusive social events
- Access to an annual member celebration event
The organization also gives each membership tier a unique name, such as “Creek Contributor” and “Pond Protector.” This helps members feel like part of an exclusive group.
Takeaways for your website strategy: If your membership organization relies in part on donations from individuals, take cues from the best nonprofit websites. Don’t simply ask supporters to give. Instead, show them what they’ll gain from being a part of your community. Determine how you can make your membership program more engaging and encourage retention through exclusive event access and by offering other benefits.
5. Public Relations Society of America
About this organization: The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is a professional organization that serves individuals in the communications industry through professional training, leadership development, and networking opportunities.
What stands out about this website: The PRSA takes its mission to support public relations professionals seriously by offering a wide array of professional development resources through its website. Visitors can easily find information on certificate programs, webinars, workshops, and more. Plus, individuals can narrow their searches by subject category, resource type, learning format, and month.
This free service gives prospective members a taste of the type of support and networking benefits they can receive from becoming a member.
Takeaways for your website strategy: If you’re a professional association, members will look to you as a thought leader in your sector and turn to your website for resources that help them advance their careers. To exceed members’ expectations, make your professional development resources easy to find and browse on your website. Consider offering a free resource directory to entice new members to join.
All of these website examples share one key element in common: they prioritize the visitor experience. To effectively incorporate these tips into your web design and development strategy, conduct user research and survey your member community to understand their needs and pain points when it comes to using your website. Ascertain where your website excels and where it falls short to adjust your approach to better serve your community.