Why does a nonprofit need a website?
Whether you run a sports club, a cultural group, a humanitarian charity or a professional body, a website is now indispensable: to recruit new members, to tell people what you do, to take donations online, to share your news, and to give your work credibility with partners and funders.
In France, nonprofits with a professional website have on average 30% more members than those that rely on social media alone.
What a nonprofit website has to carry
Legal notices
For a French association under the 1901 law, the legal notice must include: the name of the association, its registered office, its RNA number (Répertoire National des Associations, the national register of nonprofits), the name of the publication director, and the contact details of the host. Publishing no legal notice at all is an offense, and it carries a penalty.
Local authorities are held to stricter rules still: see what is required of a town hall or local authority website.
The pages you need
- Home: a quick introduction, your mission, a call to action
- About: your history, your values, the people who run things
- Activities and programs: what you actually do
- Membership: how to join, and what it costs
- News: a blog or a news feed
- Contact: a form, an address, your social accounts
- Donate (where it applies): a secure donation button
GDPR: the obligations specific to nonprofits
A nonprofit that collects personal data (a membership form, a newsletter sign up, an online payment) falls under the GDPR. The minimum: a privacy policy anyone can reach, explicit consent for cookies, and a way for members to ask to see their data or have it deleted.
Options that fit a nonprofit budget
Free options
WordPress.com (free plan), the free tier of Wix, or Google Sites will get you a basic presence without spending a euro. The result is limited on customization and on SEO, but it is enough for a very small association with few needs.
Nonprofits often qualify for particular terms: tell us about your project and we will see what is possible.
Affordable paid options
For a nonprofit that wants a genuinely professional presence, a monthly website subscription is a modest investment. To put it in context: an association with 50 members paying €20 a year in dues collects €1,000 in fees, which is comfortably enough to pay for a professional site.
Grants and funding
Some local authorities and Maisons Des Associations (the local nonprofit support centers) offer digital grants to nonprofits in their area. Ask at your town hall, or at your DDETS, the state employment and social affairs office for your département.
SEO for a nonprofit website
SEO for a nonprofit site rests on the same principles as any other site, with one particularity: it is anchored in a place and in a subject. Optimize for queries like “[type d’association] [ville]” (“[type of nonprofit] [town]”), publish regularly about your activities, and get yourself listed in the local directories of associations.
Conclusion
Building a website for your nonprofit is not a daunting project. Choose the right option for your budget and your needs, and you can have a professional presence online that recruits members, brings in donations, and gives your work credibility.
