nonprofit websites Archives - Claxon Communication

In a post earlier this week, I shared a startling new finding from our Wordifier research: more than 50% of nonprofits don’t have a website.*

A state by state breakdown shows us how much this varies depending on geography. In Maine, for instance, 65% of nonprofits have a website. Whereas in New Mexico and Wyoming, a scant 29% do.

This map breaks it down state by state.

research, nonprofits, websites

The five states with the highest percentage of nonprofits with websites?

1. Maine: 65%

2. DC: 64%

3. Washington: 61%

4. Idaho & Puerto Rico: 60%

5. Vermont: 59%

And the five states with the lowest percentage of nonprofits with websites?

46. Alabama: 37%

47. Rhode Island: 36%

48. Arkansas: 33%

49 & 50. Wyoming & New Mexico: 29%

Makes you wonder: how easy/hard are nonprofits in your state making it for supporters to find them on-line?

***If you want your nonprofit to stand out from the crowd–whether on-line, in-person, or in print–check out Claxon University.***

*Reminder about what we mean by “no website”: We mean when pulling our sample, we didn’t find an independent url for ~50+% of the nonprofits for which we were searching. Some might have had an online presence, e.g. Facebook pages or a webpage on a connected, but separate organization. For instance, it’s very common for Friends of the Library and PTAs/PTSAs to have a web presence as a page on the related organization’s site, but often not their very own site. Other organizations, businesses, social clubs, or even other nonprofits with a foundation or scholarship might have mentioned the 501c3 arm, or maybe just mention that they have a scholarship, but it is the parent organization that has the website, so that didn’t count.

Would this little girl be able to find your nonprofit online?

When we did the research for The Wordifier–the free online tool that helps you increase your impact by amplifying your words–we stumbled upon a very interesting (and startling) finding: more than 50% of nonprofits don’t have a website.

Actually, to be specific, what we can say is that we are 95% confident that 46.33% to 49.03% of nonprofits DO have websites. Meaning we’re 95% confident that a tidge over 50% do NOT.*

Think about that for a minute: A potential donor hears about your organization. They want to learn more. They go online. They search for your organization. If you’re a nonprofit, there’s only a 50/50 chance they’ll find you because there’s only a 50% chance you’re easily found online. That’s a VBP: a Very Big Problem.

No matter how amazing, compelling, and wonderous your work is, people aren’t going to put in a lot of effort into learning more about you. They’re busy and have bigger fish to fry.

Bottom line: The easier you make it for people to find you, the easier you make it for them to support your work.

Your next step: Search for your organization’s name on-line. Do you show up on the first page of search results? If not, making that happen should be a top priority for your organization.

***Knowing which words to use when talking about your organization is key to your on-line strategy. If you’re unsure about the words you’re using, check out Claxon University’s course, Words on a Mission. Might be the Rolaids for your messaging-related indigestion.***

*Just so we’re clear on what we mean by “no website”: we mean when pulling our sample, we didn’t find an independent url for ~50+% of the nonprofits for which we were searching. Some might have had an online presence, e.g. Facebook pages or a webpage on a connected, but separate organization. For instance, it’s very common for Friends of the Library and PTAs/PTSAs to have a web presence as a page on the related organization’s site, but often not their very own site. Other organizations, businesses, social clubs, or even other nonprofits with a foundation or scholarship might have mentioned the 501c3 arm, or maybe just mention that they have a scholarship, but it is the parent organization that has the website, so that didn’t count.

Tag: nonprofit websites

Do you know many nonprofits in your state have a website?

New Research Shows More Than 50% of Nonprofits Don’t Have a Website