How to Create a Nonprofit Website on WordPress (Step by Step)

In 2017, we created our nonprofit, the Balkhi Foundation, to help make college education more accessible to talented young people. We how-to-create quickly realized the importance of having the right website for our mission.

Like many nonprofits, we had to figure out how to how-to-create create an engaging website that would connect with donors and serve our community.

Over the years, we’ve helped dozens of nonprofits build their WordPress websites from scratch. We’ve learned what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to building a nonprofit website that effectively generates donations, attracts volunteers, and shares your story.

That’s why we’ve put together this step-by-step guide to help you create a nonprofit website with WordPress. And the best part? You can do all of this without hiring an expensive web developer.

Why Create a Nonprofit Website? how-to-create

As a nonprofit, your goal is to make bc database indonesia a difference. You need to spread the word, raise funds, and recruit enthusiastic volunteers.

But how do you do this effectively? The answer: a powerful and engaging website!

A nonprofit website can help you connect how-to-create with people around the world and raise awareness on an international scale.

However, the idea of ​​creating a website can seem daunting, especially if you’ve never done anything like it before.

We get it. At WPBeginner, we’ve helped countless nonprofits and even created our own nonprofit website for the Balkhi Foundation .

Through our experiences with the Balkhi Foundation, we have learned first-hand that creating a successful nonprofit website does not have to take a lot of time, effort, and money.

We’ll show you how to create an attractive, charitable website that is:

• Easy to learn: No technical knowledge required! We’ll break down each step in simple, practical instructions.
• Easy to set up: We’ll focus on tools that are quick to install and manage so you can get your site up and running quickly.
• Budget Friendly: We’ll share tips and tricks to minimize costs, including exclusive discounts, so you can make your donations go further.
• Essentially self-sufficient: We’ll guide you to platforms that are easy to use and require minimal maintenance.

With that said, let’s see how you can create a nonprofit website in WordPress! You can use the quick links below to navigate through this tutorial:

Step 1: Choose your website builder how-to-create

Want to create an efficient the “rhymes” of the drive with caroline doucet website for your nonprofit without using too much of your resources?

We understand, which is why we recommend WordPress.

There are many website builders out there, but WordPress stands out for nonprofits looking for an easy-to-use, reliable, and cost-effective solution.

First, WordPress is open source , so it’s free to download and use. By eliminating unnecessary expenses this way, you can devote more resources to your mission rather than website costs.

But just because WordPress is free doesn’t mean it’s basic. It has all the tools your nonprofit needs.

WordPress also allows you to install add -ons called plugins . These are pieces of software that add extra functionality to WordPress, and you can find over 59,000 of them in the WordPress.org repository alone.

This includes many plugins designed specifically for nonprofits, such as WP Charitable .

Even better, you can download and use all plugins from WordPress.org for free.

There are also numerous WordPress themes designed specifically for charitable organizations. Again, many of them are free.

But it’s not just about saving money. According to our research statistics , WordPress is the most popular website platform in the world, powering nearly 43% of all websites.

This means that when you choose WordPress, you’re joining millions of other successful websites, including many well-known nonprofits. You’ll have a reliable platform that’s perfect for your organization.

That said, there are two types of WordPress software, so it’s important to choose the right one.

The first is WordPress.com , which is a hosted website builder. With WordPress.com, you don’t have to find your own hosting plan and install the software yourself. Instead, you can choose a free plan or purchase one of the available paid plans, and Automattic will host your site for you.

There’s also WordPress.org, which is also known as self-hosted WordPress. We recommend using WordPress.org for your charity website because, unlike WordPress.com, you don’t have to pay for an expensive plan to be able to install plugins.

To learn more about why we always recommend WordPress, check out our full WordPress review or our expert comparison of WordPress.com vs WordPress.org .

Already created a site on WordPress.com? Don’t panic! We have a step-by-step guide on how to move your site from WordPress.com to WordPress.org .

Step 2: Setting Up Your Nonprofit Website how-to-create

Once you’ve chosen your burkina faso business directory website builder, you’ll need a domain name and web hosting.

Think of a domain name as your nonprofit’s online address. It’s what supporters will type into their browsers to access your website, such as redcross.org or unicef.org.

Web hosting is where your website lives online. To help you out, we’ve handpicked some of the best WordPress hosting you can buy for your new website.

While the WordPress software is free, hosting and domain names are where the costs can really start to add up.

A domain name typically costs $14.99/year, and hosting costs start at $7.99/month. That’s a lot, especially since you’re taking funds directly from your campaigns and activities.

Luckily, Bluehost has agreed to offer WPBeginner readers a huge discount on web hosting, plus a free domain and SSL certificate (for added security).

You will need an SSL certificate to collect donations in WordPress using third-party services like Stripe, so this is important.

Just click the button below to get started for just $1.99 per month.

Alternatively, you can visit the Bluehost website directly .

Then click the green “Get Started Now” button.

This will take you to the pricing page where you can choose a hosting plan for your website.

We recommend choosing the “Basic” or “Choice Plus” plan because they have everything you need to create a successful fundraising website.

Once you’ve chosen a plan, go ahead and click “Continue.”

Next, it’s time to choose a domain name for your nonprofit website.

A strong domain name is essential to establishing your organization’s online presence and helping supporters find your website. So it’s worth taking the time to choose the perfect domain name.

Typically, it makes sense to use your nonprofit’s name, but if your preferred domain isn’t available, you can try adding relevant details.

For example, you can add your industry (“animalrescue”) or location (“UK”) to the end.

Whenever possible, we recommend choosing a .org domain name because it is universally recognized as the standard for nonprofits. It instantly establishes credibility and trust with your audience and makes you stand out from commercial websites.

Need help choosing a domain name for your charity website? Check out our guide on how to choose the best domain name .

Once you have chosen a .org domain name, go ahead and click the “Next” button.

Bluehost will now ask for your account information, such as your name and email address. You’ll also have the chance to purchase some optional extras.

We typically don’t recommend purchasing these extras right away if you’re trying to keep costs down. Plus, you can always buy the extras later if your charity needs them.

Once done, simply enter your payment information to complete the purchase.

After a few moments, you’ll receive an email with instructions on how to log in to your web hosting control panel. This is the dashboard where you can manage your nonprofit website, including setting up email notifications and requesting WordPress support .