6 Keys for Nonprofit Website Design, Part 1

1. Clear messaging
Clear messaging is the No. 1 need, according to Elliston.

"We tell people to focus on what really makes them who they are and why you should care, why you should donate, why you should be part of the movement," he says. "One of the problems with so many websites from a design perspective is that there's so much clutter and so much happening that you're trying to figure out exactly what people do. You try to say too much and end up not saying anything at all."