So you’ve set up a smart looking website. Everything looks professional, but what about a call to action (CTA)? Every nonprofit website needs one, otherwise you’re just a news outlet. Let’s look at how Amnesty International and Girl Effect do it, and how they might even be able to do it better.
Nothing Is More Important
The strength of any nonprofit is in its members and supporters. Collective action gets the mission accomplished. It could be raising funds, establishing a school, or contacting politicians. But if your constituents don’t know what to do, they can’t act. You have to make it obvious.
Amnesty International
Take a look at Amnesty International (AI). Can you find the call to action? It’s in a prominent place and has a clear title. Amnesty knows many of its followers want to “Join” or “Take Action” so they include these calls too. Other organizations might want to boil it down to just one CTA.
Look at the rest of their landing page. It’s very utilitarian and informative. But only one headline stands out, and it provokes an emotional response. Also, look at all the empty space. Choose few words for your landing page. If people want to know more, they’ll find it.
How Could It Be Better?
The calls to action might benefit here if they stood out a little more, perhaps in yellow like the banner. Also, the “How You Can Help” headline might be more effective if it stirred emotion with something like “Stop Human Rights Abuse” (that’s also the AI slogan). Use contrast and emotion to get more click throughs.
Girl Effect
Great cause, great organization, but the Girl Effect landing page is a bit cluttered even if it’s only broadcasting one message. Also, the call to action gets lost some here. There’s no contrast and no emotion either. Something more effective could be a button that says something like, “Join the Celebration!”
One Time Calls
Don’t forget calls to help with urgent situations. Use headlines like:
- Help the Jones family find a new home now
- Give to Anytown’s flood victim relief fund
- Sign Up to stop unjust legislation
In Every Call To Action, Remember These
Here are things to consider in every call to action:
- The action takes center stage, not your mission
- Make it short and clear (e.g. DONATE, JOIN, TAKE ACTION, SIGN UP, etc.)
- It should be a priority in your overall landing page design
- Make it easy for users to comply
- Make it easy to visualize how to respond
Need More Ideas?
Want help building an effective nonprofit website? Then give us a call at (800) 475-4590. We’d be happy to help take your organization to the next level. Call Elevation today.
