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Web Accessibility: Why It Matters for Your Fundraising Events

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A guest post by Ira Horowitz, Cornershop Creative

Have you been hearing a lot about website accessibility lately? Most website owners have. Accessibility has become a hot topic in networking groups, on social media, and in many offices. Chances are, it was one of those conversations that led you to read this article today.

So what is accessibility? It’s making sure your website can be seen by anyone, anywhere, on any device, regardless of physical or mental impairment. Impairments can include disabilities, distractions, bad lighting, full hands—anything that might keep you from fully enjoying a website.

Having an accessible website means more people can enjoy your website, which is awesome. You may also be interested to know that many of the things that make your website accessible also help with user experience (UX) and search engine optimization (SEO). You probably recognize those as the other big topics in the world of nonprofit websites.

In short, accessibility is good for everybody, including your nonprofit. Read on to learn three reasons why it matters so much when it comes to improving your organization’s fundraising results.

Reason #1: Having an accessible website empowers you to expand your community.

One of the most common questions asked by nonprofits is, “How can we get more supporters to come to our website?”

Accessibility is a great answer.

By making your website more accessible, you are opening your nonprofit up to a whole new  audience. Once people of all abilities can access your content, they can learn everything they need to know about your cause, which makes them much more likely to participate in fundraisers of all kinds.

Having more active supporters means that more people will be sharing your content, or talking about your cause with their friends. This kind of self-perpetuating growth is the goal of every organization, whether you’re new to the sector or have been around for a while. Investing in accessibility upgrades for your website gets you off to an excellent start.

Reason #2: Nonprofits whose websites aren’t accessible may be subject to legal action.

In an equal society, everyone should have a chance to participate. This is the idea behind the American Disabilities Act (ADA). Since 1990, this law has helped prevent discrimination against people with disabilities by ensuring that public spaces are accessible to everyone.

Recently, the internet has been under scrutiny in courtrooms across the country, with plaintiffs asking the courts to consider the internet a public space.

Guidelines for this kind of widespread accessibility have already been developed. They are known as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). There are three different levels for WCAG:

  • A: This is considered the bare minimum for a website to meet. Many websites already meet this level, or could with minimal effort.
  • AA: Most web users will be able to access your website at this level. Experts urge all websites to shoot for AA compliance.
  • AAA: This is the highest level of accessibility and is ideal for the majority of users.

Since so many web elements cannot be made AAA compliant, it is not currently encouraged to try and make an entire website AAA. You can, however, have a mixed approach to be as accessible as possible. Offering fonts and high-contrast colors that meet AAA standards is still wonderful, even if other elements on your website only meet A or AA standards.

Right now, WCAG is a recommendation, not a mandatory requirement. But since having an accessible website has so many benefits, the best thing to do is get ahead of the curve now and invest in accessibility upgrades before they become law.

Reason #3: Prioritizing accessibility can help boost your brand image, drawing in support for your cause.

Nonprofits are known for being compassionate members of their communities. Becoming a champion for accessibility and equality is a good way to prove this impression true.

When you make a genuine effort to make your website more accessible, you are sending the message that your organization really cares about people and wants to do the right thing by making an effort to communicate with everyone it can reach. This will reflect positively on your brand, and ultimately, the cause you fight for every day.

Bonus: Quick Tips to Make Your Site More Accessible

Now that you’ve decided to make your website more accessible, here are some bonus tips to get you started!

Though there are plenty more things you can do, this list includes some nonprofit web design strategies that will help you meet the minimal requirements for accessibility:

  • Enable keyboard controls so your audience can navigate without a mouse.
  • Make sure your website is accessible for screen readers, and include a skip button for screen readers so they can skip through the menus.
  • Use a heading hierarchy to break up the content and guide readers through your content. Start with a single heading 1 (H1), then use H2s to title sections, H3s for subheadings under H2, and so on.
  • Use simple language. A 6th- to 8th-grade reading level is recommended.
  • Include alt text for images and photos.
  • Pay attention to color contrast. Minimum of 3:1 for large text, 4.5:1 for paragraph text. The higher the better.
  • Keep forms simple, short, and navigable by the tab key.
  • Use fonts that are easy to read, and don’t use more than three different fonts on your website.
  • Set your paragraph text at 16 px or larger.
  • Make sure 200% zoom is possible without interfering with the messaging of your site.
  • Offer player controls instead of setting videos to autoplay.
  • Include closed captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions for all multimedia content.
  • Use more than one indicator for important elements like links. For example, links should be blue and underlined.
  • Monitor the performance of your website to ensure it loads in three seconds or less.
  • Check your website on several browsers and devices to make sure it looks good on all of them.

To take your efforts to the next level, consider working with a nonprofit web design consultant. According to Cornershop Creative, these professionals understand the nonprofit sphere and can help make your website the best it can be for everyone within your site’s reach. They can handle the more technical aspects of web accessibility, setting you up to welcome more visitors to your website!

Ira Horowitz head shotAuthor: Ira Horowitz

With 15 years’ experience, Ira is an expert in nonprofit online communications and online fundraising. His work has resulted in increased funds and resounding supporter engagement for hundreds of organizations.

Ira oversees our project management team and works with clients to provide our clients with the best possible final product. He also manages all of our strategic engagements and helps guide nonprofits to determine their long-term strategy goals for online communications.

Fundraising Tuesday: You Asked. Now What?

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By the time you read this, I hope you have sent out your ideal end-of-year fundraising letter. Maybe you did it by mail. Maybe you sent it by email. Either way, it’s tempting to sit back and let it do its work.

Don’t give in to temptation! There’s more to do if you want to stay atop your donors’ mind…and donation list!

Your appeal is one of many, many appeals your donors are receiving this time of year. (Just look at your own mail or inbox and you will agree.) To make yours stand out, it cannot be one and done. Here are some ideas to bring your appeal to the top of your donors’ list.

What to do after you ask

  1. Follow up a letter with email.
    • In the From: line, send the message in the name of a real person.
    • Make sure you choose a Subject: line that will make the donor perk up and open the message.
    • Talk about what the donor wants, not what your nonprofit wants.
    • Include a link to your Donate page–twice or three times!
  2. Follow up a written message with a phone call.
    • Prepare a good script.
    • Train your volunteers.
    • Invite your Board to get involved. Following up an ask will be easier for many of them than making the ask themselves!
  3. Follow up a personal message by talking to all your donors on social media.  Now is the time to make the donor the hero of the story.

“Here is a person who’s struggling, and you can help them get over the hump and have a happy ending.” There is no better message to post in December!

December is different. As Double the Donation points out, “30% of annual giving happens in December, with about 10% of all annual donations coming in the last three days of the year.”

The rest of the year, telling success stories helps donors feel happy and proud that they gave to your organization. But in December, you want to make the donor feel that the ending of the story is all in their hands. When you call, or email, and especially when you post, bring them to the brink, and then ask. And always make it easy to give by including the link to your donation page!

Fundraising Tuesday: 6 Critical Nonprofit Grants Seeking Do’s and Don’ts

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A guest post from Abby Teare at GrantsPlus

Grants are an important source of funding for many nonprofits. They provide critical support for programs and projects that help to further your mission. Grants also allow your organization to form lasting relationships, which you can leverage for future growth.

However, finding grant opportunities and funders that align with  your organization’s mission is a highly involved process. Once you find an opportunity that could work for your organization, you’ll need to submit a well-crafted proposal to stand out from other nonprofits competing for funding and convince the funder that your program or project deserves their support.

In this guide, we’ll walk through six do’s and don’ts of nonprofit grant seeking related to these key areas:

  • Identifying Grant Opportunities
  • Building Relationships With Funders
  • Preparing Your Grant Application

Identifying Grant Opportunities

Don’t: Pursue Grants You Have a Low Chance of Winning

When you first start looking for grant opportunities, it can be tempting to apply for as many grants as possible to make sure you secure some funding. However, this strategy quickly becomes ineffective because each grant proposal requires a significant investment of time and effort for your organization to complete.

Instead, you’ll want to pursue grants that your organization is likely to secure. To determine your organization’s chances of winning a grant, ask yourself these questions:

  • Do your nonprofit’s values and goals align with the funder’s?
  • Do your organization and the specific initiative you’re trying to fund meet the funder’s eligibility requirements?
  • Would the grant’s scope and requirements work for that initiative, or impede it?
  • Does your nonprofit have a history of support from this funder and/or a personal connection to them that could lead to a relationship?
  • Can your organization compete with other potential applicants?
  • Will you be able to submit a thorough application before the deadline?
  • Are you prepared to manage the grant effectively and report to the funder as required if you secure the funding?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, you likely have a strong chance of winning the grant and can continue pursuing it. But if you said no several times, the grant probably wouldn’t be a good fit for your nonprofit, so you should concentrate your efforts on other opportunities.

Do: Look for Grants From a Variety of Sources

While you shouldn’t apply for every grant that comes your way, you want to research many opportunities to find the right grants for your nonprofit. Grants can come from a number of different sources, including:

Each of these grant sources provides different benefits for nonprofits—and comes with unique challenges. For example:

  • Securing government grants boosts your nonprofit’s reputation, but they’re typically the most competitive, require your organization to manage a tight turnaround window, and carry significant reporting requirements.
  • Foundation grants are usually simpler (though still competitive) to apply for, and you typically will need to develop a relationship with the funder to be considered.

Weigh your options carefully and consult with grant seeking experts to make the right decision for your nonprofit.

Building Relationships With Funders

Don’t: Submit a Grant Application Cold

Many funders offer grants by invitation only. Even if a foundation has an open grant application policy, which isn’t common, they’re much more likely to consider your proposal if you build a relationship with them first.

When you identify a potential funder, see if one of your nonprofit’s board members or active supporters already has a connection with them. This person could introduce your organization to the funder and start the relationship-building process.

If this introduction goes well, try scheduling a call or meeting with the funder to discuss your nonprofit’s work in more detail and gauge their interest. Before the meeting, research the foundation’s history and values so you can structure your talking points around the funder’s interests. Also, remember to send a follow-up after the meeting to provide additional resources the funder may have requested and thank them for their time.

Do: Communicate with Funders Regularly

After your initial meeting, you’ll want to keep your organization on the funder’s radar. First, look for organic opportunities to continue communicating with them. Representatives from foundations often attend nonprofit conferences and panels, so use these opportunities to meet up again and ask to keep in touch.

If a funder seems to be interested in your nonprofit after a few meetings, invite them to tour your organization or attend an upcoming event. Allowing the funder to see your mission in action can open up a natural space to ask if your work is a good fit for one of their funding opportunities.

Preparing Your Grant Application

Don’t: Wait Until the Last Minute

Although nonprofit grant seeking becomes easier once you’ve gone through the process a few times, finding the right opportunities and building relationships with funders will likely take months. You’ll need to plan well in advance to leave enough time for your organization to prepare a grant application before the funder’s deadline.

A sure way to have your proposal rejected is by failing to follow all the funder’s instructions. Late submissions typically won’t be considered. Plus, you likely won’t have enough time to craft a well-written grant proposal, double-check your budget calculations, and ensure you’ve met all of the other requirements if you start the application too close to the deadline.

Do: Prove Your Nonprofit Is Worth Investing In

A grant application that follows instructions is only a winning grant application if it also makes a strong case for why your organization deserves funding. Funders typically view grants as investments which can benefit your nonprofit in the long run. If you successfully secure, manage, and report on a grant once, the funder will be more likely to consider your organization for funding in the future.

You’ll want your grant proposal to be both informative and inspiring. Convince the reader that your organization will use the grant to address an important need and can achieve the goals you’ve set. Back up your ideas with concrete data and compelling true stories, and pay special attention to the budget section so the funder can see exactly how their investment will make a difference.

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