In keeping with TopNonprofits mission of “Learning from the Best Organizations and Leaders,” we set out to find and study the best nonprofit websites from around the world. Below is the resulting list of the top 20. Details on how the list was compiled can be found at the bottom.
There are all sorts of nuggets you can glean from these great websites, but a few common themes stood out.
- Responsive (automatically adapting to different screen sizes) is non-negotiable.
- The long home page: Provide a 10,000-foot view without having to click.
- Fewer options for primary navigation.
- Animated backgrounds are growing in popularity. See Invisible Children or the National Aquarium for examples.
- Subtle and clear infographics communicate more than text.
- Good photos and graphics are a must.
- We also compiled a list of 13 Donation Page Best Practices
Free Resource
The 20 Best Nonprofit Websites List:
The following 20 best nonprofit websites are listed in alphabetically. Scroll to the bottom for more details on how the list was compiled.
Note: Some of these websites include animated elements, parallax scrolling (different elements scroll at different speeds), as well as things like hovering menus and social bars. These can be hard to capture in static screenshots and can also can make things a bit awkward as we try to stitch together a comprehensive view. We encourage you to check out the live websites to get the full experience.
1 Billion Nets (Malaria No More Campaign)
URL: 1billionnets.org
Web design by: Creative Science Labs
Acumen
URL: acumen.org
Web design by: BriteWeb
Adopt A Love Story
URL: adoptalovestory.com
Web design by: Bionic Giant
CARE
URL: care.org
Web design by: Unknown
Case Foundation
URL: casefoundation.org
Web design by: Creatve Science
charity: water
URL: charitywater.org
Web Design By: In-house team
Conservation International
URL: conservation.org/
Web design by: Viget
Convoy of Hope
URL: convoyofhope.org
Web design by: Jeff Hedrick, in-house creative director, development by 40Digits
David Shepherd Foundation
URL: davidshepherd.org
Web design by: PHA Media
Gates Foundation
URL: gatesfoundation.org
Web design by: Unknown
Greenpeace USA
URL: greenpeace.org/usa
Web design by: Echo & Co. and Teal Media
Invisible Children
Web Design by: Brandon Bone & Maurice Rosemond (In House)
Nashville Zoo
URL: nashvillezoo.org
Web design by: Speak
National Aquarium
URL: aqua.org
Web design: In House
Room to Read
URL: roomtoread.org
Web design by: Unknown
Rotary International
URL: rotary.org
Web design by: Viget
Save the Storks
URL: savethestorks.com
Web design by: Bionic Giant
Teach For America
URL: teachforamerica.org
Web design by: In-house (Stephanie Yancone & Suzi Speedling) + Phase2
Valley of the Sun YMCA
URL: valleyymca.org
Web design by: Big Marlin Group
World Wildlife Fund
URL: worldwildlife.org
Web design by: Viget
How the List Was Compiled
As we are updating our database or performing research, we note traits related to the organization. If we see a well designed nonprofit website, we make note of this in our database which adds it into the running for this list. When it comes time to update the list, someone on the team takes full-page captures of the home pages. These are then reviewed by multiple people on the team and rated by each. The top 40 make it to the final round where additional scrutiny is placed on mobile friendliness, donation user experience, contact pages, creative use of content, and other factors. The Top 20 nonprofit websites were published to this list.