WordPress for Nonprofits

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WORDPRESS FOR NONPROFITS KEVIN A. BARNES WORDCAMP MKE — JULY 26, 2014

description

Nonprofits of all types and sizes are discovering the power of WordPress. Its cost (as low as free), ease of use and highly customizable functionality make it a great choice for nonprofit organizations. For everything from nonprofit board management to accepting donations through your website, WordPress has nonprofits covered. This session from WordCamp Milwaukee 2014 examined some of the powerful WordPress themes and plugins designed especially for nonprofits, WordPress hosting options available to nonprofits, and other ways nonprofits can get the most out of WordPress in order to meet their mission and specific needs. This session originally was presented by Kevin A. Barnes at WordCamp Milwaukee 2014 on July 26, 2014.

Transcript of WordPress for Nonprofits

Page 1: WordPress for Nonprofits

WORDPRESS FOR NONPROFITSKEVIN A. BARNES

WORDCAMP MKE — JULY 26, 2014

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STEAL MY SLIDES

Presentation at: http://kevv.co/wcmke14/

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WHO AM I?

Nonprofit Experience:

• Active with nonprofits since 1981• Have served as a Board Member for two nonprofits (nine

years total)• Digital Marketing Director for The Crohn’s Journey

Foundation• Support Group Facilitator with CCFA

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WHO AM I?

Website / WordPress Experience:

• Hand-coded my first website (for fun) in 1995• Created my first website using WordPress in 2004• Responsible for website development at Milwaukee marketing

agency Creatonomy from 2006 to 2011• Developing custom WordPress themes for clients since 2006

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AGENDA

Why WordPress is a Great Fit for Nonprofits

Just for Nonprofits — WordPress Tools and Resources

Just for Nonprofits — Special Considerations

Q & A

Appendix: Resources

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AGENDA

Why WordPress is a Great Fit for Nonprofits

Just for Nonprofits — WordPress Tools and Resources

Just for Nonprofits — Special Considerations

Q & A

Appendix: Resources

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WORDPRESS FOR NONPROFITS

What makes WordPress such a good choice?

• Cost• Support• Scalable• Easy to Use (plus high adoption rates)• Easy to Maintain• SEO Friendly• Accessibility• Many Themes and Plugins already exist for Nonprofits• Customizable

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WHO’S USING WORDPRESS?

Find more at: http://wordpress.org/showcase/tag/non-profit/

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WHO’S USING WORDPRESS?

Find more at: http://wordpress.org/showcase/tag/non-profit/

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WHO’S USING WORDPRESS?

Find more at: http://wordpress.org/showcase/tag/non-profit/

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AGENDA

Why WordPress is a Great Fit for Nonprofits

Just for Nonprofits — WordPress Tools and Resources

Just for Nonprofits — Special Considerations

Q & A

Appendix: Resources

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JUST FOR NONPROFITS

Hosting

• Dreamhost = free for U.S. 501(c)3 http://wiki.dreamhost.com/Non-profit_Discount

• Grassroots.org (through Bluehost) = free for Silver or Gold Guidestar Participantshttp://www.grassroots.org/free-website-tools-bluehost-web-hosting

• WordPress.com = free plan (with restrictions) for anyone (not just nonprofits)http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/nonprofits-on-wordpress/

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JUST FOR NONPROFITS

Your 15-year-old nephew is not a web hosting company

Photo Source: steve_cx on Flickr

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JUST FOR NONPROFITS

Out-of-the-Box Theme

• Free and Premium Themes

• Must find one that meets your needs “as is”

• Low cost

Create a Custom Theme (unique)

• Typically hire a resource(s) for design/development

• Can get exactly what you want

• High cost

Modify an Existing Theme

• Requires basic development skills

• Can turn a “sort of” fit into a “very close” fit

• Moderate cost

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RESOURCES

Where to find WordPress Themes for Nonprofits:

• The WordPress Theme Repository (free themes)http://wordpress.org/themes/

• Woo Themes (premium themes)http://www.woothemes.com/product-category/themes/

• Array Themes (premium themes)https://array.is/

• Theme Foundry (premium themes)https://thethemefoundry.com/

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RESOURCES

A few examples of some WordPress Themes for Nonprofits:

• Theme Canon — Kause Themehttp://themecanon.com/themes/kause/

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RESOURCES

A few examples of some WordPress Themes for Nonprofits:

• Organic Themes — Purpose Themehttp://organicthemes.com/theme/purpose-theme/

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RESOURCES

A few examples of some WordPress Themes for Nonprofits:

• Websavvy Marketing — Patricia Theme (requires the Genesis Framework)

http://www.web-savvy-marketing.com/store/patricia/

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JUST FOR NONPROFITS

Plugins

WordPress Plugin Repository: http://wordpress.org/plugins/

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JUST FOR NONPROFITS

A sampling of WordPress Plugins for Nonprofits

• Smart Donationshttp://wordpress.org/plugins/smart-donations/

• Membership (Pro and Lite versions available)http://wordpress.org/plugins/membership/

• Nonprofit Board Managementhttp://wordpress.org/plugins/nonprofit-board-management/

• MailChimp for WordPress (Premium and Lite versions)http://wordpress.org/plugins/mailchimp-for-wp/

• WordPress SEO by Yoasthttp://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo/

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AGENDA

Why WordPress is a Great Fit for Nonprofits

Just for Nonprofits — WordPress Tools and Resources

Just for Nonprofits — Special Considerations

Q & A

Appendix: Resources

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USE WINNING CONTENT

Good:

1. Use nice, iconic images

2. Feature people

3. Include success stories

4. Present a clear Call to Action

5. Use the best keywords for your cause

6. Feature endorsements / testimonials

7. Make it easy to donate

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MAKE IT EASYTO DONATE

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USE WINNING CONTENT

Mistakes to Avoid:

1. Ignoring visitors’ questions

2. Offering too many things on the Home page

3. Having confusing navigation

4. Failing to offer offline ways to connect

5. Having inconsistent design

6. Keeping your blog on a separate site

7. Filling the site with jargon

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DON’T OVERLOAD THE HOME PAGE

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AGENDA

Why WordPress is a Great Fit for Nonprofits

Just for Nonprofits — WordPress Tools and Resources

Just for Nonprofits — Special Considerations

Q & A

Appendix: Resources

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QUESTIONS?

Photo Source: Bilal Kamoon on Flickr

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QUESTIONS?

Contact Kevin:

• Websitehttp://www.kevinabarnes.com/

[email protected]

• Twitter@KevinABarnes

• Download These Slideshttp://kevv.co/wcmke14/

• Let’s Talk Live at WordCamp MKE:I’ll be around for the entire weekend — catch me between sessions.

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AGENDA

Why WordPress is a Great Fit for Nonprofits

Just for Nonprofits — WordPress Tools and Resources

Just for Nonprofits — Special Considerations

Q & A

Appendix: Resources

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RESOURCES

A Small Sampling of Nonprofits using WordPress for CMS:

• charity: waterhttp://www.charitywater.org/

• ASPCAhttp://www.aspca.org/

• Greenpeace USAhttp://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/

• Kivahttp://www.kiva.org/

• The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Researchhttps://www.michaeljfox.org/

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RESOURCES

A Small Sampling of Nonprofits using WordPress for Blogs:

• Feeding Americahttp://blog.feedingamerica.org/

• Salvation Armyhttp://blog.salvationarmyusa.org/

• National Aquariumhttp://nationalaquarium.wordpress.com/

Find other Nonprofits using WordPress (for CMS and blogs):

• http://wordpress.org/showcase/tag/non-profit/

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RESOURCES

Learn More About other Nonprofits’ Websites:

• Is It WordPress?http://www.isitwp.com/

• Philanthropediahttp://www.myphilanthropedia.org/

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RESOURCES

Website Accessibility:

• WordPress Codexhttp://codex.wordpress.org/accessibility

• WordPress Accessibility Grouphttp://make.wordpress.org/accessibility/

• Themes which meet the WordPress Theme Accessibility Audit Guidelineshttp://wordpress.org/themes/tags/accessibility-ready (Note: The themes in the WordPress Theme Repository tagged with “accessibility-ready” are not the only themes that meet the Accessibility Audit Guidelines, but rather those are the themes that have gone through the actual audit process.)

• WP Accessibility pluginhttps://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-accessibility/

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RESOURCES

Free Stuff:

• Google Analytics Dashboard Template for Nonprofitshttp://www.smartcausedigital.com/website-analytics

• Google for Nonprofitshttp://www.google.com/nonprofits/

• Grassroots.orghttp://www.grassroots.org/

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RESOURCES

Some Blogs that cover Nonprofits and Web Technology:

• Nonprofit Blog Exchange (on WordPress.com)http://nonprofitblogexchange.wordpress.com

• Network for Good® Nonprofit Marketing Bloghttp://www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com

• Kiva’s Nonprofit Communications Bloghttp://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/blog/

• Nonprofit Tech For Goodhttp://www.nptechforgood.com

• Idealware Blog (on nonprofit software)http://www.idealware.org/blog

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RESOURCES

Great Places to Learn More About WordPress:

• WordPress Codexhttp://codex.wordpress.org/

• WordPress.tvhttp://www.wordpress.tv/

• BobWP (some premium content)http://bobwp.com

• wp101 (premium content)http://www.wp101.com/

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RESOURCES

Contact Kevin:

• Websitehttp://www.kevinabarnes.com/

[email protected]

• Twitter@KevinABarnes

• Download These Slideshttp://kevv.co/wcmke14/

• Let’s Talk Live at WordCamp MKE:I’ll be around for the entire weekend — catch me between sessions.