SchoolAdvancement (TM) Helping Schools Advance Toward Their Vision

As we begin a new year, here's a resolution you should make for your school - "Update or get a new Web site." You can check out this month's "Development Development" entry and find out what a Web site should be by visiting this link - http://www.schooladvancement.com/development-development.htm.

What a Web site for your school should be is the broad picture. Here's what it should have - according to Devin Mathias, author of the "More Donors" blog at www.moredonors.com. Before you continue, though, check out that Web site - all his links are iPhone icons! Do you think that type of design will attract today's parents and guardians to your school? I hope you said, "Yes." Your parents and guardians are your customers, and your customers crave innovation. You can read more about that in my book which will be available soon - "Retention: A Systems Approach to Growing Enrollment." Email me for more details at mikez@schooladvancement.com.

If you're back from visiting moredonors.com, you'll see that his site builds credibility, which is what your Web site needs to do for your school today. In that spirit, here are Devin's recommendations as to what every "charity" Web site should have. Since your school is a non-profit organization, you should have these pages. If you don't, it's time to change. I've taken the liberty of modifying some of the wording so that they fit a school's educational mission.

1) Donation page
This is first for a reason. One of the main goals of your site is to raise support. Even though other goals may exist as well - sharing your stories, illustrating your good work & impact, recruiting volunteers - an underlying goal is finding donors so your organization can do more. Your home page should have a "make a gift" button that goes directly to the giving form... not to the general giving page or a why-to-give page - the form where gift amount and credit card info is entered.

2) Giving page
This is different from the page where you actually make the gift. This page illustrates why your organization is worthy of support (which may tie into items #3 and #5), different methods for giving, etc. You should also provide direct contact information to your site's visitors.

3) Impact page
Illustrate the actual impact your school is making, including testimonials, pictures, videos, etc. This is critical for current donors to see and to make future donors feel like they can make a difference by supporting you with their contributions of time, talent or treasure.

4) Action page
Some people - particularly younger generations, are inclined to give their time rather then money (read, "your schools parents and guardians"). This is a great way to get them involved, even if they can't come to your PTG meetings. Is there a petition they should sign? A letter they should write? Friends they should invite to support your school (note: not buy something to support the fundraiser-of-the-month)? Attend an event? Have a page that gives them easy ways to get involved.

5) Mission / Vision / Goals
This should go without saying, but you need to clearly illustrate where you want your school to go and how you're planning on getting there through the tangible goals you have in your sights. See #9. While experts have grouped Mission, Vision and Goals together, they frequently leave out "Case" - the "why" of your existence, and your differences which make you school worthy of support and further investigation.

6) Social Media page
First, you should use icons for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, etc. and have them prominently located "above the fold" (visible without scrolling) on your page. Second, you can have a specific landing page with further details on your various social media profiles, campaigns and the people helping with your social media efforts. This is especially important, where some educational experts decry the dangers of social media. While it may be something that your school needs to be mindful of when dealing with students, it's a necessity if you're looking to connect with lost alumni.

7) Privacy Policy
In today's world, concern for privacy of data is high - and rightfully so. Therefore, a privacy policy is the helpful and responsible thing to post. As Nagy wrote: "It is important to have a privacy policy for your Web site even if you do not collect email address from your visitors. Privacy concerns include website analytics, such as Google analytics and website cookies. Both analytics and cookies store certain amount of information about your visitors so the concern is real and for you to clear up this concern is a legal obligation to fulfill."

8) Contact Us
This is a critical and somewhat obvious page, but there are schools that have made contact information challenging to find (and sometimes, as challenging to find as the front door to their school). Additionally, provide multiple methods for contact. Email and phone are most critical, but it is also good to have various types of contacts - those for giving information/questions, and appropriate administrative contacts. Include your business address and a map or directions too! You're going to want prospective parents to tour the school, and the easier you make it for them to get there, the more your school will be perceived as an inviting place to learn and grow.

9) About Us
This should sum up why you exist, what you hope to do and who is running the show. It helps to remember that "what" and "who" describe your school's mission, so see #5. Perhaps you can have these two pages combine into one to make information about your school accessible in one place.

10) Frequently Asked Questions/FAQ/Q&A
This is one of the most common pages on any website - for good reason. This can save you time by answering questions for your constituents before they reach out to you and your team.

Bonus: 11) Blog.
Mathias thinks you should have a blog that can serve as the foundation for engaging donor stories, impact stories and help your social media's content development. I don't "think" you need to have one - I know you need to have one! Today's parents and guardians want interaction, and want to feel personally connected to your school. A blog helps them do that when they are able to comment on what you've written. Write something every day - it's one way to keep your overall Web site always fresh. If you end up combining page 5 and page 9 as listed above, this is your #10.

Think you can't afford a new Web site? Can you afford $14 a month? If so, check out http://www.squarespace.com just to get you going - or to get your IT person going. You can try it free for 14 days. Here's what I'm working on...

We'll see if this is what the new SchoolAdvancement site ends up looking like.

10 Pages Every Web Site Should Have