Note: The links provided in this article are no longer functioning. The advice, from pioneers of The Nonprofit FAQ, is still worth considering. --Ed
Jayne Cravens (http://www.coyotecom.com/) advises:
This Web site has information on low-cost Web site providers all over
the country, as well as information on low cost image scanning services
and other information. The URL is: www.budgetweb.com/lowcost/
As for companies that offer you a "free" Web site, I say -- Be cautious!!
Before going with a Web site provider that offers you a "free" Web site,
ask these questions:
- What are your rates after the first six months (or whatever the offer)
of free service?
- Would you charge for links from our Web site to other Web sites or to
an e-mail address?
- Would you allow cgi scripts on my site (for forms)? Would you charge
for cgi scripts on my site?
- What would the domain name of our Web site be? Do you use a folder
system or offer the nonprofit its own domain name? (having a domain name
may not be important to your not-for-profit organization, but you
definitely don't want a Web site with an address that you or your staff
cannot remember and recite off the top of the head)
- How easy will it be for me to change information on our site? Can I do
it from my own computer, or do I have to provide the information to someone
at your organization? If the latter is true, how long will it take for
information to be changed once I provide it to you?
- What are the names and Web addresses for some of your "long-term"
clients?
- If I eventually move my Web site somewhere else, will you keep a link
to my site on the page where my home page used to be on your Web site? If
so, for how long?
If you don't like the answers you get, or if you don't understand the
answers you get, don't go with a free Web site provider.
This is not to say there aren't good free Web site
providers out there. For instance, in Austin, Texas, MAIN
- Metropolitan Austin Information,
www.main.org/austin.htm offers not-for-profit
organizations free Web site space.
(See http://www.nonprofits.org/npofaq/06/08.html for information on how to find other community nets.)
Such deals may have
limits regarding the amount of information you can put
up, the volume of traffic that can access your site, and the software packages you can used to create your pages. Still, this is a great way for an
organization to get started with an online presence. Some
suggestions for going with such a provider:
- If your organization does not check its e-mail account often, do not
put your e-mail address on the page. Users believe an e-mail account on a
Web page means they will get a quick response if they contact you that way.
Not making a quick response would not give a good impression of your
organization (just as not answering your phone or never returning phone
calls). Instead, put your mailing address and phone number prominantly on
your home page.
- If you cannot make changes instantly from your own computer, then make
your pages "timeless" rather than "timely" (i.e., the information doesn't
change much over the course of a few months). These could include:
- a home page with a brief description of your organization, mission
statement, mailing address and phone numbers, who to call for the latest
information, how to volunteer with your organization, etc.
- a page listing your organization's programs and services
- an essay by your executive director, a profile of one of someone who
benefitted from your services, a list of staff members and phone numbers, a
list of volunteer opportunities, etc.
There is also www.freenfp.com which offers nonprofits (including sports teams and other groups that may not be incorporated) a basic website without a monthly charge and more sophisticated web serving for a low annual cost (there is a set-up fee in either case).
The Nonprofit FAQ's "Library" of classic resources includes a page with some more tips on how to set up an organizational webpage; see http://www.idealist.org/npofaq/0/1573.html
Revised 4/12/01; 4/29/01; 8/15/05 -- PB
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