Something must have been in the water in April of 2018. Maybe it was a connection between board members, or a mutual colleague of an existing client. Because in early spring that year we gained two new website clients and they both happened to be area Historical Societies. The following year we had the same thing happen again when two local municipalities reached out for new websites.
Maybe good things come in two’s. But I find that there’s a benefit to becoming well versed with a certain category of client and we’ve learned a few essentials about working with local non-profits and government agencies:
- They amplify your sense of community by connecting you to causes and issues you may not have considered before.
- When working with a board of directors, identify one or two people to be your point of contact. It saves time and sanity.
- Budget is always a concern, but never so much that they expect us to work for free. They’re often the first ones to remind me to send them an invoice.
While not-for-profit clients may face similar challenges to each other, their website requirements run the gamut from prioritizing simplicity to providing complex membership management systems and online storefronts. Additional considerations may also include logo design, custom photography, and marketing/social media assets.
After the website development phase is complete, our ongoing support to the organization also varies greatly. Some have a robust team of volunteers that are able to keep up with content edits and shop sales. Others keep us on call as a part of their trusted support team.
Over the years, we’ve built websites and provided support for dozens of non-profit organizations. So it’s not surprising that Marshall and I have gone on to volunteer for a few of them as our individual interests and available time overlapped with their mission. Sometimes that looks like attending monthly committee meetings and fundraisers. Other times it means helping to move a fiberglass cow from one office space to another. Either way, we show up smiling and ready to participate!
