Angus Parker, WiserEarth

[Ed. note: This article is part of NTEN's Member Appreciation Month spectacular. The most popular pieces will be featured in our newsletter. You can read all the details here.]

Let’s face it, it’s easy for a nonprofit to get seduced by the latest web technology and distracted from their actual mission. This is even more the case with open source tools like Joomla!, Drupal, and Plone that promise free social websites at the touch of a button. What many people don’t realize is the cost of customizing some of these so-called free tools often runs around $40,000 in consultant fees and staff time. On top of that you are saddled with ongoing maintenance and hosting costs. Running your own souped-up website appeals to many because it implies control and ownership. But does this really help you in today’s social web? Here is a checklist to review before you take the plunge:

1. What is your goal? Take a step back and articulate what you want to achieve in terms of outcomes. For example, we want “the mayor to adopt a goal of recycling 80% of municipal garbage.” You may be surprised to realize that you don’t need a technology solution at all.
2. Where is your audience? If 90% of them have Facebook accounts you probably want to go to their online home. Don’t unrealistically expect a large proportion of them to sign up for your website. Conversely, if 90% of your audience doesn’t go online, look to an offline approach and consider targeting the 10% who are online as influencers and disseminators of your content.
3. What is your budget? Nonprofits are tightening their belts as never before. Can you really afford a costly new technology project? Have you got a contingency plan if your project goes over budget? Web-based tools offer a world of possibilities for free or very small fees of around $20/month.
4. Is controlling your brand a driver? One argument for managing and hosting your own web presence is that it offers you control. But I would argue that gives a false sense of security. Managing your brand today means listening to conversations on the social web that others are having about you and engaging those people when there are inaccuracies.
5. Can you afford not to experiment? Hosting and managing your own web presence is a lot like buying an airliner and getting in the cockpit expecting to fly it from day one. There’s a reason budding pilots start off training on Cesnas – they’re cheaper to buy, easier to fly, and have low maintenance costs. Most online communities fail – better to learn the basics on a free or low-cost platform so you know what works and then upgrade later on. Who knows, you may find you don’t ever need to upgrade.
6. What functionality do you really need? Simplicity draws visitors into using a website. The latest technology often just puts people off. ListServs like a Yahoo Group may be all you need – in which case, why do anything else? Don’t let a missing ‘nice-to-have’ feature put you off from using a lower cost option.
7. Do you have your focus on community building? Online communities usually fail not because of the technology used, but because no one took the time to think through the community’s purpose and then manage it on a day-to-day basis. If you don’t own the website, you can focus your energy and budget on the people, not the technology.

We are not suggesting that nonprofits give up their simple websites or abandon their domains. Instead, think hard about where to invest your energy and resources going forward. Beth Kanter goes as far as to have a ‘Rule of Thirds’ – spend 1/3 of your effort and money on your web-presence, 1/3 on one-way communications like direct email, and a 1/3 on social media. In other words, don’t over invest in your website. More broadly, think about integrating your website with external services. For example, use your static website for the basics like contact info, staff and board member lists, and simple program descriptions. Then point to an external service(s) for your social community(s).  As always, remember to start with your goal in mind, not with the technology! 

Angus is the Program Director of WiserEarth. He blogs at http://blog.wiserearth.org on successful community building. WiserEarth serves the people who are transforming the world. It is a community directory and networking forum that maps and connects non-governmental organizations and individuals addressing the central issues of our day: climate change, poverty, the environment, peace, water, hunger, social justice, conservation, human rights and more.