“Return on investment” (ROI) may sound like a boardroom buzzword, but it’s really just asking: Is this project worth it?
When it comes to nonprofit website projects, many leaders get stuck trying to calculate exact financial benefits. The truth is, you don’t need precise numbers—you need plausible ones. Enter Plausible ROI: a practical way to ballpark the financial impact of a website project and help you (and your board, and possibly your funders) understand whether an investment makes sense.
Plausible ROI is straightforward: sketch out rough estimates of what you might save or gain, then compare that to what you’ll spend. High and low ranges are perfectly fine, and encouraged! (They’re more honest than false precision most of the time.)
Here’s what to estimate:
- Savings: How many staff hours might your new site save each month? Maybe it’s fewer manual updates, fewer “Where’s the Zoom link?” calls, or more streamlined event sign-ups. Turn those hours into dollars by using a reasonable hourly rate.
- Revenue: Could better donation forms, clearer event listings, or easier volunteer sign-ups bring in more money? For instance, perhaps a 10% bump in online donations is reasonable for a brand new site. Don’t forget to multiply things like additional volunteers by an hourly rate for the time they might save your staff.
- Costs: Add up your project budget, staff time for planning and training, plus any ongoing hosting or software expenses. Again, ranges work fine. See the resources below for some ways to estimate website project costs.
Calculate both a low and high estimate for each, then compare. If benefits are likely to outweigh costs, you’ve got a strong case for your board or funders. If not, you may still argue for intangibles—brand credibility, wider reach, better accessibility.
The beauty of Plausible ROI is that it gives you enough structure to be credible without getting lost in the weeds. You’ll have real numbers to work with and to show your board and funders, just not so many you start dreaming in spreadsheets.
Dive Deeper
How Much Does It Cost To Build a Nonprofit Website? | JanBask Digital Design
A comprehensive breakdown of nonprofit website costs with an independent consultant or small agency, from $4,000-$15,000 initial builds to recurring fees for hosting and donor management systems. The article gets into the nitty-gritty of hidden costs (like payment gateway fees) and makes a compelling case for why that “free” DIY website might end up costing you more than you think.
Nonprofit Website Redesign Guide 2025 (Avg Cost Included) | Fifty & Fifty
A walkthrough of the phases of a full website redesign, with realistic price ranges you might expect from a larger agency. Especially useful if you’re trying to figure out why some agencies seem to be way more expensive than others—often that $50,000 quote actually gets you a lot more strategic thought and hands on help.
Calculating Nonprofit ROI | CFO Selections
A practical guide to putting dollar values on things like volunteer time and staff efficiency gains—because “our website will be really nice” doesn’t exactly wow the board. Includes frameworks for quantifying those fuzzy benefits like “increased credibility” that are real but hard to measure.