When you start a website project, it’s easy to get lost in features—better search, new menus, bigger photos. But those aren’t goals. Real nonprofit website goals are the outcomes you want to achieve, like increasing donations, helping more people find services, or improving site credibility.
Without clear goals, every decision feels like a debate. With them, your team has a North Star that keeps design choices, content priorities, and tradeoffs aligned.
Here’s a simple approach to set and prioritize your goals:
- Gather the right people. Aim for 3–6 participants—staff, board members, or volunteers familiar with the project. Include at least a few who understand your key audiences.
- Define measurable goals. Get your participants together, either in person or online. Brainstorm desirable outcomes for your organization, not features. For example:
- “Increase online donations” is a goal; “Get a new online donation service” is not.
- “Ensure potential program participants understand what services we provide” is much better than “Enhance usability” (whatever that might mean).
- Use the SMARTIE framework (Specific, Measurable, Audience-focused, Realistic, Time-bound, Inclusive, Equitable) to make sure your goals are clear and actionable.
- Prioritize and rank. Group similar ideas, then put them in approximate priority order. If you try to have eight “north star” goals, you don’t really have a North Star at all—you’ve got a whole galaxy, and good luck navigating that. Push for a true top two or three. Label which are primary, which are secondary, and which are just nice to have.
- Document and revisit. Write down the final prioritized goals. Keep them visible during the project, and pull them back out after launch. Otherwise, six months later someone will ask, “Wait, weren’t we trying to…?” and no one will quite remember.
With prioritized North Star project goals, your team can make decisions faster, align expectations, and measure real impact once your site goes live.
Dive Deeper
A 5-step process to set the right goals for your nonprofit website | One Nine Design A practical guide that starts with the big question—“What is the website for?”—and then walks through five steps for setting goals. It also introduces the FAST framework (Frequently discussed, Ambitious, Specific, Transparent) as a fresh alternative to SMART goals.
Strategic goals for nonprofits in 2025: Setting your organization up for success | CalNonprofits Insurance Services A reminder that website goals don’t stand alone. This piece highlights how strategic goals guide resource use, service improvement, accountability, and motivation—and why all your goals should always connect to larger organizational priorities.
Virtual brainstorming: 7 tips for better remote ideation | MURAL A short, practical guide to leading online brainstorming sessions that actually work. From setting clear objectives to keeping a facilitator in charge, it offers simple ways to keep remote workshops efficient, friendly, and productive.