It’s that joyous time of year when my inbox is flooded with the “10 best of the year” lists from all the (many) eNewsletters I’m subscribed to. I actually love these because they’re a great way to spot trends and catch articles I missed the first time around.

It also means it’s time for my annual “Best of the Web” roundup. This isn’t just what caught my eye at NWI—it’s my curated list of the year’s most valuable articles from across the industry. I’ve organized them roughly from more tactical to bigger-picture thinking that’ll shape how you approach the web in 2026.

Happy reading and happy new year!

Laura

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Best of the Web 2025

1. ​​Cause awareness & giving day calendar for nonprofits | NP Tech for Good​
   ​This tactical calendar was one of NP Tech for Good’s most popular resources from 2025. Their updated calendar for 2026 is a solid planning tool for fewer last-minute scrambles.
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2. ​5 simple frameworks to turn vague AI prompts into repeatable structures | Virtasant​
   ​A clear overview of prompt frameworks that turn “try this and see what happens” AI use into something more intentional. It’s grounded, practical, and focused on consistency rather than novelty.
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3. ​Easy ways to make your donation landing page great| Nonprofit Website Insider
   Our most-read article of the year. Five straightforward improvements, one concrete example, and resources for going deeper on the page where clarity matters most.
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4. ​The complete guide to nonprofit website security | Trajectory
   When your website isn’t protected, your programs, donors, and community are all at risk. This is a practical, jargon-free guide to protecting your site without becoming a tech expert or blowing your budget.
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5. ​A guide to managing your website project tasks | Nonprofit Website Insider
   One of NWI’s top three articles this year. It lays out a calm, realistic way to sort through website work when priorities pile up and everything feels urgent.
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6. ​User journeys vs. user flows (and when to use each) | Nielsen Norman Group
   One of NN/g’s most popular videos, clearly distinguishing two often-confused tools for mapping out how people interact with your site and organizations, and showing how they work together to map real user experiences.
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7. ​Ethical images for a better world (and website) | Nonprofit Website Insider
   The third most popular article on the site, despite only being published in October. A sign that many teams are thinking seriously about ethics, representation, and trust in their visual choices. If this resonates with you, don’t miss our Jan. 21st webinar on using ethical stock photos for authentic storytelling (details below).
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8. ​The four pillars model of content design | Andrew Tipp
   Andrew Tipp’s top article of the year introduces a simple visual model—research, plan, design, maintain—that makes content work easier to explain, scale, and revisit over time.
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9. ​AI chatbots can’t fix a bad website | Lullabot
   Erin Schroeder makes the case that layering AI on top of weak content and structure amplifies problems rather than solving them. She also defines what solid structure looks like. A timely counterpoint to the rush to add chatbots everywhere.
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10. ​Narrative shifts to help social change leaders build a better world | Stanford Social Innovation Review
    A thoughtful piece on how narratives shape what people notice, value, and believe. It’s a good reminder that being “clear” isn’t the same as framing an issue in an impactful way. Thinking about how to measure that impact? SSIR has also explored how to measure narrative change.​

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