They do good work. Imagine what they could do if they had good websites.
A London web design company has invited charities across Canada to find out with its second annual Worst Charity Website contest, launched Tuesday.
People have until March 12 to nominate a registered charity for the prize - a website makeover - which rtraction estimates to be worth about $20,000.
?We are looking for charity websites that need some TLC,? said Chad Alberico, an intern at rtraction. ?We?ll work with the (winning organization) to present what they want and use our own principals as far as what works on a website.
?We know if people aren?t engaged in five seconds they are gone, so we keep that in mind.?
Of Canada?s 85,000 registered charities, most have a budget of less than $100,000 -- not a lot of wiggle room for revamping websites and that job often falls to volunteers who wear a few other hats.
?It?s often not the priority. The priority is delivering the services they are set up for,? said Alberico.
But last year?s winner - Stratford House of Blessing, which provides food, clothing, furniture and programs to those in need - can deliver the services more effictively now, said director Theresa McMurray.
?Many people do food drives and they always want to know what we need the most of,? said McMurray. ?Before it wasn?t easy to find. Now they just go on the website and its right there on the front page. ?
McMurray said the site has become a ?very important? tool for the charity.
It?s something more agencies should keep in mind, said Claire Kerr, director of digital philanthropy for Artez, an online fundraising software company.
?Charities and non-profits are not looking at their websites as often as they should be because they lack the resources industry has and they have other mandates and missions, such as review programming . . . not review their websites,? said Kerr.
?But it is a catch 22 and it hurts them because if you don?t keep your website up to date you can damage the opportunity to speak to supporters, donors and volunteers.?
One of the top ways Canadians research charities is through the Internet, she added.
?It makes sense because we are a really digital country.?
To nominate a charity for the worst charity website contest go to worstcharitywebsite.ca.
Judges will pick the top 12 and public voting will take place from March 19 to April 2.
jennifer.obrien@sunmedia.ca
twitter.com/obrienatlfpress
Tips for building an effective website from worstcharitywebsite.ca:
THE 5 SECOND RULE: You?ve got roughly 5 seconds to capture a visitor?s attention.
LESS IS MORE: Studies show that extra white space can increase comprehension by up to 20%.
Keep IT CURRENT: Update, update, update
INTRODUCE YOURSELF: Give a mission statement. What you do. How you do it. Don?t assume people know.
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