How to choose a website designer for your charity
Choosing a website designer is a big decision for a charity. Your website is often the first place people go to understand what you do, find support, decide whether to donate or get involved. Choosing a designer isn't just about liking their portfolio. You need to understand how they work, what's included, what you'll own at the end and what the project will cost over time.
Here are the questions worth asking before you choose:
1. Do they understand charities? Ask whether the designer has experience working with charities or organisations with similar audiences and needs.
2. How will they approach accessibility? Ask about page structure and headings, readable content, colour contrast, image alt text, accessible links and buttons, forms, keyboard navigation and mobile usability.
3. How much content support will you receive? Be clear about who is responsible for the words. Ask "What content do you need from us, and what help will you provide?"
4. Will we own our website? Ask: will the website be in our organisation's account, will we have our own login and full admin access, can another designer take over in future, and who owns the domain, content and assets?
5. Will we be trained to manage it? Ask what training covers and whether you'll receive written guidance afterwards.
6. What platform will the website use? Consider how easy it is to update, what it costs, who manages it, what functionality is available, and how much technical knowledge you'll need.
7. What exactly is included in the scope? How many pages, is mobile design included, are forms included, blogs, events, donations, search, directories, newsletter sign-ups, integrations, SEO basics, accessibility, domain connection?
8. How long will the project take? Ask for a realistic timeline and what your charity needs to provide along the way.
9. How many revisions are included? Ask how feedback works, who should provide it, and what happens if the scope changes
.10. What are the ongoing costs? Website platform subscription, hosting, domain renewal, premium apps, email services, maintenance, security, ongoing support.
11. Who controls the domain? Ask: "Will the domain be registered in our name and will we have access to the account?"
12. What happens after launch? Ask whether there's a period of post-launch support, whether it covers technical issues, and what ongoing support costs.
If a designer can't give you clear answers to these questions, ask for clarification before signing anything. The most important thing when choosing a website designer isn't simply finding someone who can build a website, it's finding someone whose process, expertise and way of working are right for your charity.
Where does Think Violet's Design Week fit?
You get a professionally designed Wix website, up to 6 pages plus an individual service page, a clear Design Pack to help you prepare your content, a structured process and defined scope, mobile-responsive design, launch and website training, a written guide, and 30 days of post-launch support. The website is built then transferred to your organisation's Wix account, so you're not handing over ownership of your website to Think Violet.
