Six tools to help nonprofits manage their online presence

Online tools are everywhere, but they’re especially prevalent in the nonprofit sector. If the recent buzz around innovative tools like AI hasn’t caught your nonprofit’s attention, the data speaks for itself: Online giving is on the rise, fueling not just year-round support but also year-after-year support.

A strong online presence helps nonprofits like yours reach larger audiences and develop deeper connections with donors—but you’ll need the right tools to get there. In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at the must-have tools that will help your organization boost its visibility and keep donors engaged.

1. Content management system (CMS)

Cornershop Creative defines a content management system (CMS), otherwise known as a website builder, as “a content hosting platform that allows your nonprofit to present, arrange, and manage content for an online audience.” Since your website is the central hub for all information about your nonprofit, this tool is pivotal to creating and sharing your brand, content, and involvement opportunities.

Here are the essential features of a CMS that will help your nonprofit manage its online presence effectively:

• User-friendliness: A website builder won’t be helpful if you don’t know how to use it. Choose an intuitive tool to create your website with ease.
• Scalability: As your nonprofit grows, so will its website. Your CMS should be able to handle large amounts of blog content, donation and registration forms, and other content that your organization will inevitably share.
• Multimedia support: Images, videos, and other multimedia content are essential to sharing your nonprofit’s story and brand. A strong website builder is flexible enough to embed various media in a visually appealing way while keeping file sizes small.

Along with the above features, your CMS should be purpose-built for nonprofits to ensure its functionalities serve your organization’s unique needs. For example, you’ll need to collect donations on your website, which would require integration with your fundraising technology. A CMS specifically serving nonprofits will be more likely to offer the right integrations and easily handle your website’s specific needs.

2. Website analytics tool

After building and promoting your nonprofit’s website, the only way to gauge its effectiveness is to evaluate how visitors interact with it. That’s where a website analytics tool, like Google Analytics, comes in handy. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the most recent rendition of this tool, offering nonprofits a plethora of information about their websites, such as:

• Website traffic: Measure how many people visit your website, what websites they come from, and which pages they view.
• User behavior: Analyze how visitors interact with your website, including the actions they take (like clicking on a link) and how long they stay on each page.
• Audience insights: Collect audience demographics, like their location, age, and device.

Using this data, your nonprofit can assess how well its content is working and adjust its efforts accordingly. For example, let’s say an animal shelter shares blog posts that highlight the individual stories of animals they’ve rescued. If these blog posts receive high levels of traffic, the organization should focus on continuing this series rather than posting about less popular topics.

3. Email marketing solution

While your website is a powerful tool for reaching broad audiences, direct communication is equally important for inspiring your audience to act. Email marketing solutions are critical in streamlining your nonprofit’s communication efforts to deliver personalized and resonating messages. Here’s how they do it:

• Segmented email lists: Use what you know about donors to create targeted messages that engage them more deeply.
• Visual design tools: An easy-to-use interface empowers your team to create eye-catching emails that draw recipients in.
• Analytics: Check email opens, click-through rates (CTRs), and other metrics to measure your email marketing results.

94% of nonprofits use email marketing services like MailChimp and Constant Contact, making these great options for your organization to try out.

4. Social media management tool

From the fundraising power of Facebook and Instagram to the growing popularity of TikTok for nonprofits, social media is an undeniably effective tool for building your organization’s online presence. Social media management tools allow nonprofits to schedule their posts and track engagement with their content. This way, your organization can analyze its social media strategy and adjust it to be more effective. Here are a few popular social media management tools your nonprofit should explore:

• HootSuite: This platform offers an easy-to-use interface for scheduling and monitoring posts across multiple platforms, enabling your nonprofit to keep its posts organized.
• Buffer: This solution is meant for smaller organizations. Its budget-friendly pricing allows nonprofits to save on social media management so they can spend more on other tools.
• Sprout Social: This software specializes in advanced analytics to measure the ROI of your nonprofit’s social media engagement efforts.

To choose the right tool for your nonprofit, consider your current social media strategy and which features would streamline it. For example, do you post across different channels every day? Consider a platform that simplifies post scheduling so you can plan content ahead of time.

5. Donation processing tool

At the end of the day, your nonprofit shouldn’t just communicate with donors online—you should inspire them to act, using tools to make their involvement easy. To maximize conversions, you’ll need a solution that facilitates donation processing.

Payment processing tools secure online transactions for donations and tickets, reassuring donors that they can trust your organization with their financial data. It’s important to use a solution that understands the needs of  nonprofits (like Deluxe Merchant Services) so that your payment processing solution integrates with your other essential software for a seamless donation experience.

6. Online fundraising platform

Online fundraising platforms enable nonprofits to manage their digital campaigns through features geared toward specific initiatives. For example, relevant platforms could include:

• Crowdfunding platform: Various platforms enable nonprofits to host crowdfunding campaigns and track their progress. GoFundMe is one of the most popular platforms for crowdfunding, although there are numerous alternatives available to nonprofits.
• Matching gift software: As 360MatchPro explains, matching gift software can help donors ask their employers to match their contributions directly from your donation page. Leading tools can even submit the match request automatically, reducing the steps required from the donor.
• Event management solution: Depending on the type of virtual or hybrid event your nonprofit wants to host, there are a plethora of solutions available to manage the event. For example, mobile bidding software can streamline your online auctions while pledge fundraising tools can collect donations for your virtual walk-a-thon. Some software vendors offer all of these features in one platform for easier management.

A robust list of integrations is one of the most important features to look for in fundraising software because it allows you to connect your fundraising efforts to your communications. Above all, your platforms should connect with your website so that you can easily track donor engagement and adjust your strategies as needed.

The right software unlocks countless possibilities for your nonprofit to engage donors and raise more support. Before researching which tools to invest in, determine your goals. Do you need to relieve the administrative burden from your marketing team? Perhaps you’re looking to build a more engaging website and track its effectiveness. With these goals in mind, choose tools that will help your nonprofit optimize each aspect of its online presence.