GUEST POST // How To Communicate Your Mission on Your Nonprofit’s Website
By Christine Ward of Cornershop Creative
What does your nonprofit stand for? If someone landed on your website today, would they understand your purpose in seconds—or click away in confusion? A website is often the first impression potential supporters have of your organization, and your mission needs to grab their attention immediately.
Your mission isn’t just words on a page; it’s the heart of your organization. By communicating it effectively on your website, you can inspire donors, attract volunteers, and build the trust you need to show people your mission is worth supporting. Each visitor should feel connected to your work and inspired to take action.
Your website builder—whether WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, HubSpot, or another—will be the foundation of your website. Start by choosing one that offers the flexibility to customize your site and present your message as you envision it. From there, use the following strategies to ensure your mission shines through on your site.
Include a clear mission statement.
A mission statement is a concise declaration of your nonprofit’s purpose. It outlines who you serve, what you do, and why it matters. As the cornerstone of your nonprofit’s identity, your mission statement should be displayed prominently on your website to ensure visitors immediately understand your organization’s purpose.
If you haven’t already crafted your mission statement, use plain language that communicates your organization’s purpose in a sentence or two. Avoid jargon that may confuse your audience.
For inspiration, a strong example is Toys for Tots’ mission statement: "The basic mission of the Marine Toys for Tots Program is to collect new unwrapped toys and distribute those toys to economically disadvantaged children at Christmas.” It clearly states who they serve and what their goals are.
Once you’ve crafted a clear mission statement, place it prominently on your website. Feature it on your homepage above the fold (AKA in the viewable frame without scrolling) so visitors immediately understand your purpose. Also, include it on a separate “About” page where you expand on your mission with additional context. On this same page, you can share the history of your nonprofit, core values guiding your work, and key staff or board members who power your projects.
Use compelling and interactive visuals.
Visuals communicate your mission in ways words cannot, making your purpose tangible and relatable. For instance, an infographic showing the number of meals served or a video of a community event can instantly demonstrate your impact and inspire action.
Include these key visuals on your website:
Photography and Videos: Include high-quality photos or videos that showcase your work, beneficiaries, or team. These visuals forge emotional connections and put a face to your mission.
Infographics: Use data visuals to demonstrate complex information in a digestible format and communicate the scope of your mission.
Interactive Engagement Tools: Use interactive maps to showcase the geographic areas you’ve served and progress bars to illustrate milestones related to fundraising goals or project impact. Impact calculators can also help visitors connect with your mission. Cornershop Creative’s list of the best nonprofit websites highlights a great example from EcoRise, which advances environmental sustainability education. Its Water Footprint Calculator site features a calculator quiz visitors can take to improve their water usage habits.
The placement of these visuals is almost as important as the images themselves. Avoid cluttering your page with too many images, and instead place them strategically where they enhance your message. For example, a powerful image of beneficiaries on your donation page can create an emotional connection, reminding donors of the real-world impact of their contributions.
Share stories and news that illustrate your mission.
Personal stories and relevant news humanize your mission, build trust, and cultivate stronger support. Sharing real-life success stories about your beneficiaries is a powerful way to make your work relatable. For example, tell how a family survived harsh winter months with the help of your homeless shelter or how a rescued animal found a loving home through your shelter. These stories help potential supporters see the tangible impact of your work.
Many nonprofits use their blog to share stories, mission updates, and relevant news. Let’s imagine you run an advocacy organization. You could share a press release about legislation your advocates helped pass, directly showcasing your impact. Dedicated landing pages are another great way to highlight specific campaigns or initiatives, allowing visitors to explore them in greater depth.
You can also feature shorter yet powerful quotes from beneficiaries and donors across your site. For instance, include a powerful quote from someone directly impacted by a program on that program’s landing page, or add a leader’s inspiring quote about your mission to the About page. These elements reinforce your mission’s message and create emotional connections with your audience.
Provide impact data.
Share measurable results and key achievements to build trust and demonstrate your nonprofit’s effectiveness. You might create an Impact page, a natural place to showcase accomplishments such as the number of people served or projects completed. Providing access to impact reports also reinforces accountability and transparency, giving supporters a detailed look at your progress.
To gather the right social impact data, UpMetrics recommends defining the objectives that help you reach your nonprofit’s mission and realize its vision. Consider the following:
Who your nonprofit serves
The value you deliver and how much
The quality of your service delivery
How your beneficiaries are better off because of the value you’re delivering and how you’re delivering it
Community contributions that define broader progress toward achieving your mission
For instance, if your nonprofit aims to find job opportunities for people with disabilities, you’d measure your job placement rate or the number of people you’ve helped land secure, stable jobs.
You can also connect giving to specific actions. If donor insights indicate supporters are particularly interested in your youth development educational initiatives, tie potential impacts to donation amounts related to providing school supplies or financial aid. You might say $25 provides a set of school supplies for one student, $50 covers a week of after-school tutoring for a child, $100 funds textbooks for an entire classroom, and $500 supports a scholarship for a student to attend a semester of school.
Make your content inclusive and accessible.
Your website should be easy to understand for all visitors, regardless of language or ability. Prioritizing inclusivity demonstrates your nonprofit’s commitment to serving diverse communities and ensures your mission resonates widely.
If your audience speaks multiple languages, offer content in those languages with clear, accurate translations. Avoid relying solely on free digital translation tools, which can lead to “translation fails” that harm your credibility.
Instead, work with a human translator or use reliable tools. Focus on translating mission-critical content, such as your homepage, project pages, intake form, donation page, and volunteer form, to balance cost and time effectively. Professional web developers can help determine what content to translate and set up the necessary infrastructure to support translations, such as trustworthy translation plugins like TranslatePress.
To ensure people with disabilities can also understand your website, make your content accessible by following the latest version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which are internationally accepted standards for site accessibility. Some notable guidelines include:
Adding alternative text to images.
Using sufficient contrast ratio between the text and background.
Using clear headings and logical navigation menus.
Including captions for videos.
Ensuring compatibility with assistive technologies, such as screen readers.
By prioritizing translation and accessibility, you can effectively communicate your mission to a wider, more diverse audience. Every visitor will feel welcomed and empowered to engage.
Your nonprofit’s website is one of the most powerful tools for communicating your mission and driving donations, but it’s only effective if it stays current and relevant. Conducting regular nonprofit website maintenance ensures your content reflects your mission and ongoing work. Keep success stories fresh, rotate featured projects on the homepage, and archive or clearly mark completed campaigns to maintain credibility and engage visitors.
Whether it’s a new campaign, an updated impact report, or a revised story, every piece of content should reinforce your mission and highlight its relevance to your audience. By keeping your website dynamic and aligned with your goals, you’ll inspire trust, build stronger connections, and motivate your supporters to take meaningful action.
This guest post was written by Christine Ward.
Christine Ward, Digital Content Strategist at Cornershop Creative, has been strategizing and building content professionally since 2010. She has spent the majority of that time working to amplify nonprofit voices. With a front row seat to the impact of a great digital marketing strategy on an organization’s growth, she’s made it her goal to help as many nonprofits as she can to harness the power of the Internet. She enjoys working with organizations of all shapes, sizes and missions to create and effectively execute marketing plans.
