Websites have become very common these days, and every business out there has its own website. The web development has been continuously growing since the dot com bubble in the late nineties. However, web development has witnessed a great deal of changes over these years and CMS platforms have taken the lead today. Nonprofit institutions and NGOs should consider hosting a website to provide better services to the people. While a few of them utilize the internet to the full, many of them are yet to understand the benefits of using a website to the advantage of their organizations. Here are a few reasons on why nonprofits and NGOs should have a website and especially one developed on Drupal web developer CMS.

 

To gain publicity for the organization

Gone are the days when people paid attention to the traditional methods of broadcasting, such as brochures and flyers. Today it’s the era of internet and mobile phones. People go to the internet in order to find information. No other media can provide as much exposure as the internet. Websites also are capable of housing a large quantity of information which is not possible with printed stuff. Moreover, today’s interactive websites make it easy for users to ask questions, get answers, provide their support, or share the information on their social networks. There are thousands of noble souls across the world that are ready to volunteer for a noble cause and websites are the only tools that can enable nonprofits and NGOs to reach out to them. If you want your organization to get a worldwide recognition, then hosting a website for it is essential.

 

To obtain support from the community

As mentioned earlier, there are people that wish to volunteer themselves or donate their hard earned money for noble causes. Without a website it is impossible to get their support. Most of the donors often look for authentic and honest information on the websites before they contribute to the cause. This is a digital age and most of the donors also prefer making electronic payments to the organizations, which is only possible if the organizations have websites with payment gateways. Providing the donors with all essential elements on the website is the right way to gain their support for the noble causes.

 

Why Drupal is the right choice for nonprofits and NGOs

There are a number of CMS platforms out there and many of them like Drupal designers are open-source and can be freely used for any purpose. However, Drupal has many advantages over other CMSs in the market. For instance, Drupal is the most flexible, scalable, and robust CMS that can house a variety of content including text, images, videos and graphics. Drupal also has some of the best website features that could escalate the image of the organization. Moreover, the CMS has several components that can make tasks easy when it comes to SEO, payments, overcoming language barriers, or going mobile. The following are some of the highlights of Drupal CMS.

 

SEO modules

The Drupal package comes with core modules that are essential to develop the website as per the requirements of the organization. Apart from the core modules, the contributed modules enable users to achieve many more functionalities that have the power to make the website valuable. For instance, SEO modules such as SEO checklist, SEO friend, Google Analytics, Word Tracker, and Pathauto among others come very handy in optimizing the website for search engines. Installing these modules in the website will enable the users to view all of the search engine stats including the right keywords.

 

Multi-lingual module

Although websites are known to influence people beyond geographical boundaries, utilizing the local language to convey your ideas and mission statement to people residing in specific geographical areas can increase the impact in multi-folds. Drupal’s multi-lingual module can help you in delivering your message to the local audience in their language. You need not endure the trouble of hosting multiple websites and maintaining them. All of the updates will automatically be displayed in local languages, providing you a great relief from juggling multiple websites.

 

Payment gateways

Organizations that expect donations should also make it for the patrons to donate online. Drupal has plug and play payment gateway API that is quite easy to install. Simply by installing the module, organizations can receive donations easily. The module provides access to various payment gateways including RoboXchange, Webmoney, RBK Money, PayPal, LinkPoint, and 2Checkout. A simple “Donate” button with linked to one of these payment gateways can bring in more money to the organization. If you are planning to sell or auction goods to raise funds, then you need to go for a complete shopping cart.

 

Mobile friendly website

Today, many users browse the internet via their mobile devices. According to a reliable research over forty-five percent of website traffic comes from mobile devices. It would be wise to optimize the websites of nonprofits and NGOs for mobile devices. Using responsive Drupal themes is the right way to go mobile instantly. Responsive Drupal themes will enable mobile users to browse the website and also make donations via their mobile devices. Of late, mobile applications are gaining momentum and it is a good idea to develop a mobile app for your organization and integrate it with the website. Since Drupal is compatible with the latest mobile technologies, you can also use it as a backend to your mobile applications.

 

Nonprofit-specific Drupal distributions

Many nonprofits and NGOs have been using Drupal and this has resulted in the development of several tools specifically for such use. In short, nonprofit Drupal distribution is a set of modules, themes and configuration that can enable nonprofits and NGOs to quickly set up their websites. If you are able to find a distribution that fulfills the criteria of your expectations, you can simply add content to it and get your website published in a short span. Thus Drupal distributions make it possible to save a lot of time, energy, and money. If you are unable to find one, then Drupal developers can help you come out with a website according to your needs and specifications.