How to Build Your Charity’s Digital Presence

Calling all new and early-stage Canadian charities! Whether you're a food bank, animal shelter, cultural organization, or anything in between; if you're just starting to establish your online presence, keep reading–we're here to guide you through the process.

First, let’s rewind a little bit. If you haven’t done so, review the first two blogs in this series: Digital First Steps for Your Small Charity, and Key Digital Tools for Your Small Charity. These two blogs lay the groundwork for what you need to know before moving on to building your digital presence. 

In this blog, learn how to craft your digital story, create an optimized website and discover strategies for attracting traffic to your site. Follow the path we outline in this article, and your online presence will be “up and running” shortly.

We’ve discussed key digital tools to support your charity operationally in our last blog. But one large aspect of a “digital transformation” is the public-facing side – you want your charity's digital story to be communicated in the most effective way possible to maximize potential supporters. 

Keep reading to explore strategies on how to craft your digital presence effectively, as well as strategies for how to market your website and bring more eyeballs on it. 

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CanadaHelps’ began in 1999 when a university student named Aaron Pereira reached into his pocket to donate while attending a church service. As he dug around, Aaron realized he did not have any cash on hand, he wanted to donate electronically. Thus, the idea for a digital way to make donations was born. 

That’s our story, what’s yours?  Every organization begins with a good story. 

In 2025, your online presence is your ‘digital story’. To build your compelling digital story, circle back to your charity's mission, vision, and values. Expand on these core ideas. Your mission, vision, and values can be a framework to anchor and build your online identity.

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It starts with a good website. So, let’s unpack how to make a good site. A charity’s website acts as the ‘storefront’; it’s the centrepiece, through which new traffic and long-time visitors see, walk through and browse the aisles of your “store”.

Your website is your most important marketing tool–it’s where supporters gain an impression of who you are and what you do. Without a well-designed website, it is difficult, if not impossible, for you to build supporters and advance your purpose. 

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Pillars of a Strong Website

• Navigation and accessibility
• Visuals
• Content
• Calls-to-Action

Designing a website requires empathy. Put yourself in the user’s shoes, whether they’re a first time viewer or a loyal supporter, and think about their journey. You want to create a hub for information on your purpose, initiatives and campaigns whilst avoiding information overload–aim to foster a seamless user interface where visitors can take action in a few smooth clicks.

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1. Navigation and Accessibility

Digital navigation and accessibility benefit everyone, not just differently-abled people. Having a well-thought-out design is essential for general usability. Navigation and accessibility design principles help people find what they are looking for quickly and easily.

An accessible website means all web traffic can effectively navigate and interact with your content.

Some of the most important navigation and accessibility components of your website are:

• A seamless donation process
• Intuitive navigation bar
• Fewer clicks to take action (donate, volunteer etc)
• Fewer pages to open to find information 
• Fast load speed

Embedding or linking your CanadaHelps Donation Form on your website can help you with many of these optimizations.‍

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2. Visuals

Visuals illustrate your charity’s story–brand, impact and purpose. In the world of website building, visuals inspire–they add vitality and bring your cause and the impact you have to life.  Photos and videos are powerful tools for constructing your brand identity, and for fostering empathy from your audience. 

Visuals include the following elements:

• Photos, videos and graphics
• Colour palettes
• Typography
• Logos/emblems 
• User interface components (buttons, icons, cards etc)
• Lines, shapes, forms, blank space

However, it’s important to be thoughtful about the visuals you use. Consider the privacy and confidentiality of the people who are depicted and seek informed consent. Think holistically too, photos and visuals also have the power to stigmatize or reinforce stereotypes about the people or groups who access or depend on charitable services.

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‍3. Content 

Content is the ‘meat’, the ‘stuff’ and the substance of your digital presence. Website content comprises components that work together to create an effective and engaging online presence that tells your story, adds depth and fills your website’s nooks and crannies. 

Content includes:

• Written text (headers, footers, body copy)
• Resources (blogs, ebooks, guides…)
• Interactive pieces (maps, graphs, petitions…)

Engaging, high-quality website content should follow these principles:

• Storytelling-forward
• Clear, concise, simple
• Active-voice
• Scannable, visual hierarchy

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‍4. Calls-to-Action

Calls-to-Action guide the user through the next stage of their website lifecycle. Have you ever visited a website but been a bit lost at what action they want you to take next? A good website CTA effectively encourages users to take a desired action. Although you may want them to ultimately donate, you should also think about other secondary calls-to-action for people that are not ready to donate yet.

Example call-to-action:

• Newsletter sign-up e.g. Sign Up To Stay Informed 
• Petition signatures e.g. Make Your Voice Heard Today
• Volunteer submission e.g. Volunteer Your Time
• Resource downloads e.g. Download Your Free Resource
• Donate 

Principles for crafting a compelling CTA:

• Clear and concise 
• Attention-grabbing
• Contains action verbs
• Creates urgency
• Communicates value

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Now that your website is up and running, the next step in your digital journey is to begin marketing efforts. If your website can be thought of as the storefront, marketing is how we bring people inside the store. Marketing strategies you typically fall into two buckets–organic and paid. 

The objectives of website marketing is to:

• Grow your audience
• Increase website traffic
• Promote your website
• Build brand awareness

A comprehensive digital presence aims to strike a balance between organic and paid tactics. Let’s explore some of the most effective organic and paid digital marketing techniques. 

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Organic Marketing 

Organic marketing strategies build visibility and acquire customers naturally, through non-paid methods. When starting out, most of your marketing efforts should focus on organic methods to reduce costs, establish longevity and build sustainable relationships. 

Here are some examples of effective organic marketing techniques:

• Content marketing
• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Social media posts
• Email marketing 

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Paid Marketing

Paid marketing techniques have a cost requirement, and can even be cost-prohibitive. For small organizations, use paid performance strategically for time-sensitive initiatives, campaigns that require fast results, and to boost successful organic content. 

Here are some examples of paid performance marketing techniques:

• Search engine ads
• Social media ads
• Boosted posts
• Display ads

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Paid versus organic marketing strategy

While each has its advantages and disadvantages, charities should weigh the following factors when choosing between paid or organic marketing. 

• Costs and budget
• Timeline
• Targeting and reach
• Long-term sustainability 
• Results

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One of the primary outcomes of your digital transformation is to establish an interactive and engaging website.  By following the guidelines outlined above, users will be able to discover your organization, learn about your cause and take meaningful action.

From crafting your digital story, to how to create an interactive and engaging website and important strategies to attract new traffic to your site your charity is well on your way to a full digital transformation. 

This is the third piece of our blog series on the initial steps Canadian charities should take as they transition to digital. For guidance on Digital Fundraising Strategies check out the next piece in our series.