Nonprofits of all types and sizes are discovering the power of WordPress. Its cost (as low as free), ease of use and highly customizable functionality make it a great choice for nonprofit organizations. For everything from nonprofit board management to accepting donations through your website, WordPress has nonprofits covered. This session from WordCamp Milwaukee 2014 examined some of the powerful WordPress themes and plugins designed especially for nonprofits, WordPress hosting options available to nonprofits, and other ways nonprofits can get the most out of WordPress in order to meet their mission and specific needs. This session originally was presented by Kevin A. Barnes at WordCamp Milwaukee 2014 on July 26, 2014.

1. WORDPRESS
FOR
NONPROFITS
KEVIN A. BARNES
WORDCAMP MKE — JULY 26, 2014

2. STEAL MY SLIDES
Presentation at: http://kevv.co/wcmke14/

3. WHO AM I?
Nonprofit Experience:
• Active with nonprofits since 1981
• Have served as a Board Member for two nonprofits (nine
years total)
• Digital Marketing Director for The Crohn’s Journey Foundation
• Support Group Facilitator with CCFA

4. WHO AM I?
Website / WordPress Experience:
• Hand-coded my first website (for fun) in 1995
• Created my first website using WordPress in 2004
• Responsible for website development at Milwaukee marketing
agency Creatonomy from 2006 to 2011
• Developing custom WordPress themes for clients since 2006

5. AGENDA
Why WordPress is a Great Fit for Nonprofits
Just for Nonprofits — WordPress Tools and Resources
Just for Nonprofits — Special Considerations
Q & A
Appendix: Resources

6. AGENDA
Why WordPress is a Great Fit for Nonprofits
Just for Nonprofits — WordPress Tools and Resources
Just for Nonprofits — Special Considerations
Q & A
Appendix: Resources

7. WORDPRESS FOR
NONPROFITS
What makes WordPress such a good choice?
• Cost
• Support
• Scalable
• Easy to Use (plus high adoption rates)
• Easy to Maintain
• SEO Friendly
• Accessibility
• Many Themes and Plugins already exist for Nonprofits
• Customizable

8. WHO’S USING
WORDPRESS?
Find more at: http://wordpress.org/showcase/tag/non-profit/

9. WHO’S USING
WORDPRESS?
Find more at: http://wordpress.org/showcase/tag/non-profit/

10. WHO’S USING
WORDPRESS?
Find more at: http://wordpress.org/showcase/tag/non-profit/

11. AGENDA
Why WordPress is a Great Fit for Nonprofits
Just for Nonprofits — WordPress Tools and Resources
Just for Nonprofits — Special Considerations
Q & A
Appendix: Resources

12. JUST FOR
NONPROFITS
Hosting
• Dreamhost = free for U.S. 501(c)3
http://wiki.dreamhost.com/Non-profit_Discount
• Grassroots.org (through Bluehost) = free for Silver or Gold
Guidestar Participantshttp://www.grassroots.org/free-website-
tools-bluehost-web-hosting
• WordPress.com = free plan (with restrictions) for anyone (not
just
nonprofits)http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/nonprofits
-on-wordpress/

13. JUST FOR
NONPROFITS
Your 15-year-old nephew is not a web hosting company
Photo Source: steve_cx on Flickr

14. JUST FOR
NONPROFITS
Out-of-the-Box
Theme
• Free and
Premium
Themes
• Must find one
that meets your
needs “as is”
• Low cost
Create a Custom
Theme (unique)
• Typically hire a
resource(s) for
design/develop
ment
• Can get exactly
what you want
• High cost
Modify an Existing
Theme
• Requires basic
development
skills
• Can turn a “sort
of” fit into a
“very close” fit
• Moderate cost

15. RESOURCES
Where to find WordPress Themes for Nonprofits:
• The WordPress Theme Repository (free themes)
http://wordpress.org/themes/
• Woo Themes (premium themes)
http://www.woothemes.com/product-category/themes/
• Array Themes (premium themes)
https://array.is/
• Theme Foundry (premium themes)
https://thethemefoundry.com/

16. RESOURCES
A few examples of some WordPress Themes for Nonprofits:
• Theme Canon — Kause Theme
http://themecanon.com/themes/kause/

17. RESOURCES
A few examples of some WordPress Themes for Nonprofits:
• Organic Themes — Purpose Theme
http://organicthemes.com/theme/purpose-theme/

18. RESOURCES
A few examples of some WordPress Themes for Nonprofits:
• Websavvy Marketing — Patricia Theme (requires the Genesis Framework)
http://www.web-savvy-marketing.com/store/patricia/

19. JUST FOR
NONPROFITS
Plugins
WordPress Plugin Repository: http://wordpress.org/plugins/

20. JUST FOR
NONPROFITS
A sampling of WordPress Plugins for Nonprofits
• Smart Donations
http://wordpress.org/plugins/smart-donations/
• Membership (Pro and Lite versions available)
http://wordpress.org/plugins/membership/
• Nonprofit Board Management
http://wordpress.org/plugins/nonprofit-board-management/
• MailChimp for WordPress (Premium and Lite versions)
http://wordpress.org/plugins/mailchimp-for-wp/
• WordPress SEO by Yoast
http://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo/

21. AGENDA
Why WordPress is a Great Fit for Nonprofits
Just for Nonprofits — WordPress Tools and Resources
Just for Nonprofits — Special Considerations
Q & A
Appendix: Resources

22. USE WINNING
CONTENT
Good:
1. Use nice, iconic images
2. Feature people
3. Include success stories
4. Present a clear Call to Action
5. Use the best keywords for your cause
6. Feature endorsements / testimonials
7. Make it easy to donate

23. MAKE IT EASY
TO DONATE

24. USE WINNING
CONTENT
Mistakes to Avoid:
1. Ignoring visitors’ questions
2. Offering too many things on the Home page
3. Having confusing navigation
4. Failing to offer offline ways to connect
5. Having inconsistent design
6. Keeping your blog on a separate site
7. Filling the site with jargon

25. DON’T OVERLOAD THE
HOME PAGE

26. AGENDA
Why WordPress is a Great Fit for Nonprofits
Just for Nonprofits — WordPress Tools and Resources
Just for Nonprofits — Special Considerations
Q & A
Appendix: Resources

27. QUESTIONS?
Photo Source: Bilal Kamoon on Flickr

28. QUESTIONS?
Contact Kevin:
• Website
http://www.kevinabarnes.com/
• Email
contact@kevinabarnes.com
• Twitter
@KevinABarnes
• Download These Slides
http://kevv.co/wcmke14/
• Let’s Talk Live at WordCamp MKE:
I’ll be around for the entire weekend — catch me between
sessions.

29. AGENDA
Why WordPress is a Great Fit for Nonprofits
Just for Nonprofits — WordPress Tools and Resources
Just for Nonprofits — Special Considerations
Q & A
Appendix: Resources

30. RESOURCES
A Small Sampling of Nonprofits using WordPress for CMS:
• charity: water
http://www.charitywater.org/
• ASPCA
http://www.aspca.org/
• Greenpeace USA
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/
• Kiva
http://www.kiva.org/
• The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
https://www.michaeljfox.org/

31. RESOURCES
A Small Sampling of Nonprofits using WordPress for Blogs:
• Feeding America
http://blog.feedingamerica.org/
• Salvation Army
http://blog.salvationarmyusa.org/
• National Aquarium
http://nationalaquarium.wordpress.com/
Find other Nonprofits using WordPress (for CMS and blogs):
• http://wordpress.org/showcase/tag/non-profit/

32. RESOURCES
Learn More About other Nonprofits’ Websites:
• Is It WordPress?
http://www.isitwp.com/
• Philanthropedia
http://www.myphilanthropedia.org/

33. RESOURCES
Website Accessibility:
• WordPress Codex
http://codex.wordpress.org/accessibility
• WordPress Accessibility Group
http://make.wordpress.org/accessibility/
• Themes which meet the WordPress Theme Accessibility Audit
Guidelines
http://wordpress.org/themes/tags/accessibility-ready
(Note: The themes in the WordPress Theme Repository tagged with “accessibility-ready” are not the
only themes that meet the Accessibility Audit Guidelines, but rather those are the themes that have
gone through the actual audit process.)
• WP Accessibility plugin
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-accessibility/

34. RESOURCES
Free Stuff:
• Google Analytics Dashboard Template for Nonprofits
http://www.smartcausedigital.com/website-analytics
• Google for Nonprofits
http://www.google.com/nonprofits/
• Grassroots.org
http://www.grassroots.org/

35. RESOURCES
Some Blogs that cover Nonprofits and Web Technology:
• Nonprofit Blog Exchange (on WordPress.com)
http://nonprofitblogexchange.wordpress.com
• Network for Good® Nonprofit Marketing Blog
http://www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com
• Kiva’s Nonprofit Communications Blog
http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/blog/
• Nonprofit Tech For Good
http://www.nptechforgood.com
• Idealware Blog (on nonprofit software)
http://www.idealware.org/blog

36. RESOURCES
Great Places to Learn More About WordPress:
• WordPress Codex
http://codex.wordpress.org/
• WordPress.tv
http://www.wordpress.tv/
• BobWP (some premium content)
http://bobwp.com
• wp101 (premium content)
http://www.wp101.com/

37. RESOURCES
Contact Kevin:
• Website
http://www.kevinabarnes.com/
• Email
contact@kevinabarnes.com
• Twitter
@KevinABarnes
• Download These Slides
http://kevv.co/wcmke14/
• Let’s Talk Live at WordCamp MKE:
I’ll be around for the entire weekend — catch me between
sessions.