Starting a nonprofit website project: The kickoff checklist.

Starting a major website redesign is one of the most consequential investments an executive director, development officer, or communications director can undertake. A successful launch accelerates fundraising, mobilizes volunteers, and elevates community trust for years to come.

This master checklist guides your leadership team through every stage of starting a web project—from initial stakeholder alignment and budget approvals to selecting a developer and preparing for launch day.

"A website project succeeds before the first line of code is written: in clear stakeholder alignment, defined fundraising goals, and choosing a partner who understands nonprofit operations."

The 5 Phases of Starting Your Website Project

Phase 1: Mission Alignment & Goal Definition

• Identify core KPIs (e.g., +40% online donations, +50% volunteer signups, 100% WCAG 2.2 AA compliance).
• Form a lean steering committee (Executive Director, Head of Development, Comms Lead) to avoid decision gridlock.
• Audit your current tech stack (Donor CRM, email marketing tools, merchant processors).

Phase 2: Budgeting & Scope of Work

• Determine your investment range ($7,500–$15,000 for mid-tier; $25,000+ for enterprise multi-portal builds).
• Decide between a fixed-price project scope vs. a dedicated developer retainer.
• Secure board approval or apply for technology capacity-building grants.

Phase 3: Partner Selection & Mission Fit

• Schedule a 30-minute discovery call with a nonprofit specialist who understands 501(c)(3) tax rules, donor psychology, and grant timelines.
• Review verified case studies demonstrating measurable donation growth and sub-second page performance.

Phase 4: Content & Asset Preparation

• Conduct a content audit: identify high-traffic pages to preserve and outdated legacy PDFs to archive.
• Gather high-resolution photography, brand guidelines, donor impact stories, and Form 990 financials.

Phase 5: Technical Execution & Launch

• 301 redirect mapping to protect existing Google rankings and backlinks.
• Stripe Elements / digital wallet setup and live end-to-end CRM payment testing.
• Staff training sessions with recorded video walkthroughs.