http://www.womenscenterbc.org/
An example of a nonprofit website is the Beaver County Women's Center website. Unfortunately, due to the hard economic times, the shelter is receiving fewer donations and has had to cut corners. I'm assuming this is one reason why their website may not be the best. However, I think it's very important that a women's shelter has a website as well as phone contact because it reaches a large number of women who may need help across socioeconomic boundaries. Because the people that come to this site probably either need help themselves or are looking to help someone they know, it is extremely important that this site is well-organized, easy to use, and user-friendly. Unfortunately, that's not exactly the case.
The logo for the Women's Center is good, but the type needs work. The whole web page is centered on the browser window, which is nice. However, it's all set up in a visible table, which is fairly ugly, and the placement of the logo is off a bit. The type and table background on the home page seem to have a purple theme, which is a nice female-friendly color that isn't the stereotypical pink. The type on the page is rather plain, as are the links.
The Women's Center site is in desperate need of a structured hierarchy, in terms of text and layout as well as in terms of links. I think it is appropriate that the mission statement be below the banner on the home page because it is important that people know right away what the Women's Center does and believes in. After navigating around the site a bit, I believe there are three to four main pages in the site. You might think the list of links at the left brings up a new page with each link, but that is not the case. Each box of the table represents a page and the information goes in order by category down the page. I will say, one nice thing is that after each category (going down the page), there is a link to go back to the top of the page. There is also a "Women's Center Home" link at the bottom of each page.
Some necessary solutions I see for this site include a more friendly layout and theme, updated type, updated logo, and the organization and update of links. I would make the background either a friendly setting or color or put some stock photos (actual photos could prove dangerous, and even with stock photos, many precautions will still need to be taken) on the home page to show the caring nature that the Women's Center is based upon. Right now, everything is so bland, it looks like a disorganized (because of the inconsistencies and type) institution. The layout needs to be extremely structured and detailed so that a woman in need of help can quickly get on to the website in the few precious moments she may have and find exactly what she needs to save her. She likely doesn't have time to look around and browse. Specific links, most likely drop-down so the viewer can see subcategories before going to the new page, will help organize the site and cut the amount of time a viewer spends looking for information. The link headings would need to have encompassing names, but also clear names, in order for the viewer to find exactly what she needs. The phone numbers that are listed under "Numbers to Call For Help" really need to be alphabetized at the least for ease of use. I also think their "Wish List" should be featured prominently for people who can afford to donate items to the shelter. The type on the site needs a hierarchy assigned to it and it needs to be consistent. The links could look friendlier as well. As I said earlier, I think the type in the logo needs a bit of work. Also, while I like the idea behind the logo, I think its execution could be stronger.
Typically, nonprofit groups don't necessarily have the best looking or most useful websites because they are tight on funding and they focus the money they are given at the people they help. However, the site for the Women's Center needs to be one of the exceptions. It has to be updated so that it can help all the people that need the Women's Center.
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