How Much Will Your Nonprofit’s Website Redesign Cost?

Lisa Hirst Carnes | March 2021

Considering a website redesign project for your nonprofit?

We’re sure you have questions. One of your biggest questions is probably related to the price tag. After all, you may have to secure funding to pay for your project and you need to know how much to shoot for.

Determining the scope of your nonprofit’s website design and how much you’ll need to be covered by grants can prove difficult, if not impossible. There’s a multitude of factors that can push the price tag for a website up or down.

To reduce some of the uncertainty, we’ve assembled a list of questions to consider when you’re at the planning (or even pre-planning) stage. These questions will help uncover hidden costs that you should think about before diving in.

How much does a nonprofit website redesign cost?

The fluctuation of cost is due to a combination of factors. You’ll want to know:

• The size of your website. Is it 20 pages or under? 20-50 pages, 50-100 pages, more than 100 pages?
• Do large sections of content need to be migrated?
• What kind of advanced functionality do you need and what kind of 3rd party integrations will it require?
• How “editable” does your website need to be?
• What kind of accessibility standards do you require?
• Do you need copywriting help?
• What is the agency’s experience?

In general, here’s what you can expect:

• Off the shelf template, with no expert help (Squarespace, WordPress, etc.): FREE – $500
• Freelancer website (template or custom): $500 – $10,000
• Pre-built template w/customizations: $1,000 – 12,000
• WordPress website with simple functionality: $8,000 – $20,000
• WordPress website with advanced functionality: $25,000+

You’ll also want to think about whether or not you’ll need copywriting help, continual design and development work, SEO, other ongoing support, or hosting services. Don’t forget to ask your prospective agency if they offer the support you need.

What other factors can influence your website redesign budget?

There are several aspects that influence a nonprofit organization’s website budget. The four questions below often surprise our nonprofit partners. Be sure and ask them now rather than run into them later.

1) What is the number of unique page templates your site will need?

Most websites have at least 5 unique page layouts that better accommodate different content and audience types, rather than having just one standard page.

For example, a nonprofit would likely need page templates such as:

• Home
• General interior (our mission, purpose, history, etc.)
• Donor payment
• Volunteer signup
• How to get help?
• Events
• Main blog page
• Blog detail
• Contact
• Policies

It seems like quite a few right? It’s tempting to say you don’t need all of these, but each type of content necessitates additional wireframing, design, development, and content time – meaning more time and money.

It’s better to be realistic at the start of your redesign than try to backtrack later on. Choose the best website builder for nonprofits. 

2) Do you need something off the shelf or tailored?

Consider this fitting example: Imagine you’ve been asked to host your nonprofit’s big gala. You need something special to wear. Do you go out to your favorite department store and buy something “off the rack” or do you need something tailored especially for you?

This scenario is similar to your website’s functionality. Sometimes a WordPress framework like Divi offering simple functionality is enough. Other times, advanced functionality is needed and a simple framework like Divi won’t work.

In general, websites built using a framework like Divi come with a lower price tag. Tailored WordPress sites offer advanced functionality and can work exactly how you want them to work but they tend to be more expensive.

3) How will you handle content?

It’s fairly standard to see nonprofits cut content production and implementation from their budget. They assume they can do that part on their own. Content production can quickly become very challenging and time-consuming. Oftentimes, when the client realizes this, they ask the agency to take over, which costs them more than they anticipated.

A few common content budget items during a redesign that you should consider are:

• Content Audit – an audit identifies gaps and opportunities
• Content Strategy
• Production and Governance Plan
• Content Creation – copywriting, photography, video production, graphics, etc.
• Content Migration – automating the migration of a WordPress blog, for example
• Content Entry
• Content Formatting & SEO

If your nonprofit chooses to take on the content responsibility, start this process early. It always takes longer than you think. Don’t wait until the agency is done with its work. Focus on this from the get-go so you and your team can better plan for it.

Most content budgets for a website redesign: $3,000 – $20,000+

4) Who are the decision-makers and what is the approval process?

Some organizations can make decisions without involving more than one or two team members. In general, larger teams tend to slow down the decision-making process. You know what they say about too many cooks in the kitchen. It’s true.

Sometimes, however, funding for nonprofit organizations comes with strings attached.

We recently worked with an organization that needed to get approval from its funding partner. This added layer of approval resulted in extra meetings and work. Understanding the approval process and the official stakeholders of a project allows the digital agency to accurately estimate the project.

5) Time is money

Though experienced agencies often cost more, they typically have well-defined processes that can save you time and money in the long run. They’re also more efficient and more equipped for handling any mishaps.

Finally, when it comes to a timeline, we’ve found the more tight schedule we stay on, the better the project goes. Keeping a consistent pace helps maintain focus on both sides and decreases the cost of project management.

We hope this helps you plan out your redesign project and avoid any surprise costs. As a nonprofit organization, we know you don’t have the time or money to deal with that, and with all the good you’re doing, you shouldn’t have to take on anything more!

If you’re considering a redesign, contact us today. We have lots of planning resources to share with you.