I'm really looking to get involved with some volunteer work, particularly in building websites for non-profits. My background is mainly in backend engineering, but I've got some solid experience with frameworks like React, Vue, and Astro, along with hosting solutions. My concern is that any site I create needs to be easy for non-profits to manage on their own in the long run.
Here are the essential features I think would be important:
- A user-friendly WYSIWYG editor
- Built-in newsletter functionality or easy integration
- Simple social media connectivity
- Support for compliance issues like accessibility and cookie regulations
- Low or no licensing fees (avoiding expensive third-party solutions)
- Easy hosting options, preferably something I can set up on AWS or GCP and forget about
- A well-supported framework so they can find help if needed
- Ideally, they'd handle donations through links to other payment processing sites instead of within the platform itself.
What stack or technology would you recommend for a website like this? Is WordPress still the go-to? Should I consider a headless CMS or something else entirely? I'd love to hear insights from anyone with experience in this area!
5 Answers
In my experience, Craft CMS used to be my top pick for these types of projects. It's user-friendly, but you might want to check if it’s still as good as it once was. WordPress remains the king though because of its low maintenance and easy editing for non-profit staff!
If you're looking for a more modern feel, consider using Astro with a headless CMS. It offers flexibility and performance, but be aware that you'd need to provide ongoing development support since it can be more complex for non-profits to manage over time.
Astro is great for performance, but I agree, it requires some tech savvy to keep things updated.
I'd suggest looking into using a static site generator with hosting on platforms like Netlify or Cloudflare. It can be cheap to run, and as you mentioned, it keeps it simple. Just make sure to set up a user-friendly content update process for the non-profit staff.
This is a great approach! Plus, you don’t need to worry about updates as much.
True! It feels more maintainable in the long run.
WordPress is usually the best choice for non-profits. It's known for its ease of use, has tons of plugins for any feature you might need, and is widely supported. It might seem a bit boring since it’s been around forever, but for organizations that want a simple, manageable solution, it’s hard to beat!
Totally agree! It's not flashy, but for a non-profit, being easy to manage is key.
Yeah, WordPress is definitely more user-friendly for non-tech folks compared to other options.
For something easy to manage, IONOS 1&1 website builder is a solid option too. It's very straightforward for non-profits, and you can easily teach a few staff members how to make updates without much hassle.
It's crucial to ensure that multiple people can edit without relying solely on one tech-savvy person!
Exactly, redundancy in knowledge is key!
Good point! I want something they can manage without constant dev help.