In this post, I\u2019m hoping to share some of what I\u2019ve seen to help you make the right decision.<\/p>\n
A content management system (or CMS for short) is software that allows you to create, manage, and edit websites without knowing a single line of code. As I said before, you can think of it as the foundation that holds up your website.<\/p>\n To continue our house simile, using a CMS is like having your house built by a construction company instead of having to lay the foundation and pour the concrete yourself.<\/p>\n That way, you can just focus on what actually goes into the house, like art and furniture \u2014 or in your case, what goes on the website, like photos and text.<\/p>\n Back in the early days of the internet (think the 1990s), most nonprofits had very few choices when it came to building a website: they could either opt for a static HTML site, or pay a ton of money for one of the original proprietary CMSs.<\/p>\n (I wasn\u2019t on the Internet back then, and I\u2019m not sorry I missed this!)<\/p>\n By the early 2000s, open source CMSs had started to emerge, opening up the field to a much larger group of players. Third-party developers were now able to study and update CMS platforms, although making any changes to your website still required a solid knowledge of code.<\/p>\n Now if this is confusing, let\u2019s break it down even further: a proprietary CMS is essentially a CMS platform that is owned, created, and maintained by a company. On the flip side, an open source CMS is one in which the source code is available for anyone to use or change.<\/p>\n So, why would you choose one over the other?<\/p>\n A proprietary CMS is good for organizations who don\u2019t have a lot of technical know-how or bandwidth, since the company that owns it will do all the work behind the scenes for you. An open-source CMS, on the other hand, is great for organizations who want to be able to maintain control of all of the facets of their website and who have the time to devote to doing so. (A lot of them are also less expensive, which can be a key factor!)<\/p>\n The other thing you need to consider is whether you want to go with a hosted CMS or a SaaS CMS. A hosted CMS is one that you download and install on your own server \u2014 this includes WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal (all of which are open source as well). This is a more involved process and requires more technical knowledge to set up.<\/p>\n A CMS that is offered as software as a service, or SaaS, is hosted by the company itself \u2014 this includes Squarespace, Wix, and WildApricot<\/a>.<\/p>\n The company then handles the server and any issues that come with it, and usually requires users to pay a subscription fee in exchange for their service.<\/p>\n Typically, SaaS CMS platforms are also proprietary and hosted ones are open source. Although it\u2019s not always the case, many of the reasons you would choose one over the other would apply in both cases.<\/p>\n Of course, the features you\u2019re looking for are also a big part of the choice. Next, we\u2019ll cover what features you should be looking for in your CMS, so you can start to narrow down which platform might be right for you.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re going to be building or updating your website in-house (as opposed to outsourcing it to a web design or marketing agency), you want to make sure that the CMS platform is easy enough to navigate and use.<\/p>\n Some platforms have a larger learning curve than others \u2014 for example, a hosted CMS is going to be a lot more work to set up than SaaS CMS \u2014 so you want to consider your team and their ability to learn and use the technology as well as maintenance down the road.<\/p>\n Mobile traffic has made up approximately half of all website visits from 2017 on<\/a>, and that number is expected to rise. If your website isn\u2019t optimized to be viewed on smaller screens, like smartphones or tablets, you could be missing out on a lot of site visitors. A good CMS will respond to the size of the device and adjust your website display automatically.<\/p>\n (PS: all WildApricot websites<\/a> will do this!)<\/p>\n If your nonprofit CMS isn\u2019t an all-in-one platform, you\u2019ll want to check what integrations or plugins are available for it.<\/p>\n For example, does it integrate with customer relationship management (CRM) software, an email service provider, social media platforms, etc.?<\/p>\n If not, how will you transfer data and information between the different tools you use?<\/p>\n Integrations help keep everything working together and your nonprofit running smoothly.<\/p>\n One of the most valuable features in a nonprofit CMS is the ability to accept online donations or payments.<\/p>\n Between membership fees, recurring or one-off donations, or the sale of goods and services, your nonprofit likely has one or more ways that it collects money from donors, and having an easy-to-navigate system on your website (a button, a separate page, forms, a payment processor, automatic receipts, etc.) can streamline the process and increase the funds coming into your organization.<\/p>\n Read More:<\/strong><\/em> 6 Steps to Create a Donation Website for Your Nonprofit + 10 Great Examples<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re signing up a new member, adding someone to your email list, or fielding an inquiry from a potential donor, the best CMS platforms have built-in forms that you can add to various places on your website to capture visitor data \u2014 just like this donation form from The Spirit of Dallas Foundation.<\/a><\/p>\n (And bonus points if the form integrates with your CRM!)<\/p>\n While some nonprofit CMS platforms have beautiful out-of-the-box templates, you likely want to customize your website at least a little bit.<\/p>\n At the bare minimum, you should be able to add your branding to the site (including logo, colors, and fonts), but if you\u2019d like even more flexibility, look for a platform that has multiple templates or layouts.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re familiar with code, you might be able to make these changes directly (if the platform allows). But for the less tech-savvy, look for a drag-and-drop or a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) content editor for the easiest customizations.<\/p>\n Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the practice of optimizing your website so that it gets organic, or unpaid, traffic from search engines (like Google). Some CMS platforms make SEO more straightforward and attainable than others, or have built-in features or plugins to guide you through the process.<\/p>\n Read More:<\/strong><\/em> The Top 8 SEO Tips for Nonprofits Who Want to Rank #1<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n How many members of your team need access to your CMS?<\/p>\n If there\u2019s more than one person who might use it, a helpful feature can be user management or permissions. Some employees might only have author or editor access, while others are administrators. It\u2019s also useful to have different login information for each user, and for the webmaster to be able to track the changes or updates that each user makes.<\/p>\n Security is an often overlooked, but extremely necessary, feature in choosing your nonprofit CMS, especially if your website has access to personal membership or financial data. The last thing you want is a security breach or to have your stakeholders hacked, so you need to make sure your CMS is as secure as it can be. Just a note: an open source CMS is typically less secure than a proprietary CMS because of the public availability of its source code.<\/p>\n Unless you\u2019re an expert, you probably want to ensure that your nonprofit CMS comes with some kind of customer support. Most proprietary CMS platforms will have this included as a part of their subscription model, although the hours they\u2019re available and the speed at which they respond might vary. Open source CMSs, on the other hand, may not offer the kind of support services you need. If you have a problem with an open source CMS, you may have to hire a developer or consultant to help you solve it.<\/p>\n While this isn\u2019t exactly a feature you might be looking for in your nonprofit CMS, it\u2019s definitely an important consideration when comparing multiple platforms. It\u2019s essential to understand the pricing structure of each CMS platform, both up-front and in the long-term, so there aren\u2019t any surprises.<\/p>\n For example, are there set-up or installation costs? Processing fees? Annual or monthly payment plans? Ultimately, you need to balance the features you want in a CMS with something that fits in your budget.<\/p>\n Now that we\u2019ve covered some of the features you should be searching for in your CMS (for a more in-depth overview of everything<\/em> your nonprofit website should have, read this<\/a>), let\u2019s look at some of the best CMS platforms on the market.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve probably heard of a variety of CMS platforms before, but what you might not have heard discussed is how well they each work for a nonprofit.<\/p>\n WildApricot is an all-inclusive nonprofit CMS<\/a> that allows you to build a website, manage your members, plan events, send emails, accept payments, and so much more. Because it\u2019s a proprietary SaaS CMS, you pay a monthly subscription fee to access the platform.<\/p>\n When you factor in the cost of running all of this software separately though (web hosting, membership management software, event tools, an email service provider, and payment processing), you end up saving a lot in the long run.<\/p>\n In terms of design, WildApricot has plenty of templates to choose from; however, they might be a little more outdated than some of the other platforms on this list. Nonetheless, WildApricot is a great choice, as it offers all of the functionality you could possibly need in a nonprofit CMS. To try it out for yourself, sign up for a free 60-day trial of WildApricot<\/a>.<\/p>\n While WildApricot is perfect for many small organizations, MemberClicks builds integrated membership management software solutions specifically for small-to-midsized professional associations, trade associations and chambers of commerce.<\/p>\n MemberClicks offers intuitive association management systems, learning management software, event management solutions, and job board software, built to save time, save money, grow membership and increase revenue.<\/p>\n Click here\u00a0to learn more about MemberClicks<\/a> can help your organization by connecting you to connected solutions.<\/p>\n WordPress is one of the most popular CMS platforms out there \u2014 it was even used by 42% of nonprofit respondents to this Blackbaud survey<\/a> \u2014 but what many people don\u2019t know is that there are actually two different versions of it: WordPress.com<\/a> and WordPress.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n WordPress.org is a self-hosted, open source CMS. It\u2019s free to use, although you\u2019ll incur other expenses for hosting or plugins. WordPress.com is more like a proprietary SaaS CMS, and although there is a free plan, you need to pay for a premium subscription to access most of the features listed above.<\/p>\n Overall, WordPress is known for being a strong platform for blogging and SEO, and having thousands of integrations and plugins. For example, if you need membership management for your nonprofit, you can use one of several popular plugins<\/a>.<\/p>\n Along that same vein, though, sometimes having too many third-party vendors can become an issue, as you can\u2019t always count on them for reliable and secure updates.<\/p>\n Read More:<\/strong><\/em> WordPress for Nonprofits: Everything Your Organization Needs to Know<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Squarespace is another big name in the website-building world, and for good reason: their templates and designs are beautiful! The content editor is fairly simple to use (once you get the hang of it), and the SaaS model means you never have to worry about installation or updates. Unfortunately, Squarespace is lacking many of the features you might be looking for in a nonprofit CMS. If you need a platform that\u2019s a little more sophisticated and that will grow with you over time, you may want to start with something else.<\/p>\n Like Squarespace, Wix is a proprietary SaaS that has stunning off-the-shelf templates, as well as the ability to edit and customize your website even further with HTML. It can work well for small businesses or stores, but for nonprofits, Wix can get pricey, especially if you want all of the premium features and add-ons, like some of the ones we mentioned above.<\/p>\n Morweb is a great CMS platform that was made specifically to serve nonprofits. It\u2019s a powerful service that offers a drag-and-drop website builder, web hosting, event registration, payment processing, membership-only areas, and more. Although not as well known as some of the other companies on this list, its proprietary software is a great fit for many small nonprofits. Potential disadvantages are that Morweb doesn\u2019t have email marketing as part of its plan, and they won\u2019t register your domain name for you.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve covered 6 of the main nonprofit CMS platforms here, but for a more in-depth comparison of the best website builders for nonprofits, check out our complete article and review here<\/a>.<\/p>\n I hope this article helped you decide which foundation you\u2019d like to build for your new website! If you have any additional comments on which nonprofit CMS you prefer, let us know in the comments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"Free](\"https:\/\/www.wildapricot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/free-best-nonprofit-website-builder.jpg?v=0\" "\\"Free")
<\/a><\/p>\nWhat is a CMS?<\/h2>\n
Proprietary CMS vs. Open Source CMS<\/h2>\n
Hosted CMS vs. SaaS CMS<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n10 Features to Look for in Your Nonprofit CMS<\/h2>\n
1. Ease of Use<\/h3>\n
2.\u00a0Responsiveness<\/h3>\n
3. Integrations and Plugins<\/h3>\n
4.\u00a0Payment Processing<\/h3>\n
5.\u00a0Form Builder<\/h3>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.wildapricot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/the-spirit-of-dallas.png?v=0\" "\\"The")
<\/p>\n6.\u00a0Customizable Design<\/h3>\n
7.\u00a0Search Engine Optimization<\/h3>\n
8.\u00a0User Management<\/h3>\n
9.\u00a0Security<\/h3>\n
10.\u00a0Support Services<\/h3>\n
Final Consideration: Cost<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The Top 6 Nonprofit CMS Platforms<\/h2>\n
1. WildApricot<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"wild](\"https:\/\/www.wildapricot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/wild_apricot.jpg\")
<\/p>\n2. MemberClicks<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"memberclick](\"https:\/\/www.wildapricot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/memberclicks.jpg\")
<\/p>\n3. WordPress<\/h3>\n
4.\u00a0Squarespace<\/a><\/h3>\n
5.\u00a0Wix<\/a><\/h3>\n
6.\u00a0Morweb<\/a><\/h3>\n