How can one start a non-profit organization?

Since online presence for any organization has become a necessity, how should one go about it, should one start a website and gradually make changes it according to his needs or should one plan/strategize first and then work on it?

  • Internet gives a unbiased platform to groups and companies from all circles, how can I for example take best of it, when i have a limited budget and there are big players in market in the same industry.

  • Answer:

    The simplest answer is that you should get a website as soon as possible. It will certainly not hurt you and the truth is that there is always a learning curve, no matter how much you plan and strategize. That being said, there is always a certain amount of planning that should be done first to make sure that whatever you invest in will have the flexibility you need to add on and make changes in the long run, without having to start from scratch. The rest really depends on the business you are in and what the purpose of your website will be. My recommendation? Get your domain name and hosting (I like Host Gator- their live chat customer service is amazing), and then go with a popular content platform like Wordpress and learn how to use it for your needs.  Don't go nuts with aesthetics at the beginning, but DO plan out the types of features you want your website to have and make sure the theme you choose can accommodate those features.  If your theme can't, there is probably a plugin that can. Use competitors' websites as inspiration, but don't try and copy them.  The golden rule? Keep the scope and focus of the website pretty narrow, and keep all the content you post relevant to that focus. Be genuine, and don't be afraid to try and make mistakes. You will get a feel for it as you go. And don't forget to keep asking questions! :)

Lindsey Hieb at Quora Visit the source

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I agree with everyone. Get a domain and hosting, and then install on it. Consider outsourcing this work if you don't have the time to do it. You'll have to judge for yourself. You can hire a person or agency to do a lot of the work for you. However, don't hire anyone who says they can get you to the first page of Google. Consider a company that says "It might take months or years, but with diligence, your rankings will improve."

David Sylvester

Technology takeover everywhere. Every business is stick into the opportunities available online due to which competition get high.But the question is where to start? It is really a hard question to answer where to start online ,where to focus, and where to invest time and money you have and how to make best use of it. Here are some tactics that help you establish and grow your company online presence: 1. Goals: Firstly make clear what is your business short and long term goals.Before putting footstep online, keep yourself clear that how each online channel help you to reach your goals. 2. Platform: For various business owners,platform start with building a website. This website is you focal point where people want to learn about your business  and interact with you. 3. Website Hub: Make best you use of your website. Try to make your website best that anyone has ever visited  and love to visit. 4. Reason: Always give solid reasons to your visitors to visit your website again and again. The one thing you can do is to create a blog. This help your business to gain credibility and authority while providing valuable content to readers. 5. Get Social: Don't totally focus on your website, follow everywhere strategies. Try to build your presence outside of your website. Today Social Media is the one of the most valuable marketing tool to those who you don't know but want to win their trust.Being social means try to interact with people on regular basis. 6. Join Online Community : Being social is not enough for your business. Try to involve people in your social world and the best way to do this is to join group and online communities who share same interest. This will help you business to introduce yourself to people who have interest in your business. 7. Track your progress: Tracking your business not help you in ROI but help you to know what is working and what is worthless for your business.You can track your business through various tool such as Google analytic. Having strong online presence is essential but the most important to increase brand awareness is the way you attract with your customers. If you are looking for getting online,start with building your website.For creating website that has ever visit, consult with innovative and experienced website designer in free consultation session at http://www.fatbit.com/website-design-company/affordable-website-design-packages.html

Diana Perk

is right.  Get a basic site set up with some content, then learn and start using some kind of analytics package (Google Analytics is fine) to see what works and what doesn't. Even if you just start with minimal info on a site, you can start putting the URL into your social media pages, directory listings, anywhere that asks for your home page.

Don Marti

I'd say be careful in assuming the internet is an unbiased platform. Google tends to favor bigger brands unless (and even then) you have a strong local presence. I would recommend doing some major business analysis and planning before developing your web presence. Know exactly who you're targeting, why you're targeting them, and what your goals are. This way you won't waste money or time on a website before you're ready. Your online presence should reflect a strong business and vice versa. While I'm sure some people have built a website without much research and done ok, we find that businesses that have a very strong idea of who they are and why they do what they do succeed on the internet. If there are bigger players in the industry, then make sure you let people know why you're better. This should be at the forefront of your web presence.

Natalie Winslow

I second and . A website is the bare minimum you will need. It's the voice and soul of your business. You can't do without it. As for living with it and using it, here's what you'll need: 1. The website and a blog [ If you use Wordpress, Joomla, etc] these are in-built into the system. It's a simple point-and-click affair. 2. Thousands of themes can be purchased off popular sites like http://themeforest.net, for one. Another point-and-click episode later, you have your design. Spend time on selecting the right theme that works best for your business. 3. Plan a schedule for posting to your blog. As suggested, keep the topics narrow, relevant, and such that they have intrinsic value for your readers -- who are mostly likely to be your customers. 4. Integrate with social media [ set-up accounts on Twitter, Linked In, and Facebook]. Have a two-way connection to and from these accounts with your blog. 5. Work on point 3 and 4, every single day. All this can be done in a day, and almost on "NO" budget. Go for it.

Ashwin Satyanarayana

You have to decide what your goals are first - then build a website or blog or both. Just remember when you are growing in business you will be changing and updating you online image all the time.

Pamela Jacob

For any organization, to improve an online presence it is very important to implement the strategies first exactly to the goals of the business. Always know what your competitors are doing. Expand your network and connections and focus on more engagement with the users. This will also help you to increase the number of potential clients and sales.

Sanket Patel

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