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Nonprofits

Websites for nonprofits.

A nonprofit website has to do several jobs at once: tell your story, prove you're trustworthy, recruit volunteers and make giving easy. We know the work firsthand. We built and run the websites for Majesty International and its social enterprise, Khmer Hands.

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In short

A nonprofit website should state its mission and impact in plain language, show its 501(c)(3) status so donors can verify it, make giving simple, send receipts that meet IRS rules, stay clear of political campaign activity, and take advantage of Google Ad Grants ($10,000 a month in search ads for eligible 501(c)(3)s). Risen built and runs the websites for Majesty International and Khmer Hands.

Majesty International websiteMajesty InternationalNonprofit ministry · Cambodia Khmer Hands websiteKhmer HandsResort and social enterprise · Kep, Cambodia

Trust is the whole game

The IRS recognizes about 1.6 million 501(c)(3) organizations.[1] Donors have a lot of choices, and many will check you out before they give. Your website needs to make that check easy and reassuring.

What a nonprofit website needs

  1. Mission in one sentence. What you do, for whom, and where, right at the top of the home page.
  2. Proof of impact. Real stories, real photos and real numbers. Majesty's site shows the homes rebuilt and the young people trained.
  3. Verifiable status. Your legal name, EIN and a link to your IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search listing.[7]
  4. Easy giving. A "Give" button on every page, with one-time and monthly options.
  5. Correct receipts. Written acknowledgments for gifts of $250 or more,[4] and disclosure statements for payments over $75 that are partly for goods or services, like gala tickets.[5]
  6. No campaign politics. 501(c)(3)s may not support or oppose candidates, on their websites or anywhere else.[6]
  7. Structured data. Mark your organization as an NGO with its nonprofit status.[8]

Don't miss Google Ad Grants

Google Ad Grants gives eligible nonprofits "$10,000 USD of in-kind advertising every month" for search ads.[2] In the U.S., organizations must be 501(c)(3)s. Government entities, hospitals and health care organizations, and schools and universities are excluded.[3] The ads send visitors to your website, so it needs to be ready to turn them into volunteers and donors.

How Risen helps nonprofits

  • A custom site that tells your story and makes giving easy.
  • Hosting, SSL, backups and updates on request. Post event recaps and new stories through your client portal.
  • Blog posts researched and written for you with RisenWrite, approved by you before publishing.
  • We built Majesty International's and Khmer Hands' sites, so we know what a small team with a big mission needs.

Common questions

What is Google Ad Grants?

A Google program that gives eligible nonprofits $10,000 a month in in-kind search advertising. In the U.S., organizations must be registered with the IRS as 501(c)(3) exempt. Government entities, hospitals and health care organizations, and schools and universities aren't eligible.

How can donors verify we're a real charity?

Link to your listing in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search, and show your legal name and EIN on your site.

What do our donation receipts need to say?

For gifts of $250 or more, a written acknowledgment with your organization's name, the amount (or a description of non-cash gifts), and any goods or services provided in return. Payments over $75 that are partly for goods or services need an additional disclosure.

How does a nonprofit pay for a Risen website?

Like every client, with an agreed donation to Majesty International instead of an invoice for the website. Optional monthly services have set prices. If you're a nonprofit, talk to us about what makes sense for you.

Sources

  1. Internal Revenue Service. IRS Data Book 2025 (Publication 55-B)
  2. Google for Nonprofits. Google Ad Grants
  3. Google for Nonprofits Help. Eligibility guidelines (United States)
  4. Internal Revenue Service. Charitable contributions: written acknowledgments
  5. Internal Revenue Service. Charitable contributions: quid pro quo contributions
  6. Internal Revenue Service. The restriction of political campaign intervention by section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations
  7. Internal Revenue Service. Tax Exempt Organization Search
  8. schema.org. NGO