October 29, 2024

In today’s digital world, creating inclusive user experiences is no longer optional—it’s a necessity. Inclusive design ensures that everyone, regardless of ability, background, or circumstance, can engage meaningfully with digital products. For nonprofit organizations, whose audiences often include marginalized or vulnerable communities, the need for accessibility and inclusion in UX design is even more critical.

From fundraising platforms to volunteer sign-up portals and advocacy tools, nonprofits rely heavily on digital interfaces to connect with their supporters and the people they serve. Designing these experiences with accessibility in mind not only fosters a sense of inclusion but also ensures that no user is left behind. In my experience working with nonprofit clients, I’ve seen how thoughtful, accessible design can significantly enhance a nonprofit’s ability to engage more users and achieve greater impact.

Here are some practical tips for making your nonprofit’s digital experiences more accessible and inclusive, along with insights from real projects that have prioritized accessibility in UX.

Why Accessibility Matters for Nonprofits

Nonprofit organizations serve diverse communities, many of whom face significant barriers to access. These can include physical, cognitive, visual, or auditory disabilities, as well as social and economic factors like limited internet access or low digital literacy. For many of these individuals, a well-designed, accessible digital experience can make all the difference in accessing vital services, making a donation, or advocating for a cause they care about.

In addition, accessibility isn’t just about serving people with disabilities—it’s about creating flexible, adaptable experiences that work for everyone. Inclusive design means thinking about users who may be navigating your site in less-than-ideal conditions, such as on mobile devices, in low-bandwidth environments, or with varying levels of technical proficiency.

When nonprofits design with accessibility in mind, they’re not just checking off a box—they’re making a commitment to equity, ensuring that their mission reaches the broadest possible audience. Let’s dive into some actionable ways to make nonprofit websites, apps, and digital campaigns more accessible and inclusive.

1. Design with WCAG Standards in Mind

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provide a comprehensive set of standards for designing accessible digital experiences. These guidelines help ensure that your website or app can be used by people with disabilities, including those who rely on screen readers, keyboard navigation, or alternative input devices.

Some key WCAG principles to consider:

• Perceivable: Ensure that users can perceive all content on the screen, whether through text, images, or multimedia. For example, always provide text alternatives for images, videos, and audio content.
• Operable: Users should be able to navigate your site using a variety of methods, such as keyboard-only navigation for people who cannot use a mouse.
• Understandable: Make content clear and simple, and ensure that your site behaves predictably.
• Robust: Build your site so that it works across different devices, browsers, and assistive technologies.

In my experience working with nonprofits, ensuring compliance with WCAG standards has been crucial to expanding the accessibility of their platforms. For example, while designing a volunteer sign-up portal for a nonprofit, we made sure that all form fields were clearly labeled, the page could be navigated entirely via keyboard, and that screen reader compatibility was thoroughly tested before launch. This ensured that users with disabilities could easily sign up for volunteer opportunities alongside others.

2. Use Clear, Simple Language

Many nonprofit audiences come from a wide range of backgrounds, including those with lower literacy levels or non-native speakers of the site’s primary language. This makes clear, concise language an essential component of inclusive design.

Avoid jargon, technical terms, and overly complex language. Instead, aim for simplicity and clarity in your messaging. This approach benefits all users, including those with cognitive disabilities or those accessing your site in a hurry.

For example, in a project for a nonprofit advocacy group, we worked on simplifying the site’s copy by breaking down legal or technical terms into plain language. Not only did this make the information more accessible to users with limited English proficiency, but it also made the content easier to understand for the general public, which led to more successful petitions and advocacy actions.

3. Prioritize Mobile Accessibility

Mobile-first design is particularly important for nonprofit organizations, as many users in underserved communities rely on smartphones as their primary way of accessing the internet. If your donation forms, volunteer sign-up pages, or advocacy tools aren’t optimized for mobile, you’re potentially excluding a significant portion of your audience.

A few key considerations for mobile accessibility:

• Responsive design: Ensure that your site adjusts seamlessly to different screen sizes and orientations.
• Simple navigation: Keep mobile navigation intuitive and easy to follow, with large, tappable buttons and clear labels.
• Optimized forms: Minimize the number of form fields and use features like autofill to reduce the burden on users filling out forms on smaller screens.

While redesigning a donation platform for a nonprofit client, we found that a significant number of users were attempting to donate via mobile but abandoning the process halfway through due to complex forms. By simplifying the form design, optimizing it for mobile, and reducing the number of required fields, we saw a substantial increase in completed mobile donations, allowing the organization to raise more funds.

4. Provide Alt Text for All Images

Alt text (or alternative text) is a description of an image that can be read by screen readers, ensuring that visually impaired users can still understand the content of your website. Every image on your nonprofit’s website should include descriptive alt text that clearly conveys the image’s meaning or function.

When choosing alt text, avoid generic descriptions like “image” or “photo.” Instead, describe the image in a way that adds context. For example, if you’re showcasing a photo from a fundraising event, you might use alt text like, “Volunteers raising awareness for the annual food drive with signs and banners.”

In my experience, nonprofits often overlook this detail when building visually rich pages, such as event or campaign landing pages. By making alt text part of the design process from the start, you ensure that all users, regardless of visual ability, can fully engage with your content.

5. Color Contrast and Visual Hierarchy

Strong color contrast is critical for users with visual impairments, especially those with color blindness or low vision. When designing nonprofit websites or platforms, ensure that there’s enough contrast between text and background colors to make the content easy to read.

Use tools like contrast checkers to ensure that your design meets accessibility standards. Aim for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for larger text or headlines.

Visual hierarchy also plays a key role in accessibility. By using clear headings, bullet points, and other organizational elements, you help users quickly find the information they need. In nonprofit UX, this is especially important for key actions like signing petitions, making donations, or finding volunteer opportunities. Ensure that call-to-action buttons stand out visually and are easy to locate.

When working with a nonprofit that focused on advocacy for disability rights, we were particularly mindful of color contrast and hierarchy to make sure that all users, including those with visual impairments, could easily navigate the site and participate in advocacy actions.

6. Offer Multiple Ways to Engage

Not everyone will engage with your nonprofit’s website in the same way, so offering multiple interaction options is key to inclusivity. For example:

• Include captions or transcripts for videos and audio content so users with hearing impairments can still access the information.
• Offer voice search or navigation options for users with limited mobility.
• Provide downloadable content in alternative formats (such as PDFs with screen reader compatibility) for users who may prefer offline access.

One project involved redesigning an advocacy toolkit for a nonprofit. We added both text-based and video content to ensure that users with different preferences and abilities could engage with the material. Providing both captioned videos and downloadable PDFs increased the toolkit’s usability, making it accessible to a broader range of users.

Conclusion: Designing for Impact and Inclusion

Inclusive design is about creating digital experiences that are accessible to all users, regardless of their abilities, circumstances, or devices. For nonprofits, this means ensuring that your website, apps, and platforms are designed not only to meet accessibility standards but also to reflect your commitment to equity and inclusion.

Whether you’re designing a donation platform, a volunteer sign-up page, or an advocacy tool, accessibility should be central to your UX strategy. By integrating these practical tips into your design process, you can make sure your nonprofit’s digital experience is welcoming, usable, and impactful for everyone.

When nonprofits prioritize inclusive design, they expand their reach, engage more supporters, and create a digital experience that truly embodies their mission to make the world a better place.