Web design agency UK - burningred

Third sector website design & development for charities, not-for-profits and NGOs.

We understand the challenges that charities & non-profit organisations in the third sector face. From website redevelopments, UX & content improvements through to website hosting & maintenance - we work with you to deliver a website and digital solutions that meet your requirements.

Good Give - charity website design and build

Online portals, websites, social media and apps account for £2.4 billion in donations in the UK annually*, proving how important your online presence is.

Our websites see an increase in traffic, views, and new users, with successful targets like more people getting in touch and higher mailing list sign-ups. As charity and third-sector website specialists, we’ve spent over 20 years delivering results in third sector and charity website design - to help organisations thrive online.

Aside from making your brand look good online, great third sector web design is also about effectively communicating your message to visitors. Working with us gives you a perfect blend of creative awareness and technical know-how to help you get the best from the web and make sure your website works hard for you.

*National Philanthropic Trust UK

How we achieve results

  • Consultation & scoping

    What is it you need to develop? This question is sometimes easy to answer, but rarely is it quite so straight forward. With over 60 years' collective experience of website development, we help you make correct choices.

  • UX / UI

    Planning journeys and visitors paths, we create beautiful cross-browser and device HTML, integrating into popular enterprise-level solutions such as Wordpress, Drupal, Umbraco, Squarespace and more.

  • Partnership working

    From creative input, feedback, consultation through to reviews, we work with you to produce the results you need; together we’re a creative partnership, making things happen.

  • WordPress specialists

    Modify the world's most popular CMS to do what you need it to - from bespoke plugin development through to building upon existing software, we deliver tailor-made Wordpress solutions to fit your requirements.

  • Key features

    - Mailing list manager setup
    - Donation & payment gateways
    - Control your own narrative
    - Control your own website
    - Increase visits and donations

Multi-platform support

  • Wordpress website development for third sectors and charities

    WordPress for charity & third sector websites

    Wordpress offers fantastic scope for managing websites, especially when a team is in place to administer and manage day-to-day content. Geared towards Search Engine Optimisation ‘off the bat’ and with being the most popular engine powering websites, it means that for future-proofing, you have your options open.

  • Umbraco website specialist for charities

    Umbraco

    Umbraco is geared toward enterprise level organisations where a fixed structure is required. It’s great as it provides an extremely rigid content management system with scope to develop future development.

  • Squarespace website design for third sector

    Squarespace

    Squarespace is great for charities and third-sector organisations looking for either a ‘quick and easy to manage’ website or those looking for a campaign website with a limited shelf life. Equally, it can be perfect at providing a cost-effective web solution for companies with limited budgets.

  • Shopify e-commerce for third sector

    Shopify

    Shopify is one of the best options for the creation of a dedicated website which can handle online payments easily. For many charities and third sector organisations, it is a great way to develop extra revenue and take payments for digital products and donations.

Projects

  • Charity website wordpress development for Doorstep Library

    Doorstep Library

    Website hosting, maintenance and advocacy development for London based reading charity, Doorstep Library.

  • Charity website design and build in squarespace

    The Good Give

    Developing a new digital presence for charity aimed at helping people plan their estates better whilst helping contribute to more charities.

  • Professional website design for university

    Journal of Law and Society

    Creating two new digital hubs for the leading British journal for socio-legal studies featuring UX development & typographic treatment.

  • BIAA charity website design in wordpress

    British Institute at Ankara

    A portal and resource hub website design and build for the British Institute at Ankara - which is an independent academic institution and charity.

Third sector web design: Common FAQs

  • "Will you take my own creative input onboard for my charity website?"

    We’re all about ‘partnership working’, with creative input, feedback, consultation, & reviews.

    We work with you to product the results and goals you need so you never feel ‘on your own’; rather, you’re part of a creative partnership, making things happen.

  • "My third sector website design comes with complicated requirements - are they possible?"

    From bespoke data solutions to working with your current IT infrastructure, we’re built for flexibility.

    If you have an existing system in place, we can migrate data and provide solutions to make your online growth as easy and quick as possible.

  • “How can I ensure our charity website keeps the momentum going?”

    We can work with you to develop a digital marketing strategy so your brand stays relevant and useful to users.

    We write / re-write / re-organise content for a strategy that targets your audience online and promotes your cause, your people, and your services.

The team at burningred, charity web design agency UK - experts in wordpress, squarespace and umbraco
UCU third sector organisation website development

Whatever the project, our team delivers an integrated approach to your charity website.

We see it as a key component of a larger digital strategy, bringing together usability, design, content, online visibility and your third sector organisation’s specific needs.

Web design agency UK - digital platforms we use

More charity, third sector & not-for-profit work

  • Charity campaign website design and build, 2019

    HIMfertility with Rhod Gilbert

  • Bespoke charity website build for royal British legion

    Veteran's Gateway / Royal British Legion

  • Third sector gov website design, Fit for Work

    Fit for Work

  • Charity website build for Racing Welfare

    Racing Welfare

Support & hosting packages for charity websites

We don’t just host and manage third sector websites; we’re digital stewards, keeping threats and security issues at bay.

Our tiered packages cover hosting, maintenance & support that can scale with your charity or org.

On-hand friendly support

Carbon neutral hosting

WordPress and plugin updates

Critical weekend support available

Malware and antivirus scanning

Start your project with us

Let’s build a charity website that creates impact and tells your organisation’s story. Book a call to begin.

Third sector website design and development clients

200+

happy clients

‘Excellent’, ‘highly recommend’, ‘truly collaborative’

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Our charity, third sector and not-for-profit experience

Charity website FAQs

  • Yes, of course. From large call-to-action ‘donate’ buttons through to repeated sections throughout your site, we can push your audiences towards a donations portal.

    We can work with you on a third party donations system, if there’s one in place already, or we can suggest tried-and-tested donation plugins so you can start collecting quickly.

  • A charity website redesign project can be a complex and daunting process that requires careful planning and execution. Understanding your audience, conducting a content audit, defining goals and objectives, developing a site map, designing the user interface, redesigning content, testing and launching, ensuring redirects, and updating digital assets and social channels are all essential steps in the website redesign strategy.

    As web designers, we would recommend that wherever you are on your journey, one thing to always remember is that a website redesign plan should always prioritise the needs of the user and ensure that the content is relevant, useful, and engaging.

    Read our guide to redeveloping your website here.

  • The amount of time it takes to build a website can vary greatly depending on many things. From the complexity of the design, the number of features and functionalities required through to the size of the team working on the project.

    A simple brochure-style website with a few pages and limited features can typically be completed in a few weeks, while a more complex site with custom features and a large amount of content can take several months to build.

    Remember that website development projects often require collaboration and approvals from multiple stakeholders, which can seriously impact the timeline.

    The other element that can greatly affect actual ‘live’ date is content.

    Whatever your goals, as your web development agency, we’d set a clear timeline at the outset of the project so everyone can manage expectations.

  • This is a tricky one, as there is no ‘one size fits all’; however, the cost of a website can be affected by a number of factors, including the complexity of the design, the number of features and functionalities required, the amount of custom development work needed, and if content is also required.

    Simple brochure-style websites with a few pages and limited features can cost anywhere from £1000 - £3000, while a more complex site with custom features, content and bespoke data and design elements can cost from approx £10’000.

    Also, if you are migrating a website or upgrading, then there are other consideration such as content migration and SEO.

  • How long is a piece of string? This can really depend on several things:

    • Type of website

    • Your sector

    • If it is important

    In general, as a digital agency, we’d definitely recommend to update your website regularly to keep its content fresh, improve its search engine optimisation (SEO), and maintain the interest of visitors.

    So if you’re going to update, what should / could you do?

    This can include updating your charity news, services, and case studies, adding new blog posts, and making other content changes.

    For a blog or news-focused website, it's important to add new content on a consistent basis, such as once a week or more. For a brochure-style charity website, updating the content a few times a year may be sufficient. If your website includes an e-commerce component, such as selling fundraising packs, it's really important to keep product information and prices up-to-date.

    Don’t forget to regularly review your website for technical issues, such as broken links, and perform routine maintenance and software updates to ensure its security and optimal performance. This is crucial for WordPress websites.

    Ultimately, the frequency of website updates should align with your charity’s goals and the needs of your target audience.

  • Yes, we offer comprehensive training for using WordPress, Squarespace and Umbraco websites. This can be on a one-to-one basis or be delivered as part of a workshop for an entire team.

    In addition to website training, we also offer SEO training for your specific Content Management System - giving you maximum control over the organic reach of your content and making it work harder.

    1. Ease of use: Squarespace has a simple, drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy for non-technical users to create a website, while WordPress requires a little more technical know-how to use effectively.

    2. Design: Squarespace offers pre-made templates that can be customised with limited design options, while WordPress offers a wider range of design options and customisation possibilities with the use of themes and plugins.

    3. Cost: Squarespace has a monthly subscription model that includes hosting, while WordPress is free to use, but requires separate hosting, domain and maintenance costs.

    4. Scalability: WordPress is more flexible and scalable, allowing you to add features and functionality as your website grows and create bespoke functionality, while Squarespace has limitations on the number of features and pages you can add.

    5. SEO: Both Squarespace and WordPress are optimised for search engines, but WordPress offers more control over SEO and is considered more SEO-friendly by experts. However, we can achieve amazing results with both platforms.

    6. E-commerce: Squarespace offers built-in e-commerce capabilities, while WordPress requires the use of plugins for e-commerce functionality.

    7. Mobile-responsive: Both Squarespace and WordPress are mobile-responsive, but Squarespace's templates are specifically designed for mobile, making the mobile experience smoother for users ‘out of the box’.

    8. Integration: WordPress has a wide range of integrations with third-party tools, while Squarespace has a limited number of integrations, but they are easy to set up.

    9. Support: Squarespace offers 24/7 customer support, while with a business WordPress website, your agency will be required to provide most non-CMS upgrades.

    10. Development: Squarespace has limited options for custom development, while WordPress offers a wide range of development options for those with the technical skills.

    Ultimately, the choice between Squarespace and WordPress will depend on your specific organisation’s needs, budget, and level of technical expertise. Both platforms have their pros and cons, and the best choice for your business will depend on your specific requirements. Talk to us and we can highlight where you could best use each system.

  • Yes, we can make websites in specific languages and/or create multi-lingual websites where you have full flexibility and can add different text.

    We also have experience with using third party translation tools (like Google Translate) which will automatically create versions of your website.

  • We offer different levels of support for your third sector website. We can either:

    1. Manage your existing hosting (being responsible for your server environment)

    2. Setup a dedicated server on your behalf

    3. Host your website on our hosting

    4. Just use the hosting to upload the website

    As a word of note, we use our own hosting for building your test website. We always provide specific advice for what your server will be needed. But, if this whole area leaves you in a cold sweat - simply point us in the right direction and we can take care of the lot for you.

    Find out more about hosting

  • Yes, we design all websites to be ‘mobile responsive’ - this means ensuring your website works well on mobiles as well as desktop.

  • As part of our service, we can install Google Analytics 4 on your website (GA4). We also offer additional services for ‘plugging in’ data studio - which allows you to take GA4 data and produce client-specific reports.

  • Simply put, yes. We can create specific users who have specific access - this is great when managing teams. Out of the box, Squarespace and WordPress have certain levels of this functionality. If you have a complex team requirement, we would always advise a bespoke WordPress or Umbraco website development.

Guides

Your 7 step checklist before building a new website

Read the guide

the good give - charitable trust website design

How we plan, build & launch your website: Our 4 step process

Read the guide

biaa third sector research website design