Make Your Website Accessible

By: McKenzie Mitchell

I had the opportunity to work with an incredible fundraiser at a nonprofit I used to work at.? And one of the things he taught me (among many others) was that colors aren’t visible to everyone the same way.

He showed me how, on our website, the two colors used in our organization’s marketing were difficult for him to see.

We realized that our fundraising could reach so many more people who cared about our mission if we made a few adjustments.

Here are some beginning ideas to make your online content more accessible to your donors – especially to your donors with older eyes.

• Use high-contrast text, and minimize reverse text where possible.? Try a contrast checker to see if the colors you’re using are easily readable and high-contrast.
• Check to make sure your font is large enough and easily readable.? For online reading, a sans serif font works best.
• Make your donation form simple and quick.
• Use alternative text and photo captions that clearly summarize photos and what you want the donor to do.

These are just a few ways to get started.? I’m definitely not a web designer or accessibility expert, but I’ve learned that we can always be looking for ways to improve, educate our teams, and create a culture that prioritizes accessibility in our fundraising. PS — Want to dig deeper?? Try putting your organization’s website into WAVE.? This tool will evaluate your website’s accessibility according to the Web Accessibility Guidelines.

This article first appeared on?The Better Fundraising Company?blog.

https://betterfundraising.com/blog/

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McKenzie Mitchell has spent most of her career at nonprofits, gathering experience across marketing, communications, annual giving, capital campaigns, public affairs, and most recently donor membership programs at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Her motivation each day is to wake up and help you make the most impact, and raise more money.