Designing a campaign page for a small charity

A sponsored walk, a winter appeal or a push to get supporters writing to their MP each needs a page of its own for a few weeks. The volunteer or staff member building it is designing for one ask and one closing date.

One campaign, one ask, one end date

Decide the single thing the page asks people to do, such as give, sign up or write a letter. The GOV.UK Design System team warns that pages with too many calls to action make it hard for users to know what to do next.

Put the end date near the top, in a full sentence such as "The walk is on Saturday 13 March". When the campaign closes, change the page to say so and thank the people who took part.

Photos of real people

A campaign page may show the people the charity works with. The Fundraising Regulator's Code of Fundraising Practice has standards for case studies and images.

The Chartered Institute of Fundraising suggests checking whether a picture accurately shows the person's situation. Its example is a person pictured alone when they have the support of their community.

After they act, say thank you and what happens next

The page people land on after giving or signing up is part of the design. The GOV.UK Design System calls that page a confirmation page. Its guidance says the page must include what happens next and when, and contact details.

For a sponsored walk, that might be when the route pack arrives. For a letter to an MP, it might be how the charity will share any replies.

Say that you are a registered charity

If the charity is registered, say so on the page that asks for money, close to the ask.

A page everyone can use

W3C, the standards body behind the web's accessibility guidelines, explains that an accessible website makes all functionality available from a keyboard. Before launch, try giving or signing up without touching the mouse.

The rules behind the page

Charities Act 2011, section 39. A registered charity in England and Wales whose gross income in its last financial year exceeded £10,000 must state that it is a registered charity in documents that ask for money. The Fundraising Regulator lists section 39 among the legal requirements for fundraising documents, in the part of its Code that covers websites.

The Code of Fundraising Practice. The Fundraising Regulator sets the standards for fundraising by charitable institutions in the UK. Part 8.2 of its Code covers all websites which host fundraising activity, including microsites made for a campaign or event. Under standard 8.2.1, a charity must make its contact details, and how it processes personal data, easy to find on its website.

The CAP Code. The UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising (the CAP Code) covers a charity's own website where the page directly asks for donations as part of its own fundraising.

Scotland and Northern Ireland. Charities there have their own regulators, the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) and the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. The Fundraising Regulator points Scottish charities to the Charities References in Documents (Scotland) Regulations 2007 for what their documents must show.

Useful links