A good brief saves months
A vague brief gets vague proposals, each based on different assumptions. A clear one gets proposals you can compare, and a project that starts on the right foot.
What to include
- Who you are: your mission, your supporters and how you raise money.
- Why now: what isn’t working with the current site, with numbers if you have them.
- Goals: what the new site must achieve, such as more online gifts, more monthly donors or easier updates.
- Audiences: who uses the site and what they come to do.
- Must-haves: donation forms, Gift Aid, payment providers, CRM, languages and accessibility.
- Content: roughly how many pages, posts and documents, and who will write new content.
- Timeline: any fixed dates, such as Ramadan, an annual report or a trustee meeting.
- Budget: a range or a ceiling, so agencies can propose the right scope.
- How you will choose: the criteria, the dates and who decides.
What to leave out
Don’t design the site in the brief. Describe the problem and the goals, and let agencies propose the solution. Don’t ask for free creative work either: judge agencies on their past work and their thinking.
Questions worth asking agencies
- Show us a charity site you built, and what changed after launch.
- How will you protect our search rankings during the move?
- How do you test donation journeys and accessibility?
- Who will we work with day to day?
- What happens after launch?
Use our free template
Our charity website RFP template builds a brief from your answers, ready to copy, download or print.
Checklist
- Goals and audiences written down
- Must-have features listed
- Fixed dates noted
- Budget range stated
- Selection criteria and timetable shared
Need a hand?
Websites, donation platforms and campaign pages that are clear, fast and built to grow, from a single appeal page to a global charity’s site.
Charity websites