Impact-Driven Nonprofits" (Niche / Relationship-Based)**

• Description: Organizations focused on their mission, relying on donations, volunteers, and public awareness. Their website is a primary tool for storytelling, fundraising, and community engagement.

• Examples from your list: Nonprofits.

• Likely Pain Points:

  • Difficulty communicating their mission effectively online.
  • Inefficient donation processes.
  • Challenges in recruiting volunteers or showcasing impact.
  • Limited budget for advanced tech solutions.
  • Need for trust and transparency.

• Your Value Proposition: Enhanced donor engagement, streamlined fundraising, clear communication of mission and impact, improved volunteer recruitment, cost-effective digital solutions. (Often value personalized attention and tangible results).

• Church

User Persona: "Mission-Driven Director"

• Name: Maria Gonzalez
• Role: Executive Director or Marketing/Communications Director for a mid-sized local nonprofit.
• Demographics: 30-55 years old, passionate about their cause, often juggling many responsibilities.
• Goals:
  • Increase online donations.
  • Attract and retain volunteers.
  • Effectively tell their organization's story and showcase impact.
  • Improve public awareness and engagement.
  • Maintain transparency and trust.
  • Make their limited budget go further.
• Challenges/Pain Points:
  • Limited budget: Needs cost-effective but high-quality solutions.
  • Outdated/hard-to-update website hindering fundraising.
  • Difficulty showcasing impact through storytelling.
  • Inefficient donation process leading to abandoned carts.
  • Lack of internal technical expertise.
  • Difficulty managing volunteer sign-ups/communications.

example 2: The Non-Profit Director

• Demographics: Ages 30-60, managing non-profit organizations
• Interests: Community engagement, fundraising, advocacy
• Goals: Raise awareness, attract donations, communicate mission effectively
• Challenges: Limited budget, need for impactful but affordable web solutions, balancing time and resources

• Motivations for Hiring You: Understanding of nonprofit unique needs, affordable solutions, expertise in donation platforms, clear storytelling, help with volunteer management systems, a team that genuinely cares about their mission.
• How They Look for Solutions: Referrals from other nonprofits, grant requirements, online searches for "nonprofit web design," local community partners.
• Keywords/Phrases: "Nonprofit website," "online fundraising platform," "volunteer management," "impact storytelling," "donation page optimization," "affordable web development." This scenario is a "Goldilocks" test. A non-profit Executive Director is the perfect target for your "Heart Led" philosophy. They are often burned by agencies that treat them like a "budget version" of a corporate client or by volunteers who build something they can't manage.

By posing as this persona, you are testing if the competitor offers strategic value or just technical labor.

Scenario 1: The Local Non-Profit (The "Heart-Led" Audit)

• The Persona: "Sarah," Executive Director of a mid-sized local animal shelter or youth literacy program in the Tri-State area.
• The Goal: Sarah needs to modernize a 6-year-old WordPress site. Her board is breathing down her neck about a 20% drop in online donations, and she’s losing volunteer sign-ups because her mobile form is "glitchy."
• Budget Anchor: Sarah has a grant for $5,000–$7,500 but is terrified of "hidden fees" or being stuck with a site she can't update.

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The Outreach Script (Email / Contact Form)

Subject: Inquiry: Website Redesign for [Non-Profit Name] - Focusing on Impact & Donations "Hi, I’m the Executive Director at [Non-Profit Name]. We’re looking to redesign our website this quarter. Our current site is hard to use on phones, and we’ve noticed a dip in online donations because the process feels clunky. We need a site that tells our story better, makes it easy for people to sign up to volunteer, and—most importantly—streamlines our donation flow. We currently use [PayPal/DonorBox/Square], but we’re open to suggestions. Do you have experience working with non-profits on a budget around $6k? I’d love to know how you handle the transition and if you provide training for my team afterward. Best, Sarah."

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The "Deep-Dive" Secret Shopper Questions (For the Follow-up Call)

1. The "Strategy vs. Execution" Test:

• Question: "We have so much content—newsletters, old photos, annual reports. How do we decide what stays and what goes so we don't overwhelm donors?"
• What to look for: Do they mention a Content Audit or Information Architecture? Low-end firms will say, "Just send us what you want and we’ll put it up." High-end firms will suggest Curation.

2. The "Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)" Test:

• Question: "What’s the best way to set up the 'Donate' button? Should it stay on the site or go to a third-party page?"
• What to look for: Do they know that embedded forms usually convert better than redirects? Do they suggest recurring giving options or "Suggested Amounts" ($25, $50, $100)?

3. The "Accessibility/Heart" Test (A major gap in Tri-State SMB firms):

• Question: "Many of our older donors use screen readers or have trouble with small text. Is making the site 'accessible' a standard part of what you do, or is that extra?"
• What to look for: Listen for WCAG compliance. If they say "Wix/WordPress handles that automatically," they are wrong—and you have found a major gap you can exploit in your own marketing.

4. The "Sustainability" Test (Agile/Handover):

• Question: "I don't have a tech person on staff. If a plugin breaks or I need to change a volunteer form at 9 PM on a Friday, am I able to do that, or do I need to call you?"
• What to look for: Are they pushing a "Maintenance Retainer" (locking you in) or a "Training Workshop" (empowering you)?

5. The "Marketing Integration" Test:

• Question: "We use Mailchimp for our newsletter. Can the website automatically put new volunteers into our email lists?"
• What to look for: This tests their No-Code/API integration skills. A "pro" will mention Zapier or native integrations.

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How to Grade Them (Your Internal Research)

Metric	Red Flag (Order Taker)	Green Flag (Strategic Partner)
Donation Advice	"We'll just put a PayPal link."	Suggests a branded, multi-step donation funnel.
Accessibility	"No one has ever complained about it."	Mentions ADA compliance and color contrast.
Handover	"We handle all changes for $100/hr."	Provides custom video tutorials for Sarah's team.
Agile Vibe	"It'll be done in 3 months."	"We’ll launch the Donation page first, then the rest."