A website your team can actually update
Russ to the Rescue builds clear nonprofit websites that your own team can update without calling anyone, with donations, volunteer sign-ups and event registration built in and connected to the rest of your work. Builds are a fixed price, and I start from how your team actually works, not from a template.
Texts come straight to my phone.
Does this sound like your website?
- The events page still shows last spring's fundraiser.
- Only one person knows how to change anything, and they're busy, or they've moved on.
- The donate button goes somewhere confusing, or nowhere.
- Sign-up forms land in someone's inbox, and then someone retypes them into a spreadsheet.
- It looks fine on a computer and hard to use on a phone.
What changes with a site your team can update?
Before: Updates wait for the one person who knows how
After: Your team updates news, events and programs in minutes
Before: Forms land in an inbox and get retyped
After: Forms feed straight into the right place
Before: An out-of-date events page
After: Events and registration in one place, easy to keep current
Before: A donate button nobody trusts
After: A clear, simple way to give
Before: Hard to use on a phone
After: Clear and readable on any phone
Your website is often the first place donors, volunteers and neighbors meet you. It should say what you do in plain words, show how to help, and make the next step easy.
How does it work?
We talk about who your site is for. Donors, volunteers, the people you serve, your board. What do they need to find, and what do you need them to do?
I plan the pages with you. We decide what to keep, what to cut and what's missing. Your one-page plan lists the pages and the price.
I build it around your tools. If you already have a donation provider, an email newsletter or a sign-up tool that works, I'll connect it rather than replace it. If you need something new, I'll set it up in your organization's name.
I train the people who'll update it. Usually that's a staff member or a volunteer. They practice on the real site until they're comfortable.
You get the keys. The site, the domain and every account belong to your organization, with a plain-English guide to how it all works.
I'll recommend a platform in your plan, often one you already pay for, based on who will update it.
What does it cost?
Website builds are a fixed price, starting at $1,000. A simple site and a full rebuild with several connected systems are very different jobs, so your one-page plan gives you the exact price and timeline before anything starts. Many organizations start with the website plus one connected system, such as volunteer sign-ups. See pricing for what's included and how bigger projects are priced.
Hosting and your domain have their own small yearly or monthly fees. They're in your organization's name, paid by your organization directly, and your plan lists them up front.
Will our team be able to update it?
Yes, and I don't consider the job done until they can. I build so the common updates, like a new event, a news post or a change to a program page, take minutes and don't need any technical skill. I train whoever will do the updates, and the handover guide covers the everyday changes step by step.
If a volunteer who runs the site moves on, the next person can pick it up from the guide.
Can you redo the website we already have?
Yes. Sometimes a full rebuild is the right call. Often it isn't. If your current site mostly works, it may only need clearer pages, a working donate button and forms that go to the right place. I'll tell you honestly which one you need in our first chat.
Questions people ask
Will our donors' information be safe?
Donations go through a trusted payment provider in your organization's name, and your donor information stays in accounts you control. I set up access carefully and show you exactly who can see what.
Can the site take event registrations and volunteer sign-ups?
Yes. They can be built in and connected, so registrations and sign-ups land in one place instead of an inbox. See volunteer scheduling.
Do we need you to keep the site running?
No. It runs on its own, and your team can make everyday updates. Optional support is there if you want me to keep adding features.
What if we already pay for a website platform?
Then we'll look at whether it can do what you need before switching. Moving is only worth it if it saves your team real time or money.
Who you'll work with
I'm Russ, a neighbor in Mendham. I answer my own phone, and I'm happy to meet at your office or by phone or video. More about me.
Next step
Send me your website address and tell me what bugs you about it. Text me, and we'll find 30 minutes to talk.