In this fast-paced world, the ability to adapt and change quickly is essential. This is especially true for small organizations and nonprofits, which must be as nimble as possible to accommodate the needs and wants of members and donors. A big part of that is having a well-developed website.

Organizations and nonprofits with membership and fundraising needs have unique needs when it comes to their websites. That simple fact might make it seem as though only professional web developers could address those needs – and only at a high cost.

Since budgets are often tight, friends and organization members with relevant skills often volunteer to help out with creating a website. While their intentions are good, the common problem is that the project gets put off again and again, delaying the launch of a tool that can help build membership and improve services. And if the website doesn’t serve members and donors’ needs, or is difficult to update, it will only be a frustration.

However, this doesn’t mean that getting a website up and running for your organization is impossible. Advanced membership software, which dramatically simplifies the functions that organizations need in a website, like membership management or online fundraising, is now easily accessible. Companies like Wild Apricot make it available in a format that is as simple to use as a word processing program.

Paying to have someone else develop a website with membership management and fundraising capabilities could normally cost up to $50,000, but Wild Apricot allows you to create the website you need and maintain it for as little as $25 per month. Using website software, in addition to being an initial cost-saving measure, also proves valuable in the long run because it is simple to update. That means that you don’t need to call in the pros every time adjustments are needed.

You can choose your website template from a variety of options that can get your site up and running quickly. Since virtually anyone can create a fully functioning membership website in a matter of hours, without programming or HTML, you can start serving your members faster than you might have imagined.

In today’s challenging economic times, nonprofits, small organizations and clubs have to do more with less, while still doing everything they can to support the members and donors who in turn support them. And in that environment, a strong website is one of the key components to keeping an organization vital. With low-cost website software easily within your reach, there’s no reason to delay creating a Web presence that can help your organization grow.