As the Internet continues to grow as a valuable resource, the establishment of a useful and creative presence on the World Wide Web is becoming more of a priority for schools and nonprofits. And, as anyone who has "surfed" the rolling waves of this rush into cyber-land can attest, there are a whole lot of really BAD websites littering the sea of information. But with some careful forethought, planning and communication the nonprofit web development process can open doors to thriving online community collaborations -- websites can become not JUST a public face for the organization, but a nexus of .activity and communication reflecting the organization's mission (and sometimes even changing it).Here are some suggestions for successful nonprofit web development projects:

• Forethought and clear communication are key to success! ... Listen carefully to the needs and goals of the agency that have instigated the web development project and keep those in the forefront as you procede.
• Keep it simple! ... Remember that good websites are eternal works in progress and a sustainable web presence will ultimately need to be maintained by someone on staff at the agency who may not have the technical understanding and experience of a full-time professional web developer.
• Get organized and establish process early or chaos will reign! Make a roadmap at the start of the project including:
  • a clear statement of the goals to be achieved, the work to be done, the people involved and what roles they play, the resources available and those to be gathered, etc.
  • a calendar of check-in dates for everyone involved to communicate via face-to-face meetings, and/or email or phone
  • the most convenient method for transferring source materials
  • and a schedule for completing the project

Here are some key questions to ask in assessing the scope and direction of nonprofit web development projects:

• PURPOSE:
  Why do you need a website? What should this site do? If you already have a site, what works and what doesn't work on the old site? How could it be improved?
• AUDIENCE:
  Who would be your web audience(s), who would visit/use your website? Why would they come to your site, what would they be looking for? Why would they return or bookmark your site? What level of technology is your audience(s) likely to have access to (fast or slow computers, fast or slow modems, recent or outdated web browsers, high or low quality monitors, etc.)? What will be the web user skill level of your audience(s) - beginner, intermediate, expert? How might this audience(s) differ from other audiences you target (i.e. with other media, such as print, radio, phone, etc.)?
• IMPACT:
  What overall impression, experience or look and feel do you hope to convey? List five key words or images that you want to stick in your web audience's mind.
• IDENTITY:
  Are there organizational identifiers to incorporate (certain colors, logos, recognizable fonts or layouts used in other collateral materials, etc.)? Should your website maintain consistency with other collateral materials? What should be kept the same and what should be different? Who produces your other collateral materials (In-house staff? An outside consultant? A volunteer?)? How much of these materials could be provided in electronic format (already on a website, on disk or CD, emailed)?
• CONTENT:
  What content should be available on your website? How much of this content can be gathered in digital format? Which content lends itself to on-screen viewing and which needs to be available in downloadable or printable format? List the main categories (3 to 5) of content to go on the website and any sub-categories within those in a site outline.
• STRUCTURE:
  After thinking about your audience and content categories and how this website will reflect your organization's character, what structures are emerging? Will it be important to structure the website so that content is provided to different audiences in different ways? What are the most important elements to keep close to the top of the site? What are the navigational concerns (Simplicity? Consistency? Being able to get anywhere from anywhere? Presenting a broad range of options?)? How might the structure of your website reflect the structure of the organization?