When it comes to building relationships and trust with prospective donors and volunteers, service users or program participants and other vital audiences, the smallest details can make a huge impact, especially when they’re about your organization’s people.
That’s why there’s so much potential for us to do SO much better with About Us web site content.
I’ve seen it time, and time again—the About Us section is the last item on the content priority list, or looks like it is. And that’s a huge opportunity wasted…
- THIS is the place for you to put your people forward—to showcase programs participants, volunteers, donors, leadership, and staff
- THIS is the place to share your core stories
- THIS is the place to relate the impact you’ve made to date with the goals you have for the future
- THIS is the place that can make your people feel at home…if you do it right.
About Us is the place where you have ONE CHANCE only to share your organization’s personality, punch and impact…at a personal, emotional level. Because who ever returns to an About Us section of a site for a second look? So make it engaging and memorable the first time round.
Review this Strong About Us Model
Dive into this model to see what does work. Sharing these approaches is fine (as long as your organization isn’t in direct competition with those showcased here).
One of the best About Us approaches I know comes from the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CCC). CCC’s About Us leads with a clear and concise description of what the organization does and provides, in a flash, real insight into the organizational brand. The section also provides the right context for the content and interactivity (e.g. online donations) on the balance of the site.
CCC has been creatively effective in organizing the About Us content for ease of us (see the sidebar, with links to subsections). Most of your organizations will have far too much and far too varied content for a single page—it would require too much scrolling (so won’t be read).
Your savvy use of white space, graphics and bullets in the About Us section of your site boosts the likelihood of site visitors’ digesting more of your content, and acting on it.
Great History section as well.
Go to it—Make your About Us content as lively, compelling and impressive as your people and impact.
P.S. Here’s a great—albeit a bit dated—overview of how NOT to craft your About Us content.
