DIY AT HOME - Do I Really Need a Website? ***

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Over my 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, I have learned that websites are not just an accessory but a necessity. I co-founded a nonprofit organization, New Light Leadership Coalition, Inc. (NLLC), and did not know where to begin to attract people to our cause. In fact, it was just an idea and very few people were even aware of our existence. We had a message and a valuable service to provide young people, but no one knew about us. Our first event attracted about 50 people from the local area.

With very little resources for traditional advertising, we started our marketing with a website. The brand of NLLC went out to more places than we could have ever gone. As a result, our event attendance the following year spiked to over 200 people coming to Baltimore from as close as Brooklyn and as far away as Iowa.

It also opened up the doors for us to do training across the country from people who had only heard about us online. Since the launch of our website, we have trained over 2,000 young people nationwide.

Websites are a valuable tool and resource that can speak for you when you can not. And they do not have to cost an arm and leg to have.

Why you need a website for your business or organization:

1. Give contacts an easy way to get information about your business or organizations 24/7

2. Provide access to your products and services to a global audience

3. Improve your image to potential customers and clients

4. Contacts will look for you online before they call

5. Build your e-mail list to expand your network

Nonprofits can also benefit from online contributions which are an easy stream of revenue without the expense of hosting a fundraising event.

Now even with all these obvious benefits, the biggest challenge to a good website is money. Professionally designed websites can cost thousands of dollars. But as the old saying goes, "it takes money to make money." And in this challenging economic time, you can not afford to shortchange the future of your business.

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