The charity website checklist
Last updated September 2026 · 6 minute read
Use this to review the site you have, or to brief whoever builds your next one. It is written so a trustee can work through it without any technical knowledge.
A simple way to use it: mark each item yes, no or not sure, and treat every not sure as a question for whoever looks after the site.
The short version
- Work through it as a trustee, no technical knowledge needed.
- Trust signals and a visible donate route matter most.
- Write down your WCAG 2.2 AA result so you can show funders.
- Score each section out of five and review again in six months.
Trust
- Registered charity number in the footer of every page
- Registered address and a real contact email
- Named trustees or leadership team with photographs
- Latest annual report and accounts, easy to find
- Clear statement of who you help and where
Donations
- Donate button on every page
- Suggested amounts with what each one buys
- One off and monthly options
- Gift Aid handled properly
- A thank you page and a thank you email that sound human
Accessibility
- Works with a keyboard alone
- Readable colour contrast throughout
- Text alternatives on meaningful images
- Captions on video
- Tested against WCAG 2.2 AA, with the result written down
Data protection
- Privacy notice that matches what you actually do
- Cookie consent if you use analytics or embeds
- Forms that only ask for what you need
- A named person responsible for data
Being found
- A clear, specific title and description on every page
- Pages that answer the questions people actually ask
- Google Business Profile if you have premises
- Fast loading on a phone
- Content written plainly, so AI assistants can quote you correctly
Keeping it alive
- One named person responsible for the website
- A written list of logins held by the charity
- Somewhere obvious to see that content is out of date
- A review booked in the diary every six months
- A known route and turnaround for making changes
Common questions
How often should we review our website?
Every six months for content, and once a year properly against this checklist. Anything involving personal data should be reviewed whenever your forms change.
What is the single most important item here?
A clear statement of who you help, next to a way to act. Everything else supports those two.
Do we need an accessibility statement?
It is good practice for every charity and often expected by funders. It should say what standard you meet, what you know is not yet fixed, and how to report a problem.
Ready for a website that does all of this?
We build it free for the first twenty Pioneer charities, then it is £79 a month with hosting, support and unlimited changes included. If you would rather talk it through first, ask us to call you.