How to Write a Nonprofit Website RFP (Template + Checklist)

1. Start with the mission, not the features

Before you list pages or plugins, describe who you serve, what you're trying to accomplish in the next 12–24 months, and how a website supports that. A one-paragraph mission summary and 3–5 measurable goals (donations, volunteer sign-ups, program awareness) give designers real context for their proposal.

2. Define scope clearly

• Number of page templates and estimated total pages.
• Content migration: how many existing pages, blog posts, or event archives.
• Integrations: donations, email marketing, CRM, event registration, volunteer management.
• Multilingual, accessibility, or WCAG conformance targets.
• Photography, illustration, and iconography needs.

3. Spell out technical requirements

The most common cause of RFP-to-launch pain is unspoken assumptions about the tech. State them upfront.

• CMS preference (or willingness to consider recommendations).
• Hosting expectations, SSL, backups, and uptime SLA.
• Donation platform (Stripe, Give Lively, Classy, Donorbox, etc.).
• WCAG 2.2 AA conformance and accessibility audit deliverables.
• SEO fundamentals: sitemap, schema, canonical tags, redirects from the old site.
• Analytics, consent management, and privacy compliance (GDPR, CCPA).

4. Ask for a real timeline and a real budget

Hiding your budget invites vague proposals and mismatched expectations. Share a realistic range (or the funding source's constraints) and a target launch window tied to a board meeting, fundraising campaign, or program milestone.

5. Define evaluation criteria

Tell respondents how you'll score proposals so their answers can focus on what matters to you. Common weighting:

• Strategic fit and understanding of nonprofit context (25%).
• Portfolio and case studies with measurable outcomes (25%).
• Technical approach, accessibility, and post-launch support (20%).
• Team, communication style, and cultural fit (15%).
• Timeline and budget alignment (15%).

6. Include a content and training plan

Ask how the partner will help your team maintain the site after launch: editor training, style guide, a CMS your staff can actually use, and a support agreement. A site your team can't update is a liability, not an asset.

7. Set a submission format

• PDF only, page limit (e.g., 15 pages), submitted by email.
• Clear deadline, single point of contact, and Q&A cutoff.
• Required sections: approach, team, timeline, price, references.
• Optional: two ideas for how they'd improve your current site.

Free RFP template outline

• Organization overview and mission.
• Project goals and success metrics.
• Scope of work and deliverables.
• Technical and accessibility requirements.
• Budget range and timeline.
• Evaluation criteria and process.
• Submission instructions and deadlines.
• Appendix: current site audit, brand assets, sample content.