How Much Does a Charity Website Cost?

Planning a new website for your charity but feeling overwhelmed by conflicting price quotes? You're not alone. Last week, I spoke with three different charity managers who'd received website quotes ranging from £500 to £15,000 for seemingly similar projects. No wonder they were confused!

The truth is, charity website cost varies dramatically depending on your needs, approach, and who you work with. But here's the good news: you don't need to break the bank to create a website that drives donations, engages supporters, and grows your impact.

What Determines Your Charity Website Cost?

First let's understand what drives pricing. Think of it like buying a car you can get a reliable runabout or a luxury model, and everything in between has its place.

Size and Complexity

A simple 5-page charity website costs significantly less than a complex platform with donor management, event booking, and volunteer registration systems. The more features you need, the higher the investment.

Design Requirements

Stock templates are budget-friendly, while custom designs that reflect your unique brand and mission require more investment. Most successful charities find the sweet spot somewhere in the middle.

Functionality Needs

Basic contact forms are standard. But if you need online donations, membership portals, or integration with your CRM system, expect costs to increase accordingly.

Ongoing Support

Websites aren't "set and forget." Your website is never done. It's a constantly hungry mouth that needs feeding. Factor in hosting, security updates, content changes, and technical support when budgeting.

Watch Out for Hidden Costs

Budgeting for a charity website isn’t just about the upfront design and build. Here are a few sneaky extras that can catch you off guard if you're not careful:

• Domain and hosting: These are recurring costs. Your domain name might only be £10–£20 per year, but good-quality hosting can range from £60 to £300+ annually, depending on what’s included.

• Premium plugins or features: If you’re using WordPress or other flexible platforms, some features (like donation tools, event calendars or advanced forms) require paid plugins. Costs can quickly add up.

• Content migration: Moving hundreds of blogs, news items or resources from your old site? It takes time and sometimes a developer’s help.

• Ongoing maintenance: Who’s keeping things secure, up to date, and running smoothly post-launch? If that’s not part of your package, budget for occasional support or a retainer.

• Training and support: Some designers include handover and training, others don’t. Make sure you know how much support you’ll get once the site goes live.

• Photography or brand assets: Don’t forget the visuals! You might need stock imagery, a brand refresh, or a photographer if your current content is a bit… 2007.

Should We Use a Freelancer, Agency or DIY?

It depends on your needs, budget, and capacity:

• DIY: Cheapest upfront, but time-consuming and may not deliver the polish or performance you want.

• Freelancer: Great value for small to mid-sized projects, especially if you find someone who knows the charity sector (like me).

• Agency: Best for complex projects or if you need everything from strategy to delivery, but often the most expensive option.

If you want more advice about unpicking the DIY v Professional quandry, then read this blog post.

Questions to Ask Potential Web Designers

I always reccomend booking a Discovery Call and speaking directly to the person who is going to be designing your website and ask them:

About Experience: "How many charity websites have you built? Can you show me examples?"

About Costs: "What's included in your quote? What would cost extra?"

About Support: "What happens if something breaks? How do you handle updates?"

About Results: "How do you measure website success? Do you offer ongoing optimisation?"

About Training: "Will you teach our team to update content? What training is included?"

Making the Right Investment Decision

Here's the reality: your website is often the first impression potential supporters have of your charity. A poorly designed site doesn't just cost you donations it can actively damage your reputation. Ouch.

However, you don't need to spend your entire marketing budget on a website. The key is finding the right balance between your current needs, budget, and growth plans.

For new or very small charities: Start with a small professional site (£800-2,500). You can always upgrade later as your charity grows.

For established charities: Invest in semi-custom development (£2,500-6,000). This provides the flexibility and professionalism to support your growth without overspending.

For large charities with complex needs: Custom development (£6,000+) gives you exactly what you need, when you need it.

What’s the ROI of a Good Website?

It’s not just about looking nice. A well-built charity website can:

• Increase donations

• Boost visibility in Google

• Improve accessibility for your community

• Save your team time through better structure and clearer messaging

• Help funders and supporters understand your impact

A cheap website that confuses people or crashes at the wrong moment? That’s more expensive in the long run.

How to Maximise Your Charity Website Investment

Start with Clear Goals

Before requesting quotes, define what success looks like to you. Do you want to:

• Increase online donations?

• Reduce phone enquiries by handling them online?

• Attract more volunteers?

• Improve awareness of your services?

Clear goals help designers recommend the right features and avoid unnecessary expenses.

Prioritise User Experience

Your website visitors are potential donors, volunteers, and service users. A confusing website loses all three. Invest in clear navigation, fast loading times, and mobile responsisation rather than flashy features.

Think Beyond Launch Day

A website is a long-term investment. Choose a designer who offers training, support, and growth options. The cheapest upfront cost often becomes expensive if you need to rebuild in two years.

Get Multiple Quotes

Prices vary wildly between providers. Request quotes from at least three different types:

• A local freelancer

• A charity-specialist agency

• A general web design company

Compare not just prices, but what's included and the ongoing support offered.

My Prices

I believe in fair pricing based on project complexity, the best starting point is the book a Discovery Call where you can tell me more about your charity, your mission what you want from your website and most importantly YOUR BUDGET. I can then come up with a solution that works best for you.

Or to give you an idea of what I can offer I have a few standard packages to give you a rough idea:

Starting from Scratch – from £800

Ideal for a new charity or CIC with no current website but needs to get online fast. This package is a basic 3 page website to get you going while you are still finding your feet as an organisation. I can add more pages as your charity grows and develops. Easy. Find out more here.

Mini Makeover – from £270 per page

If your site’s mostly fine but a few bits are dragging it down, a light refresh might be all it needs. I’ll help you tackle the most problematic areas whether that’s messy navigation, outdated design, or content that’s missing the mark. I'll just wave my magic wand and get you looking great in no time. Find out more here.

Bespoke Website – from £3,000

Ready to burn the whole thing down and start again? This is a full reimagining of your site, tailored to your goals, audience and functionality needs. We’ll rethink the structure, design and messaging to build something that truly works harder for your charity. This option the payment is spread into three instalments, a deposit, half on kick off and remaining on handover. Or for bigger projects we can look at spreading the payments across a year. Find out more here.

Want to chat about prices and budget?

Understanding charity website costs is just the first step. The real question is: what could your charity achieve with a website that truly works for your mission?

At Made by Katie, I specialise in creating websites that don't just look good, they drive real results for UK charities. From increasing donations to streamlining volunteer management, I help charities like yours maximise their online impact without breaking the budget.

Ready to discuss your charity website project? Let's have a no-obligation chat about your goals, budget, and how a strategically designed website could transform your charity's reach and impact.

Contact me today for your free charity website consultation. Easy-peasy.

Get in contact