Start with the job your website needs to do
A site that explains a small program has a different job from a site that takes donations, manages membership and publishes a large research library. Before comparing prices, name the tasks people must be able to finish. Donating, finding help, registering for an event and applying for a grant each carry different requirements.
Write down the current obstacle, the audience affected and the change you want to see. “Make it modern” is difficult to estimate. “Let program staff publish accessible event pages without calling a developer” gives a partner something concrete to scope.
Compare scope before comparing numbers
These are planning examples, not quotes or market price ranges. Use them to describe which kind of project you have.
| Scope | Work to include | What adds complexity |
|---|---|---|
| Focused publishing site | A small set of page templates, existing content, an editor and a hosted donation link. | Rewriting content, extra approval rounds or inaccessible source documents. |
| Content and fundraising rebuild | Content inventory, new navigation, donation integration, migration and staff training. | Multiple systems, large archives, multilingual content or complex donation flows. |
| Website with a portal | Publishing plus accounts, permissions, records and application workflows. | Custom integrations, sensitive data, audit trails and data migration. |
The work that changes the estimate
- Content: who writes, edits, approves and enters the words?
- Templates: count different page structures, not just URLs.
- Connections: list donation, CRM, email, event and grant systems. Name who controls access.
- Migration: identify pages, files, redirects and records that must survive the move.
- Accessibility: ask which standard, pages and user journeys are tested and how issues will be fixed.
- Training: include the handover, editor documentation and staff time.
A proposal should say which of these are included, what you supply and what requires a separate estimate. If two proposals differ substantially, compare these responsibilities before deciding that one is better value.
Keep ongoing costs in the same conversation
Separate one-time project fees from hosting, paid software, maintenance, content work and support. Ask who pays each bill, who owns each account and what happens if a subscription stops. A low launch price can leave your staff responsible for more work than they expected.
Agree on how additional work is approved. Changes to scope should come with a description, cost and effect on the schedule before work begins. Reserve room in your internal budget for decisions you cannot resolve yet; agree on that allowance with your purchasing and finance staff.
Bring these five things to an estimate conversation
- Your current website and the biggest problem it creates.
- The top three tasks your visitors need to complete.
- The systems the site must connect to.
- Your target launch date and the reason behind it.
- Your available budget, or the decision you need a budget range to support.
Use the project scope worksheet to collect this information. You can arrive with unanswered questions. Discovery should help resolve them, rather than making you specify a solution before you know the problem.
Prepared by Awesome Cause with AI assistance. These guides provide planning advice; project scope and estimates are agreed individually.
