Charity Web Design experts
Charity Web Design That Specialises In Your Sector, Not Nails you to a Spec Sheet
Most web agencies want a detailed brief before they'll give you the time of day. A full specification document, signed off, boxed in. The problem? Most charities, especially smaller ones, don't know exactly what they need until the conversation starts. And that's completely fine.
At Charity & Biscuits, we do things differently - because we've been where you are. Before building websites, I spent years working inside the charity sector, managing communications, fundraising, and yes, commissioning websites from agencies who made the whole process feel more complicated than it needed to be. That experience is baked into every project I take on.
I build bespoke WordPress websites for UK charities, CICs, and social enterprises - with no VAT, honest pricing, and a process that suits how you want to work.
Built for Charities Who Are Ready for Something Better
Maybe your current website has been held together with goodwill and workarounds for a few years too many. Maybe you've had a bad experience with an agency that didn't really get the sector - the jargon, the governance, the way decisions actually get made inside a charity.
If any of that sounds familiar, you're in the right place.
I work with small and medium-sized UK charities, CICs, and social enterprises - typically organisations that have an existing web presence that's ready for a proper overhaul. Most of my clients are CEOs, Communications Managers, or Fundraising Managers who know they need a better website but aren't sure exactly what that looks like yet.
That last part is important. You don't need to arrive with a fully-formed brief. Half the value of working with someone who understands the sector is that we can have an honest conversation about what your website actually needs to achieve - for your donors, your beneficiaries, your funders - and build from there.
A Process That Works Around You
Here's how most web agency projects go: you fill in a brief, they write a specification document, you sign it off, and from that point on anything that isn't in the spec is a "change request" - with a price tag attached. It's a perfectly logical way to run a project. It's just not a very human one, and it rarely reflects how charities work or the limited experience they have in commissioning websites.
We do things differently.
There's no lengthy specification document at the start. Instead, we begin with a proper conversation - about your organisation, your audiences, what the current site isn't doing, and what success looks like for you. From there, the project evolves collaboratively. If something changes, or you realise halfway through that you need something you hadn't thought of at the start, we talk about it. We use plain English contracts - they're useful for protecting both sides, but once they're signed we've never once had reason to revisit any of them.
In practice, a typical project looks something like this:
Discovery
We start with a detailed conversation - usually a call or video chat - to understand your organisation, your audiences, and what you need the website to achieve. No forms to fill in, no brief templates to wrestle with.
Aesthetics
Rather than producing exhaustive design mockups upfront, we begin with 'style tiles' - a focused exploration of the visual direction, covering colours, typography, and the key building blocks of your site like buttons, cards, and text styles. It's a faster, more collaborative way to nail the look and feel before committing to a full design. Once we've agreed the direction, we move straight into the browser.
Design and build
This is where our process is a little different from most agencies. Rather than designing everything in isolation and handing it to a developer, design and build happen simultaneously - iterating the look and feel in response to your actual content, in a real browser, on a real staging site. You're not looking at a static mockup and trying to imagine what the finished site will feel like. You're seeing it. And because you're working with the actual WordPress interface from early on, by the time we launch you already know how to use it - the handover isn't a surprise.
Launch and handover
Before we go live, I make sure you and your team are confident managing the site yourselves. There's a proper handover with bespoke tutorial documents and videos always available.
Ongoing support
Most clients want ongoing maintenance and support after launch; others prefer to manage the site independently. Either works - you're not locked in.
Why WordPress?
There are plenty of ways to build a website. We use WordPress for almost every project - and it's a deliberate choice, not a habit.
WordPress powers around 43% of all websites on the internet. It's open-source, which means there's no licence fee, no vendor lock-in, and no risk of the platform disappearing or changing its pricing model on you. For a charity watching every penny, that matters.
More practically: WordPress is flexible enough to handle everything a charity website typically needs - donation pages, fundraising events, job listings, news, accessibility requirements - without bolting on expensive extras. And because it's so widely used, if you ever want to move to a different developer or agency in the future, finding someone who understands your site is straightforward. You're never dependent on us.
A word on how we build
If you've used WordPress before and found it frustrating, there's a good chance the issue wasn't WordPress itself - it was the way the site was built. Many agencies build WordPress sites using third-party page builders like Elementor, Divi, or WPBakery. These add a whole extra layer of complexity on top of WordPress, with their own interfaces, their own logic, and their own quirks. The result is often a site that's harder to update, harder to keep looking consistent, and dependent on yet another piece of software being maintained and licensed.
I build using WordPress's native block editor - the way WordPress was designed to work - with custom blocks where needed. Clients consistently find it more intuitive and easier to manage day-to-day, because they're learning one thing, not two. If your current site is built on a page builder and you find yourself avoiding updates because you're not sure what you'll break, that's exactly the problem this approach solves.
One thing worth knowing: WordPress isn't the right tool for every job. If you need a simple campaign microsite or a short-lived fundraising page, we'll tell you - and we can build that too.
What's Included?
Every project is different - that's the nature of working flexibly rather than from a fixed template. But here's what you can expect as standard from every Charity & Biscuits website build:
A bespoke design, built around your brand
No themes bought off the shelf and tweaked to fit. Every site is designed from scratch, starting with your brand, your audiences, and what you need the site to achieve.
Built on WordPress with the native block editor
Fast, secure, and straightforward for your team to manage - without the complexity of a third-party page builder sitting on top.
Mobile-friendly and fully responsive
Your site will look and work properly on every device - phones, tablets, and desktops. Not as an afterthought, but as a core part of the build.
Accessibility built in
We build to WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards as standard. For charities with diverse audiences - and increasingly, for anyone seeking statutory funding - this matters more than ever.
Charity-specific functionality ready to go
Donation pages, fundraising events, job listings, news and blog - the building blocks that charity websites commonly need are already part of how we build. You switch them on when you need them.
Easy content management for your whole team
Different permission levels so staff and volunteers can contribute without accidentally breaking anything. A proper handover so everyone who needs to update the site actually knows how.
SEO foundations in place from day one
Clean code, fast load times, proper heading structure, and metadata - the technical basics that give your content the best chance of being found.
Ongoing support - on your terms
Basic maintenance - software updates, offsite backups, and ongoing support - runs at around £100 per quarter for those who want it. Others manage independently. Either is fine.
How Much Does a Charity Website Cost?
It's the question everyone wants answered, and the honest answer is: it depends. But that's not very helpful on its own, so here's a proper breakdown.
Most projects fall in this range. A small number of more complex projects go beyond that. All prices exclude hosting - but include everything else.
What affects the price?
The main variables are scope and complexity:
A ten-page website for a small charity is a very different project from a fifty-page site with multiple audience journeys, a members area, and complex navigation.
A straightforward news feed adds relatively little to the cost. A custom donation flow, a directory of services, an online shop, language translations, or CRM integration are more involved - and the cost reflects that.
If you have an existing brand identity and up-to-date content, we can move faster. If you're rebranding at the same time, or need help developing a content strategy, that's additional work we can help with - but it adds to the timeline and budget.
We don't charge VAT - which means the price you're quoted is the price you pay. For a charity budget, that's a meaningful saving compared to most agencies (most will only ever quote prices excluding VAT and assume you know they'll add it on when they present your bill). There are also no ongoing licensing fees, no proprietary platform costs, and no lock-in once the project is complete. The site is yours.
Is it worth it?
That's genuinely for you to decide - but here's a useful way to think about it. A well-built charity website isn't just a digital brochure. It's often the first thing a potential donor, funder, or beneficiary sees. It's where grant-makers go to assess your credibility. It's where your fundraising campaigns land. A site that works properly - that's fast, accessible, easy to update, and builds trust - pays for itself over time in a way that a cheap build rarely does.
If you're not sure whether your budget is in the right ballpark for what you need, just get in touch. A short conversation is usually enough to give you a clearer picture - with no obligation to go further.
Why I'm Different From a Typical Web Agency
I didn't start out as a web designer. Before Charity & Biscuits, I spent years working inside the charity sector - in communications, digital, and fundraising roles at organisations including: Comic Relief, War Child, and The Health Foundation.
I know what it's like to sit on the other side of this relationship: to be the one commissioning a website, managing an agency, trying to explain what you need to people who've never set foot inside a charity.
That experience shapes everything about how I work. See more about what makes us different.
I understand the constraints that charities operate under — tight budgets, small teams, trustees who need to sign things off, funders who want to see certain things on your website. I understand that your communications team might be one person wearing six hats, and that "just update the website" is never quite as simple as it sounds. I understand the sector's culture, its language, and the way decisions actually get made.
What that means in practice is that you don't have to spend the first three meetings explaining your world to me. We can get straight to the work.
Charity & Biscuits was founded in 2010 and has since worked with charities and non-profits across the UK — from small grassroots organisations to nationally recognised names. Clients have included Parathyroid UK, the Institute of Alcohol Studies, Group B Strep Support, SHAAP, and the Alcohol Health Alliance, among others.
What Charities Say About Working With Us
People say when you find the right person you just know and that is how it was with Ben. His insider experience with charities was invaluable. He skilfully guided me patiently through the process with sensitivity and humour… We constantly receive praise from patients and doctors alike for our beautiful and well organised website.
Liz — Parathyroid UK
From the start, Ben was incredibly approachable and made the web design process feel both interesting and accessible, even for someone with no technical background. He took the time to understand our ideas and vision, and helped shape them into a finished product we genuinely love.
Chloe — SHAAP
Frequently Asked Questions
Not at all — and honestly, most clients don't. Many of the charities I work with have never commissioned a website before, and arriving with a fully-formed brief isn't a prerequisite. That's what the discovery process is for. If you have a rough sense of what's not working about your current site, or what you'd like it to achieve, that's more than enough to start a conversation.
Of course, if you've got a brief prepared then we'd love to look at that too.
Most projects take between eight and fourteen weeks from start to launch, depending on scope and how quickly content and feedback can be turned around. The biggest variable on most projects isn't the design or build — it's waiting for content, images, and sign-off from your side. We'll agree a realistic timeline at the start and keep you updated throughout.
Our projects start from £5,000, with most falling in the £7,000–£15,000 range. The main variables are the size of the site, the functionality required, and your starting point in terms of brand and content. We don't charge VAT, so the figure you're quoted is what you pay. If you're not sure whether your budget is in the right ballpark, just ask — a short conversation is usually enough to give you a clearer picture. There's more detail on pricing above.
WordPress gives charities genuine long-term flexibility — no licence fees, no vendor lock-in, and a huge global community of developers who can support the site if you ever move on. Squarespace and Wix are good starting points for very small organisations, but they have real limitations around customisation, accessibility, and functionality as your needs grow. For a charity that wants a website that can evolve with them, WordPress is the stronger foundation.
Yes — we build to WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards as standard on every project. For charities serving diverse audiences, and increasingly for organisations seeking statutory or lottery funding, accessibility isn't optional. It's built in from the start, not retrofitted at the end.
Yes, and making sure that's genuinely achievable is a core part of how we work. Because we build using WordPress's native block editor rather than a third-party page builder, most staff find it straightforward to update content, add news posts, or make simple layout changes without needing developer help. There's a proper handover at the end of every project — not just a link to a tutorial video.
Yes, though it's entirely optional. Some clients take a maintenance package — covering software updates and regular backups — which runs at around £100 per quarter. Others prefer to manage the site independently, which is equally fine. The beauty of building on open-source WordPress is that you're never locked in to us: any competent WordPress developer can pick up where we left off.
If your budget is under £5,000, a fully custom WordPress build probably isn't the right fit at this stage — and we'd rather be upfront about that than waste your time. For organisations just starting out, platforms like WordPress.com, Squarespace, or Wix offer a reasonable first step. Most of our clients already have a website and are ready to move it to the next level — whether that means better design, improved functionality, or simply a site their team can actually manage.
Yes — Charity & Biscuits is based in Cardiff, Wales, and we work with charities across the UK. All projects are managed directly by Ben Blankley. There's no outsourcing, no account managers, and no handoffs to a team you've never met.
Let's Have a Conversation
If you've read this far, you probably have a sense of whether we might be a good fit. The best next step is a short, no-obligation call — just a chance to talk through where you are, what you need, and whether Charity & Biscuits is the right choice for your project.
There's no pitch, no proposal until you want one, and no pressure to commit to anything. Just an honest conversation with someone who understands your sector.
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