The Website Needs Assessment
Get a fast, low-risk Website Needs Assessment to align your team and build an evidence-based plan for your website.
Your website should move your mission forward, not hold it back.
If your website feels out of step with your organization, you’re not alone. Many nonprofits and healthcare organizations find themselves in the same spot:
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Your site no longer reflects your programs or priorities.
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Internal teams disagree on what needs to change.
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Leadership wants results, but it’s unclear what approach or changes will address your problems without unnecessary spending.
You know you need to fix your website, but without a clear, evidence-based plan, it’s hard to know where to start or what to responsibly budget.
The Website Needs Assessment is a four-week diagnostic that shows where your website is getting in the way of your mission, and what it will take to fix it. It includes:
- Evidence from your staff, peer organizations, and the people your website serves
- One prioritized list of problems your whole team agrees on
- Fixed-price options to fix those problems, so leadership knows the cost before committing to anything
In just four weeks and $5,000, you’ll replace a year of internal debate.
Great organizations have great websites. Does your site meet these criteria?
Rooted in your mission
Your website clearly communicates your purpose, programs, and impact. It helps visitors quickly understand who you are, what you do, and why your work matters.
Aligned across your organization
Everyone, from communications and development to leadership, is on the same page about what your website is trying to achieve. It supports shared goals instead of competing priorities.
Built around your audiences
Your site reflects the needs of the people you serve and the supporters who make your work possible. It’s easy for donors, partners, and community members to find what they need and take action.
Guided by evidence, not opinions
Decisions about your website are based on real feedback and data, not guesswork. You know which updates will make the biggest difference and can plan with confidence.
How the Website Needs Assessment works
Step 1: Stakeholder Input
A questionnaire or interviews gather perspectives across your organization to uncover people’s pain points, goals, and where your organization may not be aligned.
Step 2: Peer Analysis
We audit your site against peer organizations to identify your strengths and weaknesses. This shows where you’re behind and how you can better stand out.
Step 3: Constituent Feedback
We get feedback from real people using your site to determine where they struggle to complete common tasks or are confused. This provides context for internal decisions.
Step 4: Findings & Report
We bring your team and leadership together and present a single prioritized set of problems, with fixed-price options to solve them. This facilitates a decision, not a debate.
The entire process takes 4 weeks and about 3-4 hours of your team’s time.
The smart way to invest in your website
Most organizations jump straight into a redesign because something “isn’t working,” but without clear evidence about what’s causing the problems. This often leads to projects that cost more than expected, take longer than planned, and still don’t fix the underlying issues.
A regional health plan came to us saying their site wasn’t working for members, but they couldn’t agree on why. Our Assessment produced:
- 12 staff and leadership responses on what the site was failing to do
- 17 users tested against the tasks members actually come to the site to complete
- An expert review of the site against UX standards
What we found: Visitors could find what they needed, but only by working for it. That reframed the project from “redesign our site” to “guide our visitors,” and the organization moved ahead with a redesign prioritizing those problems.
What you’ll walk away with
- One agreed list of problems
- Evidence, not opinions
- What to fix now vs. later
- Numbers your board can approve
- Fixed-price options to choose from
By the end, you’ll know whether you need a redesign, what it should cost, and why.
About Brooks Digital
Brooks Digital is a web consulting and development firm that helps healthcare nonprofits build websites that tell their story, serve their mission, and make an impact.
Led by Spencer Brooks, Founder & Principal of Brooks Digital and Healthcare Communicators Northwest Board Member, we’ve guided organizations across the health sector through evidence-based digital transformation.
Our client roster includes organizations such as:
- The YMCA of Columbia-Willamette
- Moda Health
- Vestibular Disorders Association
- The diaTribe Foundation
You’ll work directly with Spencer to explore whether the Website Needs Assessment is right for your organization.
Time in Range Coalition
dStigmatize
YMCA of Columbia-Willamette
Logistics
- Price: $5,000
- Timeline: 4-week turnaround
- Your commitment: 3-4 hours of your team’s time
FAQs
Is this a website redesign?
No. The Assessment is an evaluation service that identifies what needs to change and provides a clear roadmap for how you should invest in changes to your website. You can then choose from several fixed-cost implementation options, or take the plan elsewhere.
Who should participate?
Typically your communications lead, a program or fundraising representative, and an executive stakeholder.
Who is this best suited for?
The Website Needs Assessment is designed for healthcare or nonprofit organizations with a small communications team (1-4 staff) who rely on their website to support programs, communications, or fundraising.
Do we need a big budget to benefit?
The Assessment helps you spend your budget wisely, whatever its size, by ensuring every dollar goes toward work that supports your goals.
Our pricing is designed to be affordable for small to mid-sized nonprofits. If you’re a newer or grassroots organization, we’re happy to point you toward lower-cost options that might be a better starting point.
Ready to get take the first step?
Book a free 30-minute call with Spencer Brooks to learn how the Website Needs Assessment can help your team move forward with confidence.