It’s common to have an “About Us” page that talks about your organization’s mission, statement and possibly the staff. Sometimes people will try to just briefly talk about the history somewhere in the middle of all that… but what if it was better to take more time, and website space, to talk about your history? The fact is, potential donors like to know as much as possible about the organization before they invest in their mission. One way to do that is by making a powerful history page that helps to engage and motivate the reader into learning more and later getting involved. Let’s look at five different things you can do to help make a powerful history page. 

Tell the History in a Story 

Storytelling does a great job at engaging the readers of your history and motivating them to find a way to also make a difference. Instead of just telling the facts about the general events of what happened and when, it’s better to put the events into a story format. What was life like for those you serve back in the beginning, before your organization was around? What did your organization look like in the beginning? What is life like now for those you serve? Does your organization look differently now? Do you provide more services to those in need of your services? Website visitors want you to walk them through the story of your history so they can experience your journey to making a difference in the world. 

Spotlight Important People 

In many cases there is are a few donors or volunteers, or maybe both, that really helped to make a difference at some point in your organization’s history. This is a chance to give them public credit and show how those people were heroes because of the difference they made in your growth. By making those people heroes, it really has an impact on how website visitors view your organization. With donors and volunteers as the heroes instead of the staff, it motivates readers into acting so they too can become a hero by helping further your mission.  

Share Images and Videos 

Most people are very visual when it comes to learning about and understanding something they read about. Using visual aids also breaks up the text, that way there isn’t as much of a chance for the information to overwhelm the reader… helping to make a more enjoyable reading experience. So, what visual aids should you use? There are several different kinds that would work for illustrating the history of your organization, including pictures of people that made a difference, pictures from the past and present, videos talking about your history… even an image created to illustrate a timeline that highlights the different significant points in your organization’s history. There are a lot of different ways to enhance your history in a way that engages and motivates people to get involved. 

Link to Other Information 

It’s best to avoid having a page that doesn’t encourage exploring more of your own website. One way to do that is by having links to other information on different pages… but where should you send someone next after the history page? Think about what content might naturally would connect to the history page. Some possible options would be things like pages that talk about the different services, or programs, that you offer those in need or maybe about the people involved with running the mission. There are a variety of options available, just make sure to remember that these links are here to help visitors learn more about your mission in a way that would be natural. 

Ask for the Readers Assistance 

Now that you have told the story of your organization’s history and shown others who have helped make it all possible… now is the time to ask your readers to join in making a difference. All of the other actions are focused on telling a story that engages and motivates your readers to take their own action and make a real difference for your organization. The only left to do is tell them how they can get involved, by making an investment in your mission. 

Conclusion 

Donors like to know about your organization, it’s mission and where it came from. By making time to tell your history instead of just skimming over it, you are giving donors a clearer picture of your cause and more reason for them to get involved. When telling the history, you want to make sure the messaging is engaging and motivates the reader to act. One of the biggest ways to do that is by using a story to tell your history. To help make the story more enjoyable, you want to look at using visual aids, sharing additional information to help the reader understand, and talk about how the heroes that are not staff members. Once they are engaged, you should take some time to ask them about becoming a hero themselves.