Nonprofit Website Statistics 2026: What We Counted on Small Nonprofit Websites
connectNPO · Updated October 2026
Data collected September 20 to October 10, 2026
Key takeaways
- About one in four small California nonprofit websites showed something plainly out of date: 37 of 150 (24.7%) on September 20, 2026. Because we checked a sample, the true share is probably between 18.5% and 32.1%.
- WordPress ran 66 of 152 small California nonprofit websites (43.4%), and hosted website builders such as Squarespace and Wix ran 60 (39.5%), counted on September 22, 2026.
- 85 of 105 Donate links on small California nonprofit home pages (81.0%) led to a working way to give online on October 1–2, 2026. 58 of 71 forms we could read offered a monthly gift.
- On 586 working home pages of small US nonprofits in October 2026, about 78% linked a social profile, about 24% carried a newsletter sign-up form and about 19% showed a video.
- Small US nonprofits filed missions with a median of 22 words. 259 of 586 home pages (44.2%) had a logo, their own browser-tab icon and a share picture all in place.
At a board meeting, someone asks whether your website is normal for an organization your size. You go looking for a number and find surveys of what nonprofits say they use, and benchmarks of email and online giving results. Neither tells you what a visitor sees on a small nonprofit’s home page.
These nonprofit website statistics come from the websites themselves. Between September 20 and October 10, 2026, we drew 1,180 small nonprofits at random from the IRS master file, 180 in California and 1,000 across the country, and opened every website we could find for them.
A survey is like asking the kitchen what it serves; this count reads the menu posted in the window. The figures below are what anyone opening those home pages on those dates would have seen.
Nonprofit website statistics: the short answer
Eight sentences, each with its count, how many sites it came out of, and its date:
- 01Out of date: 37 of 150 small California nonprofit websites (24.7%) showed something plainly out of date on September 20, 2026.
- 02Platform: WordPress ran 66 of 152 small California nonprofit websites (43.4%) on September 22, 2026; hosted builders ran 60 (39.5%).
- 03Giving: 85 of 105 Donate links on small California nonprofit home pages (81.0%) led to a working way to give online on October 1–2, 2026.
- 04Brand: 259 of 586 small US nonprofit home pages (44.2%) had a logo, their own browser-tab icon and a share picture all in place on October 3–10, 2026.
- 05Social: 455 of 586 small US nonprofit home pages (77.6%) linked at least one social profile on October 3–5, 2026.
- 06Mission: the median mission filed by 988 small US nonprofits was 22 words, read from their e-filed returns in October 2026.
- 07Newsletter: 138 of 586 small US nonprofit home pages (23.5%) carried a sign-up form on October 3–5, 2026.
- 08Video and reports: 109 of 586 small US nonprofit home pages (18.6%) showed a video, and 73 (12.5%) linked an annual report, impact report or financial page, on October 3–5, 2026.
Every figure in one table
California: small California 501(c)(3) public charities with revenue of $250,000 to $1 million. US: the same kind of organization in every state, drawn nationally. Each finding links to the study that explains how it was counted. Last counted October 10, 2026.
Who we counted, and how
Both samples are small 501(c)(3) public charities with revenue of $250,000 to $1 million, the size of organization our plan is built for. We counted home pages; a few studies also followed one link below the home page, and each study page says where. We did not log in, fill in forms or contact anyone, and we name no organization.
Five of the US panel’s 591 working web addresses showed only a placeholder page left by a domain seller, not a real site, so every US figure here uses the 586 real home pages. Five earlier posts of ours counted those pages; we corrected them on October 22, 2026. Two limits apply everywhere: the California figures describe one state, and a home page can change the day after we read it.
California counts: out of date, platform and giving
How many small nonprofit websites are out of date?
37 of 150 small California nonprofit websites (24.7%) showed something plainly out of date on September 20, 2026. Because we checked a sample, the true share is probably between 18.5% and 32.1% (a 95% confidence interval). Counting borderline cases too, it was 59 of 150 (39.3%). The most common sign was an event, deadline or registration more than 30 days past still shown as upcoming or open: 21 of 150, about one in seven. Separately, 27 of the 180 organizations we drew (15.0%) had no website of their own.
An out-of-date page is like a sign in the window still announcing a Saturday sale that ended in August. The four signs we looked for and the borderline rules are in our out-of-date website study.
What are small nonprofit websites built on?
WordPress ran 66 of 152 small California nonprofit websites (43.4%). Hosted website builders together, such as Squarespace, Wix and GoDaddy, ran 60 (39.5%). The median home page weighed about 3 megabytes (3.07 million bytes) when opened fresh on a computer with nothing saved from an earlier visit, and 73 of 151 weighed more than 3.15 million bytes.
The same home pages said little about the organization behind them: 38 of 152 showed an EIN (tax ID number) in visible text, 16 linked to anything about the organization’s finances, and 8 had a link labelled accessibility. Platform by platform: what small nonprofit websites are built on.
Can donors give online from a small nonprofit’s website?
85 of 105 Donate links on small California nonprofit home pages (81.0%) led to a working way to give online. Of the other 20, 6 were dead links, 7 giving pages blocked our automated browser, 1 returned a site error, and 6 led to a page with no way to give money online. The giving happened on the organization’s own site for 42 and on another site for 43.
Of the forms we could read, 58 of 71 offered a monthly gift and 49 of 72 suggested amounts. 21 of 71 let the donor add a little to cover the card fee, and 63 of 67 fit a phone screen without sideways scrolling. The counts differ because not every form could be checked for every item. Tool by tool: our donation form count.
US counts: logo, social profiles and mission
Do small nonprofit websites show a logo, tab icon and share picture?
259 of 586 small US nonprofit home pages (44.2%) had a logo, their own browser-tab icon and a share picture all in place. Counted one by one:
- a logo image at the top of the home page: 476 (a close count, not an exact one)
- a browser-tab icon of their own: 509
- the website builder’s stock tab icon: 41
- no share picture set: 254
- the logo named for search engines in the page’s hidden labels: 117
Without a share picture, a link to the site on social media or in a text message may show no picture, or one the platform picks. A logo that appears in one place and not the next is like a name tag worn at the door and taken off for the rest of the event. What to fix first: nonprofit logo.
Which social networks do small nonprofits link to?
455 of 586 small US nonprofit home pages (77.6%) linked at least one social profile. Facebook was linked on 426, Instagram on 346, YouTube on 157, X or Twitter on 145 and LinkedIn on 134. Of the 155 linked YouTube channels whose public feed we could read, 50 had posted no video in the past year.
A home-page link to a channel whose newest video is over a year old shows that date to anyone who follows it. Network by network: what small nonprofits link to.
How long are small nonprofits’ mission statements?
The median mission statement filed by small US nonprofits was 22 words. 988 of 994 latest returns carried a written mission, and 575 of those (58.2%) were 25 words or fewer. We read the mission text from each organization’s e-filed return.
On the home pages we could compare, about 129 of 552 (about 23%) restated the filed mission in close wording. That is an estimate built from a text match and a hand check, and probably an undercount, since a mission reworded with no shared phrase would be missed. Examples and a two-length approach: nonprofit mission statement examples.
US counts: newsletter, video and what Google asks for
Do small nonprofit websites offer a newsletter sign-up?
138 of 586 small US nonprofit home pages (23.5%) carried a newsletter sign-up form. 102 more linked to a sign-up somewhere else, and 346 showed neither. Of the 138 forms, 65 asked only for an email address, 88 sat in the page footer, and 18 said how often mail would come.
Pop-ups were not counted, so the share with a sign-up form may be higher than 23.5%. What a sign-up should say: nonprofit newsletter.
Do small nonprofit websites show video or an annual report?
109 of 586 small US nonprofit home pages (18.6%) showed a video, and 73 (12.5%) linked an annual report, an impact report or a financial page. 14 had both, and 3 carried a video titled as a year in review or an impact video. Silent clips playing on a loop behind the page were not counted as video.
How to tell the year in about a minute: nonprofit annual report video.
Do small nonprofit websites show what Google’s nonprofit program asks for?
Google’s nonprofit program policy asks for a fully working website that shows the organization details submitted during registration, such as its Charity ID (its EIN in the US), a physical street address or a clear mission statement. By our estimate, about 409 of 586 working small US nonprofit sites (70%) showed at least one of those on the home, contact or about page, between 336 if none of the pages that showed only a mission-like sentence count, and 458 if all of them do. That is our reading of the pages, not Google’s decision. 91 of 586 showed the organization’s own EIN.
Email is a separate check. Of the 297 organizations whose email runs on Google, 100 had neither an SPF record that allows Google nor a DKIM key at Google’s default name. SPF is a list of who may send mail for the domain, and DKIM is a signature that shows a message was not altered; both help receiving inboxes trust the mail. A DKIM key published under another name would not show in this check. The setup steps: Google Workspace for nonprofits.
How to cite these figures
Suggested citation
connectNPO, “Nonprofit Website Statistics 2026: What We Counted on Small Nonprofit Websites,” October 2026, https://connectnpo.com/nonprofit-website-statistics/. Data collected September 20 to October 10, 2026.
Quote the count with the number of sites behind it, the sample and the date, for example: “24.7% (37 of 150) of small California nonprofit websites showed something plainly out of date (connectNPO, September 2026).” A percentage without the number of sites behind it invites the wrong comparison.
We plan to count again next year with the same rules, so the figures can be compared. To see websites built with these points in mind, open one of our fifteen sample sites.
If your own site is among the ones these counts describe, our nonprofit website design service builds the site and keeps it current for one monthly price.
We also asked ChatGPT about 130 small nonprofits by name: it picked the right organization in all 130 and gave the organization’s own website in 98 of the 100 whose 990 lists one. The method and the five-minute check are in nonprofit AI visibility.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of nonprofit websites are out of date?
In our count of 150 websites of small California nonprofits with revenue of 250,000 to 1 million dollars, 37 (24.7 percent) showed something plainly out of date, such as an event more than 30 days past still shown as upcoming. The 95 percent confidence interval is 18.5 to 32.1 percent. We checked on September 20, 2026.
Which platform do small nonprofit websites use?
In our count of 152 small California nonprofit websites, WordPress ran 66 (43.4 percent). Hosted website builders such as Squarespace, Wix and GoDaddy together ran 60 (39.5 percent). We read the platform from each home page on September 22, 2026.
How many small nonprofits take donations online?
Of 105 Donate links on small California nonprofit home pages, 85 (81.0 percent) led to a working way to give online when we followed them on October 1 and 2, 2026. Of the other 20, six were dead links, seven giving pages blocked our automated browser, one returned a site error, and six led to a page with no way to give money online.
How many nonprofit websites have a newsletter sign-up?
On 586 working home pages of small US nonprofits, 138 carried a newsletter sign-up form (23.5 percent). Pop-ups and sign-ups on other pages were not counted, so the share that offers a newsletter somewhere may be higher.
Can we cite these nonprofit website statistics?
Yes. Cite connectNPO, the page title and this address, with the collection dates given beside each figure. We name no organization, and the method and limits of each count are on the linked study page.
See your finished website before you pay for it.
A website we design, write and keep current, with your story and your numbers in it. You pay nothing until you approve the finished site; the first payment is then $1,180 (the build fee plus the first month), and $180 a month after that.
See the plan and apply →Counts by connectNPO from the public websites of small nonprofits drawn at random from the IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, collected September 20 to October 10, 2026. No organization is named. Percentages in the table are rounded to one decimal place; the text rounds some to whole numbers. This page is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.