10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Web Agency for Your Nonprofit

Hiring a web agency is uncomfortable because you are committing real money, often grant money or board-approved money, to a partner whose work you cannot fully judge until it is too late to change course. You cannot eliminate that risk, but you can interview for it. The right questions reveal a lot before a contract is signed.

Here are ten worth asking every agency you consider.

1. Who actually does the work? The people in the pitch are not always the people on the keyboard. Ask who will be on your project and how senior they are.
2. How do you handle accessibility? If the answer is vague or "we run a scanner," keep looking. For mission-driven and public-sector sites, accessibility is not optional.
3. Can I talk to a past client like us? A real reference from a comparable organization tells you more than any portfolio. Strong agencies offer them readily.
4. What happens after launch? A website is software. Ask who maintains it, what it costs, and what happens if something breaks before a big campaign.
5. Will we be able to update it ourselves? You should not need to call the agency to fix a typo. Ask how editable the finished site will be for your team.
6. How do you scope and price? Look for a clear, written scope, not a number pulled from the air. Vague pricing now means surprises later.
7. What do you need from us, and when? Most projects stall on client content and approvals. A good partner tells you exactly what they will need and builds the timeline around it.
8. Who owns the website when we are done? You should own your site, your domain, your content, and your data outright. Confirm it in writing.
9. How do you measure success? If the only goal is "a new website," you have no way to know if it worked. Push for outcomes: donations, sign-ups, accessibility, performance.
10. What happens if it is not working? Ask how they handle revisions, disagreements, and a project that goes sideways. The answer reveals how they will treat you when it is hard.

A few answers that should give you pause

• Pressure to sign quickly, or a quote with no written scope behind it.
• Accessibility treated as an upsell rather than a baseline.
• No clear answer on who owns the site and data at the end.
• Reluctance to provide a reference from a similar organization.

You are not just buying a website. You are choosing who you will depend on the next time something breaks. Hire for that.

We are happy to answer all ten of these before you commit to anything, and to tell you honestly when we are not the right fit. If you are weighing a website project, start a conversation and see how the answers land.