Web hosting for charities

[JohnY]

Has anyone experience of free or heavily discounted web hosting for a charity?

There's a long story but someone (not me thank goodness) screwed up and failed to renew our web contract. It was overpriced for what we got but that was just no reason to just let go.

I raised the issue at a meeting and allowed myself to be press ganged onto the committee as member for digital affairs.

My only qualification for this is that I used Dreamweaver about twenty years ago. I have done a bit of homework but am not too proud and arrogant to welcome advice. Our web address registration lapses in September.

[willien]

Jun 1, 2023 20:10:22 GMT JohnY said:

Has anyone experience of free or heavily discounted web hosting for a charity?

There's a long story but someone (not me thank goodness) screwed up and failed to renew our web contract. It was overpriced for what we got but that was just no reason to just let go.

I raised the issue at a meeting and allowed myself to be press ganged onto the committee as member for digital affairs.

My only qualification for this is that I used Dreamweaver about twenty years ago. I have done a bit of homework but am not too proud and arrogant to welcome advice. Our web address registration lapses in September.

As you are being both serious and sincere I will let this pass. Insert angelic emoji here...

Hope you get it sorted out satisfactorily.

[andy]

I used to use Uk2.net for hosting when I had a website.

[Fenris]

I don't know of anywhere that does discounted web hosting for charities, I've had a couple of charities as clients for web maintenance over the years and they just used a standard company.

For hosting I'd recommend Fasthosts, I've been with them for years and it's who I recommend to all my clients.

www.fasthosts.co.uk/

You should* be able to transfer the web address (domain name) to wherever you choose to host the website.

* I say 'should' as some companies offer deals that you get a "free domain" with your hosting but it turns out that the hosting company own the domain name and if you want it... you have to pay more money than what it's worth to get it!


As for building the website, have a look at using WordPress. You can use ready-built templates where you just add the graphics/text/etc to the pages you require. You get a standard set of free templates when you install WordPress but other templates are available - some free, others you will have to pay for (one time payment)

I use ThemeForest for WordPress templates:

themeforest.net/


Good luck

[peterob]

It is rather more than 20 years since I set up a web-site (for work purposes) so I can't help on the current system.  

As Fen said I'd expect costs to be involved because the provider does have real costs.  Security safeguarding is no longer a DIY activity.  It really needs professional attention and I'd expect the host to provide protection.  

There are two different things to do. One is to preserve the domain name registration (else it expires) and then to maintain the [hosted] web-site and its content.   I'd expect the host to undertake to keep the domain name registration but it is very important to do so.  Essentially, there is a master lookup table that relates the domain name to the location of the web-site and if this link is broken by failing to maintain the domain name registration then the web-site is "lost" and cannot be found.  It gets worse if someone else takes the name over so that it points to their site.  Registering domain names on spec then selling them to companies was quite a big business in early internet.  

[JohnY]

Thanks for your advice. There are some companies that host small registered charities free as part of their commitment to communities policy. I just wandered whether anyone had used one. We are not planning a blog so am not sure that Wordpress is quite right, as good as it is. Our domain is registered to us and I understand that it is a requirement of Nominet that registrars allow transfers without charge to another registrar (who will likely charge). We are prepared to pay modest sums and I will investigate your suggestions.
I am a bit wary of something that seems too good to be true but 34sp.com and kualo.co.uk look interesting.
I realise that we need a security certificate. We did not have one on our old site and some web browsers threw a wobbly at addresses that start http without an s.

[MJB]

A lot of sports clubs use Pitchero. If that sort of layout suits your needs then I wonder if there is something similar for your organisation (I'm assuming it's your conservation group).

[JohnY]

Jun 2, 2023 16:34:07 GMT MJB said:

A lot of sports clubs use Pitchero. If that sort of layout suits your needs then I wonder if there is something similar for your organisation (I'm assuming it's your conservation group).

Thanks Martin. All suggestions welcome. It is indeed our conservation group. Our objectives are slightly wider in that we support the park manager and rangers in various projects. Keeping the Green Flag is a big issue. I think that our aims are consistent with a hosting company wanting to demonstrate their community credentials.

Latest development is that to ease my contact with potential providers so that I appear on the Charity Commission website I have replaced a 'sleeping' Trustee.

This is becoming an unpaid job with real responsibilities. I hope that I am up to it.

[davidh]

Jun 2, 2023 12:22:25 GMT JohnY said:

Thanks for your advice. There are some companies that host small registered charities free as part of their commitment to communities policy. 

Microsoft offer charities free and discounted stuff; one of which is Azure credits which (if you're suitably technically minded) can be put to hosting websites.