The first question every conservation leader should be able to answer is: do we actually control our own website?
This sounds basic. But across the organisations we work with, we regularly encounter situations where the domain name – the web address itself – is registered in the name of a former staff member, a well-meaning volunteer, or an external developer. Where the hosting server is inaccessible because credentials were never handed over. Where the only person who can make changes to the site is someone who no longer works for the organisation, or who must be paid every time a small edit is needed.
This is your digital tenure, make sure you own the rights.
A conservation leader we know received an unexpected call from a journalist wanting to cover their organisation’s work. It was the kind of opportunity that takes years to attract. She asked her communications officer to update the website before the story ran – adding recent project results, a new team photo, a donation button and a fresh quote from the Executive Director.
Two days later, she discovered a problem. The person who had built the website three years earlier – a volunteer who had since moved on – had registered the domain in their own name and held the only login to the hosting account. Nobody in the organisation knew the password. Nobody knew which company the site was even hosted with. The journalist’s deadline came and went. The story ran without a link. The opportunity, carefully cultivated over years, was diminished by something that should have been a solved problem long before.
This story is more common than it should be. And it points to a truth many small conservation organisations are yet to fully reckon with: your website is infrastructure, not a project. Like all infrastructure, you need to own it, invest in it, and maintain it – or it will quietly work against you.
The first question every conservation leader should be able to answer is: do we actually control our own website?
This sounds basic. But across the organisations we work with, we regularly encounter situations where the domain name – the web address itself – is registered in the name of a former staff member, a well-meaning volunteer, or an external developer. Where the hosting server is inaccessible because credentials were never handed over. Where the only person who can make changes to the site is someone who no longer works for the organisation, or who must be paid every time a small edit is needed.
This is your digital tenure, make sure you own the rights.
Losing control of your digital infrastructure is a serious organisational risk. If your developer disappears, your relationship sours, or your hosting lapses, you could lose your website entirely – along with years of content, your domain name, and the credibility that comes with a consistent web presence.
The solution requires intentionality. Your organisation should own its domain name, registered directly through a reputable provider under an organisational email address. You should have full administrator access to your hosting account and CMS. These credentials should be stored securely and known to more than one person.
Once you know you control your website, the next question is: what is it actually saying about you?
In thirty seconds, visitors are asking a few simple questions: Does this organisation know what it’s doing? Is this work current and credible? Can I find what I need quickly? A good website doesn’t need to be elaborate, but it must be clear, current, and coherent. This means a clear homepage, programme descriptions that showcase results, a team page with human faces, and photography that reflects your real context.
Your website is a living system that requires regular attention. That doesn’t mean constant redesigns or daily posts. It means someone in your organisation has a clear responsibility for keeping it current – reviewing it regularly, updating key information, adding new work, and removing what’s outdated.
Maliasili partners can also reach out to digital@maliasili.org directly for support with their digital infrastructure.
