· Community · 10 min
Free or paid community website: how to decide
A decision guide for communities and NGOs: when to apply for a free website, when paying is the better choice, and what to agree about domains, hosting, ownership, and maintenance.
In short
- A free build makes sense when the budget is limited and the need is clear and modest
- A paid project is better when deadlines, complex features, or commercial goals matter
- The organisation should own its domain and hosting account, not the website builder
- Content, updates, and security still need a responsible person or budget after launch
- Before applying, agree on the goal, content, responsibilities, and realistic scope
When a free website is the right choice
A free build can be a sensible choice for a non-profit community with no website budget and a clear reason to be online. The need is usually informational: explain the work, publish news, provide contact details, or invite people to take part.
A zero build fee should not mean an undefined project. An application has a sound basis when a few clear pages are enough, the organisation can provide copy and images on time, and one person can take responsibility for decisions.
When to pay, and why that is fine
A paid project is more appropriate when the site must launch for a fixed campaign, or when it needs registration, payments, integrations, several languages, or bespoke features. Paying is not a failure: it reserves working time, makes deadlines easier to plan, and supports a broader agreement on responsibility.
Paying also makes sense when the website will directly generate income, serve customers, or support ongoing commercial activity. In that case, set a budget, priorities, and expected return from the start, leaving limited pro bono capacity for organisations that genuinely depend on it.
Domain, hosting, and ownership after launch
A free website does not mean every related service costs nothing. Domain registration and hosting normally have recurring fees, so establish their price, renewal date, and billing contact before work begins.
The safest arrangement is for the domain and hosting account to be registered to the organisation, with administrator access and a backup routine under its control. If a volunteer or supplier changes, the site then remains accessible instead of being tied to someone’s personal account.
The maintenance reality after a free build
Launch is not the final task. Someone must update contacts and news, test forms, apply system and plugin updates, monitor security, and make sure usable backups exist.
The community should name a content owner and decide who handles the technical work. Simple content edits can stay in-house, while recurring technical maintenance may be handled by a volunteer or purchased separately as a paid service.
What to check before applying
Before filling in a form, state the website’s purpose in one sentence, list the pages it genuinely needs, and separate those from ideas for later. Check whether you already have copy, images, a domain, a contact person, and time to collaborate.
Then decide who will control the accounts and maintain the site after handover. If the need fits a simple non-profit project, the selection criteria and application form are on the Communities page at /bendruomenems; submitting an application does not itself mean approval.
How this differs from a commercial WordPress project
A pro bono WordPress project depends on limited scope, the organisation’s readiness to collaborate, and the builder’s available capacity. It addresses the essential need to present information, so extra ideas may be postponed or left outside the project.
In a commercial project, scope, stages, deadlines, and ongoing support are agreed around a budget and business goals. Both models still need good content and a clear owner, but a paid engagement leaves more room for bespoke design, features, and planned growth.
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