Who I work with
Websites for charities and community groups
A site your staff and volunteers can keep up to date, with a fixed price in writing before any work starts.
I reply the same working day, in UK hours.
Or call 07935 996850 or book a call
5.0 from 31 Google reviews (checked Nov 2026)
I'm Luke Duff, a web designer in Sunderland. I do charity website design for small charities, CICs and community groups across the North East. I lead every project, so you deal with me from the first message to long after launch. Most websites cost between £1,500 and £5,000.
A website I built for a North East CIC
Digital You CIC is a community interest company that works on digital inclusion across the North East. Its enquiry form asks which organisation you're from, and the newsletter sign-up is kept apart from it.
There's a blog for its insights, an accessibility button, cookie choices and its own policies. The footer shows its CIC number and registered office.
See it live at digitalyou.org.uk (opens in a new tab).
What a charity website needs
In a small charity or group, the website can land on whoever has time: a part-time worker, a trustee or a volunteer. So it has to be simple to run.
- More than one person can update itStaff and volunteers can change the words and photos themselves. Whether each person gets their own login depends on the platform: on WordPress, everyone gets one, and on a Next.js site it depends on the editor used. When someone leaves, the site carries on without them.
- The accounts stay with youYour web address is registered in your organisation's name from day one, so it doesn't leave with a volunteer. Read more on whose name the logins are in.
- The legal details are thereCICs are companies, and a company's website must show details like its registered name, number and office address. In England and Wales, a registered charity over a certain income must also say it's a registered charity on adverts and other documents that ask for money. Check which rules apply to you, and I'll put the details in the footer and on your donate page.
- Clear ways to helpMake it easy to donate, volunteer or get in touch, with each one a tap away.
- A newsletter people choose to joinKeep the sign-up separate from your contact form, so nobody joins your list just by asking a question.
- Easy for everyone to useUse readable text, strong contrast and pages that work with a keyboard.
A monthly report with Care+, if you want one
With Care+, you can have a monthly report if you want one. It shows the updates and backups done, your Google listing stats and visits to your website.
I can only include the listing stats if I'm a manager on your profile. The visit numbers are partial, because they only count people who accept cookies. If anything in the report isn't clear, ask me and I'll explain it.
Paying for it: grants and costs
Most websites I build cost between £1,500 and £5,000, and smaller sites start at £795. Before I start, you get a fixed price in writing. You pay half to start and half before the site goes live. I'm not VAT registered, so the price you see is the total. A standard site takes 3 to 6 weeks, and two rounds of changes are included.
If you're a charity or CIC in the Sunderland City Council area, a local grant may pay part of the cost. It's aimed at organisations that have started to make sales and plan to grow, and you pay the whole bill first and claim the grant afterwards. Don't pay anyone anything, deposits included, until you've signed the funding contract: a payment made too early isn't eligible. Check who can apply first. The grant application itself is yours to make. My guide explains how the Sunderland grant works.
Outside the Sunderland City Council area? This scheme doesn't cover you. Elsewhere in Tyne and Wear, County Durham or Northumberland, the North East Growth Hub (opens in a new tab) lists the schemes running now.
After launch, looking after the site is optional: Care+ website maintenance at £49 a month, or a plan shaped to your site, priced after a call.
I reply the same working day, in UK hours.
Most websites
£1,500 to £5,000
From £795
- A fixed price in writing
- Half to start, half before launch
- No VAT to add
What stays yours
Your web address is registered in your name from day one.
Once the site is paid for, it's yours, along with everything on it: the files, the words and the photos.
Your Google Business Profile stays yours. I'm added as a manager, and you stay the owner.
If you ever move on, you get everything within 10 working days.
That matters when trustees and volunteers come and go.
Questions from charities and community groups
Does a charity need a website?
If people check you before they donate, volunteer, refer someone or fund you, it helps to have one. It's one place for who you are, what you do and how to help. If you're a registered charity, check whether you must say so on it.
Can staff and volunteers update the website?
Yes. They can change the words and photos themselves, without paying me. When people come and go, the site carries on.
Do you host charity websites?
Yes, in two ways. I do hosting on its own, priced after a call. Or Care+ covers hosting along with updates and weekly backups, for £49 a month. It's optional, with 30 days' notice to cancel.
Can a grant pay for a website?
Some can. Charities and CICs in the Sunderland City Council area can apply to a local scheme that may pay part of the cost. It suits organisations that have started to make sales and plan to grow, and you pay the whole bill before you claim. Don't pay anything, deposits included, until you've signed the funding contract. The application is yours to make, and the terms change, so check them before you start. Outside the Sunderland City Council area? This scheme doesn't cover you. Elsewhere in Tyne and Wear, County Durham or Northumberland, the North East Growth Hub (opens in a new tab) lists the schemes running now.
Does a charity website need a privacy policy?
Often, yes. If your site collects personal data, say through a contact form, a newsletter sign-up or a donation form, the ICO says people must be told what you collect, why, how long you keep it and who it's shared with. A privacy policy page is the usual way to do that. Cookies are a separate question. My FAQ answers both: privacy policies and cookie banners. This isn't legal advice.
How much does a charity website cost?
The same as any website I build. Prices start from £795, and most cost between £1,500 and £5,000. You get a fixed price in writing before work starts, and that's the total, with no VAT to add.
More questions about your website
Not answered here?
Send me your question on WhatsApp and I'll answer it myself.
I reply the same working day, in UK hours.
What clients say
Luke is the best web designer I've ever used. He explains everything clearly and guides you to get a better end product than you thought possible.
Tell me about your group and what the site needs to do
I reply the same working day, in UK hours.
Or ring 07935 996850. If I can't pick up, leave a message or WhatsApp me.
Already have a site? I'll look it over for free and get back to you within 2 working days. Get a free website check
5.0 from 31 Google reviews (checked Nov 2026)