I had this in mind a few weeks ago during a meeting with the leaders of a new nonprofit organization. They were asking me for feedback on their mission statement and the way their website was organized. While their purpose was noble, I was struggling to really understand what they did. To put it bluntly, their design was horrid.

It saddened me to hear that they “didn’t have time to focus on design” because they were a nonprofit. Since when was design just a luxury? Some new nonprofit organizations have proven that design can be THE core strategy for success. The best example that comes to mind is Charity Water. As one of the only nonprofits I know that employs a full-time designer as a senior leader of the organization, Charity Water has raised a tremendous amount of money and attention for a very worthy cause: clean water where it is needed most. I encourage you to take a few minutes to review Charity Water’s website, and you will see what I mean. While there are many nonprofit organizations with a similar cause, Charity Water has a competitive advantage: design. …

Whether you admit it or not, your product or service will only succeed if people are engaged by it. Design is a means to that engagement. Reconsider your emphasis and investment in great design as a core part of your business.