Charity Website Design — Animal Rescue Case Study
This project shows how I designed a charity website for Bury’s Stray Cat Fund (burystraycatfund.org) — a Suffolk animal rescue. The mobile-first WordPress site introduces clear donation routes, adoption and fostering flows, and simple volunteer sign-ups to increase support.
WordPress specialist • Charities & nonprofits • 20+ years’ experience
Project at a Glance
Client: Bury’s Stray Cat Fund
Industry: Charity / Animal Rescue
Platform: WordPress (custom template + pages)
Location: Near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
Services: Full site template design, page design & build, on-page SEO, conversion paths, maintenance
Goal: Increase donations, rehoming enquiries and volunteer sign-ups
Objectives
- Tell the story clearly: who the charity is and the impact they make
- Make “Donate”, “Rehome/Foster” and “Volunteer” obvious and easy
- Support local discovery in Suffolk with on-page SEO fundamentals
- Ensure a fast, fully responsive experience for mobile visitors
Solution
- Template & page design: I designed the site template and all key pages (Home, Rehome, Foster, Donate, Volunteer, About, News), keeping messaging warm and plain-English.
- Clear conversion paths: Repeated CTAs for Donate, Rehome a Cat, Volunteer and Membership appear at natural points through the journey.
- Information architecture: Sections for adoption/fostering guidance, how to help (donations, transport, memberships, befriending), and up-to-date “Meet the Cats”.
- Local SEO foundations: Location mentions (Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk), tidy titles/meta, descriptive alts and internal links to priority actions.
- Performance & accessibility: Lightweight build, labelled buttons, readable type sizes and clear focus states.
- WordPress CMS: Easy updates for appeals, cats available, events and news — no developer needed for routine edits.
Web design – Template design – Page design & build – On-page SEO – Conversion strategy – Maintenance
Project Gallery
Homepage: mission first, with Donate & Rehome clear above the fold.
Rehoming: step-by-step guidance and simple enquiry route.
How to Help: donations, volunteering, transport, memberships, befriending.
Results
- Clearer pathways: More visitors reach Donate, Rehome and Volunteer pages.
- Improved discovery: Better visibility for local cat rescue searches in Suffolk.
- Higher engagement: Visitors spend longer exploring “Meet the Cats” and “How You Can Help”.
Client Feedback
“ Wow! I love it! It looks great. The new site makes it easy for people to donate, volunteer and find cats needing homes. I am super happy.” — Kelly, Bury Stray Cat Fund
Next Steps
Need a charity website design like this? Explore a website redesign or new website design. Keep it secure and current with a WordPress maintenance plan and improve local discovery with Local SEO.
Want a Donation-First Charity Website?
Let’s design a fast, welcoming site that turns supporters’ intent into real impact.
Or call 07825 322693