As part of my work developing The Wind Down, I have been bookmarking the websites of sunset nonprofits for the past few years. As my list grew, someone suggested that maybe we needed a “museum of closed nonprofits“, (hat tip, Kyle Soo) so I went ahead and created one. And then a few months after that, I started my newsletter Closing Remarks where I cover all sorts of pauses and endings in the public sector.
Although a news article or an email from a friend often alerts me to the impending closure, I often have to visit the organization’s website to gather details that help me color the story. As such, I have perused the websites of hundreds — if not thousands! — of shuttered and shuttering civil society organizations.
Even when an organization is open and in good health, a website often has so much work to do. It needs to be a place to share your message, collect donations, entice funders, spread news, attract job candidates, and often much more. While a well-funded and growing group can often turn to a professional to craft their messaging and build their website, the work and language of drawing that work to a close in a meaningful way usually requires a slightly different mindset and skillset. No more is the focus on search engine optimization and flashy graphics, now the site needs to be a time capsule, a signpost, and a monument.
In my travels across the internet of wound-down, well-meaning organizations, a checklist has begun to form in my head of critical elements that need to be added, removed, or finalized on a website before the lights go out. My hope is that these building blocks can help you erect a tombstone site that you can be proud of for years to come.
Share your timeline
Why did your group start and when? Inquiring minds want to know! With the cessation of your operations, your About page really should be a History page instead, outlining the when, how, and what of your organization. This is your time to brag about your accomplishments! Not only will this be informative for curious souls like me, but it can also be a resource for your former employees who might be able to share the information there as they look for their next roles.
One foundation that did a beautiful of sharing its history is the Kendeda Fund; their “visual garden” features numerous highlights from its 30 years of giving.
Tell your ending story
You will also want to add information about why you decided to shut down, what went into the decision, and maybe any advice or valuable learnings for groups that might find themselves in a similar situation. By being as transparent as you can about the wind down, you:
- ward against rampant gossip and hearsay;
- work to protect the reputation of past collaborators; and
- help to secure your legacy;
- and pave the way for those who will pick up this mission in the future.
The 2024 conclusion of the annual Allied Media Conference was preceded by two “in chryalis” years of pause followed by one final conference and a loving writeup of why the Allied Media collective decided now was the time to end it.
Put up critical signposts
If your group provides services to a public that is likely to be somewhat left in the lurch by your disappearance, you should also do your best to point people in the direction of organizations who they can turn to, to fill the gap. You will, of course, need to try and make sure those other agencies and/or nonprofits have the capacity to help by connecting with them to let them know the situation. You certainly don’t want to overwhelm another group who might already be on the ropes, but trying to provide a soft landing for those that relied on you goes a long way to protect your reputation and abide by your mission until the very end.
When the administrators of The College of St. Rose in Albany, New York realized they would have to cease operations after nearly 80 years, they realized that the first order of business was ensuring the well-being of current and past students. They created and shared a “Teach Out Plan” to help everyone understand the timeline and their options for either transferring to a new university or obtaining important records that they might need in order to pursue future work and/or educational opportunities.
Secure your archives
Over the life of your work, you will likely generate many resources, reports, and tools that could be helpful to whoever comes along to drive forward the mission. As part of the effort to “tombstone” your website, you will want to think about how and where you might want to organize and place these digital resources so others can get their hands on them.
As activist collective The Rules worked to put a bow on their efforts with meticulous archiving of all their resources, they decided to upload their open source “culture hacking” tools to public code-sharing site GitHub so that others could use and improve.
The Rules gets bonus points for putting those tools up in a more public place than their website so they are protected against the possibility of their own website going down. Websites going down because of unpaid web hosting bills is a sad but true fact of nonprofit endings.
…..and also remember to:
- tell an expansive story – If possible, reach out to as many former stakeholders as possible. Explore how their voices can be included in the final story of the organization.
- cease submissions – if you have been soliciting mailing list signups, donations or anything else. Please remove and disable all such buttons and forms. If you wish, you might encourage people to donate to partner organizations.
- update all your channels -Don’t just update your website, please make sure your physical location, your voicemail, and all your social media channels make it clear that you are closed. Too often, I encounter organizations that have a decent tombstone site but still have Facebook pages or Instagram profiles that on first glance make it look like they are still active.
- pay your bills and make a plan – This is a tricky one, but — if you can — pay to keep your website up for a meaningful, agreed-upon period of time before your bank accounts are closed. You will also want to decide whether you want to let it die after that or if you can find some other way for the most valuable/valued aspects to be preserved. Whatever you decide, make sure it is communicated!
While this likely won’t be easy, when done with time and care, turning your site into a tribute to the work you did can be transformative and healing. As each team member contributes to finalizing the website, you can move closer to crafting a narrative that will be valuable to many in the future.
If your organization needs support building your tombstone site or simply supporting you through a closure, don’t hesitate to reach out!
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