- Serving Through Tech: Using Technology to Serve Others and Spread Faith
- How to Build Accessible Websites with WCAG Standards
- Introduction to SQL: Managing Data with Confidence
- Serving God Through Your Technical Skills
- How the Church Can Use Technology to Reach Communities
- Building a Church Website with WordPress: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Using Open Source Tools to Build a Non-Profit Website
- How to Create a Secure Volunteer Database System
For churches and charities, keeping costs low while building an effective online presence can be a challenge. Thankfully, the open source movement provides powerful, free tools that empower mission-driven organisations to create professional websites without breaking the bank.
Open source means the code is freely available, maintained by a community, and often customisable to your needs—perfect for non-profits seeking flexibility and affordability.
Why Choose Open Source?
- Cost-effective – No licence fees
- Customisable – Tweak it to suit your mission
- Transparent – Know what’s going on under the hood
- Community-supported – Free help, plugins, themes, and tools
Using open source is also an ethical choice—aligning with values of accessibility, openness, and collaboration.
Core Tools to Consider
- WordPress
Still the most popular content management system (CMS) in the world—and open source. Ideal for building anything from a simple landing page to a full church or charity website. - Joomla or Drupal
Great alternatives to WordPress, especially if you need advanced features and don’t mind a steeper learning curve. - Grav
A modern flat-file CMS for tech-savvy users who want speed, security, and full control without a database. - Elementor (Free Version) or SiteOrigin Page Builder
Drag-and-drop builders to create beautiful layouts without needing to code. - Matomo
An open source alternative to Google Analytics for tracking visits while respecting privacy. - Nextcloud
For cloud storage, document collaboration, and internal file sharing—ideal for admin teams or small charities.
Free & Open Plugins for Non-Profits
- GiveWP (free tier) – For donations
- The Events Calendar – For managing events and services
- Sermon Manager – To publish sermons (text, audio, or video)
- Fluent Forms (free) – For contact, prayer request, and feedback forms
All these can be installed into your WordPress site and extended as needed.
Design on a Budget
Use free, open source tools like:
- GIMP – Image editing alternative to Photoshop
- Inkscape – Vector graphics and logos
- Canva Free – While not open source, it’s free and user-friendly for non-designers
Make It Accessible
Don’t forget to:
- Follow WCAG 2.2 accessibility standards
- Use semantic HTML (headers, alt tags, labels)
- Ensure good colour contrast
- Make navigation screen reader-friendly
The Gospel is for everyone—your website should be too.
Conclusion: Build with Purpose
You don’t need a big budget or a big team to build something meaningful. With open source tools, you can create a digital space that reflects your values, welcomes your community, and furthers your mission.
Your website isn’t just a tool. It’s part of your ministry.
