Are your nonprofit homepage headers saying nothing?

Here's a quick test: scan only the headers on your homepage, top to bottom. Do you now know what your organization does, who it serves, or why it matters?

For a lot of nonprofits, the answer is no. Headers like "Our Work," "The Solution," or "Resources" label sections without saying anything. And this can be a problem, because headers are often the first and sometimes only thing a visitor actually reads.

This is not a new idea. The case for informative, descriptive headers is well established. What's less explored is how that principle plays out on homepages specifically. So we took a look.

Why descriptive headers matter

The research on this goes back decades and cuts across readability, accessibility, and SEO.

People scan, not read. Eye-tracking studies from Nielsen Norman Group showed early on that web users follow an F-shaped pattern, moving across the top and then scanning down the left side. Your headers carry the most weight in that pattern. Vague headers don't give scanners anything to hold onto.

NN/g makes this point directly in their guide on microcontent and headline writing: headlines need to work in isolation, because that's often how people encounter them.

Accessibility depends on them. Screen reader users may navigate pages by jumping between headings. A heading that says "Resources" just describes the thing. One that says "Research-informed tools for talking to kids about race" tells that person exactly what they'll find and a bit about the organization, too.

SEO rewards specificity. Search engines give significant weight to heading text when indexing a page. Generic labels don't help you rank for anything. Descriptive headers use the language your audience is already searching for.

The Readability Guidelines project puts it plainly:

"Headings need to be meaningful, not generic. When people scan your page, they'll look at headings first. They decide if they are on the right page or not by your headings."

Nielsen Norman Group makes the same point in their guide on writing for the web:

"Use meaningful rather than cute headings (i.e., reading a heading should tell the user what the page or section is about)"

The case is solid. Informative headers help people scan, make your site more accessible, and improve your search visibility. What surprised us is how less common this is talked about for homepages.

Why nonprofit homepages ignore this principle

Most guidance on descriptive headers is written for articles and long-form content. When we went looking for specific research on homepage headers, we found very little.

Maybe it is because homepages operate differently. They're more visual, more layered, and often have multiple objectives: brand, fundraising, programs, communications. Somewhere in that process, headers tend to default to labels.

So we reviewed a collection of well-regarded organizations, reading only their homepage headers from top to bottom. We found some that explored informative headers and often alongside ones serving as simple labels.

Four nonprofit homepages, scanned header by header

The results were a real mix. Many of the organization homepages we looked at had mostly label or “empty” headers. We did find some thought provoking ones as well.

We share a small collection as both inspiration and study. Some organizations hold the descriptive standard across the whole page. Others have strong starts and drift into labeling.

For the sites that follow, we pull out their headers for you to experience them on their own. As you review them imagine you know nothing about the organization, then ask yourself, as we did, what do their headers tell you about them.

charity: water

charitywater.org holds the descriptive standard from top to bottom.

• "Bring clean and safe water to every person on the planet"
• "Because clean water changes everything"
• "696 million people lack basic access to clean and safe drinking water"
• "Know that your donation is making a difference"
• “Ready to take action?”

Every header communicates something about the organization with an exception perhaps of the call to action one at the end. You come away from a scan knowing what they do and why. This is a great model.

Obama Foundation

obama.org makes a great go at descriptive headers as well.

• “Opening this June”
• "Our mission is to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world."
• “Be an insider”
• "Opening June 2026 — A place for connection, community, and wisdom."
• "Inspiration from leaders and communities around the world."
• "Empowering the next generation of changemakers."
• “Donate Today”

Interesting how there are some headers that speak to the organization as a whole but others that are for more timely efforts or program specific. This said, they all still connect and share something that helps begin to paint a picture about what the foundation is interested in.

Kiva

kiva.org does something especially useful. Their headers do the work of explaining how Kiva actually works.

• “Real people, real solutions”
• “Almost there! Fund the last few dollars they need”
• "100% of your loan goes to supporting borrowers"
• "Kivans help people improve their livelihoods"
• "Relend money you get back to help another person"
• “Make a loan”
• "Don’t miss a thing"

The are a few headers here that detail how Kiva's lending model is genuinely different from a traditional donation. The headers explain it in plain language without needing any supporting copy.

Ford Foundation

fordfoundation.org takes a hybrid approach. Some of its headers are description and help tell a bit of the Foundation’s story while others are labels.

• "The Work of Our Moment"
• "We are advancing equality"
• "We invest in transformative ideas, individuals and institutions"
• “Our Priorities”
• “Our News and Stories”
• "Building on over 90 years of impact"
• “Visit Us”

The first three touch on what the foundation is prioritizing. They detail the work of the moment as being equality and they do it by supporting “transformative ideas, individuals and institutions”. After these we get in to the more label territory with only the “90 years” communicating a bit about the organization.

How to improve your nonprofit homepage headers

It is our take that these examples should inspire you to be thoughtful and intentional about the words you or your copywriting partners create for your homepage headers.

We believe descriptive headers are worth pursuing on your homepage, but the goal isn't to force them everywhere.

Some sections may genuinely benefit from a clear and simple label. And there are places on a homepage where a short descriptive phrase may feel awkward or out of place.

But the more your headers tell your story, the better you are increasing their value to your site visitors who use them to scan and get to know your organization.

Here's a quick test: scan only the headers on your homepage, top to bottom. Do you now know what your organization does, who it serves, or why it matters?

For a lot of nonprofits, the answer is no. Headers like "Our Work," "The Solution," or "Resources" label sections without saying anything. And this can be a problem, because headers are often the first and sometimes only thing a visitor actually reads.

This is not a new idea. The case for informative, descriptive headers is well established. What's less explored is how that principle plays out on homepages specifically. So we took a look.

Why descriptive headers matter

The research on this goes back decades and cuts across readability, accessibility, and SEO.

People scan, not read. Eye-tracking studies from Nielsen Norman Group showed early on that web users follow an F-shaped pattern, moving across the top and then scanning down the left side. Your headers carry the most weight in that pattern. Vague headers don't give scanners anything to hold onto.

NN/g makes this point directly in their guide on microcontent and headline writing: headlines need to work in isolation, because that's often how people encounter them.

Accessibility depends on them. Screen reader users may navigate pages by jumping between headings. A heading that says "Resources" just describes the thing. One that says "Research-informed tools for talking to kids about race" tells that person exactly what they'll find and a bit about the organization, too.

SEO rewards specificity. Search engines give significant weight to heading text when indexing a page. Generic labels don't help you rank for anything. Descriptive headers use the language your audience is already searching for.

The Readability Guidelines project puts it plainly:

"Headings need to be meaningful, not generic. When people scan your page, they'll look at headings first. They decide if they are on the right page or not by your headings."

Nielsen Norman Group makes the same point in their guide on writing for the web:

"Use meaningful rather than cute headings (i.e., reading a heading should tell the user what the page or section is about)"

The case is solid. Informative headers help people scan, make your site more accessible, and improve your search visibility. What surprised us is how less common this is talked about for homepages.

Why nonprofit homepages ignore this principle

Most guidance on descriptive headers is written for articles and long-form content. When we went looking for specific research on homepage headers, we found very little.

Maybe it is because homepages operate differently. They're more visual, more layered, and often have multiple objectives: brand, fundraising, programs, communications. Somewhere in that process, headers tend to default to labels.

So we reviewed a collection of well-regarded organizations, reading only their homepage headers from top to bottom. We found some that explored informative headers and often alongside ones serving as simple labels.

Four nonprofit homepages, scanned header by header

The results were a real mix. Many of the organization homepages we looked at had mostly label or “empty” headers. We did find some thought provoking ones as well.

We share a small collection as both inspiration and study. Some organizations hold the descriptive standard across the whole page. Others have strong starts and drift into labeling.

For the sites that follow, we pull out their headers for you to experience them on their own. As you review them imagine you know nothing about the organization, then ask yourself, as we did, what do their headers tell you about them.

charity: water

charitywater.org holds the descriptive standard from top to bottom.

• "Bring clean and safe water to every person on the planet"
• "Because clean water changes everything"
• "696 million people lack basic access to clean and safe drinking water"
• "Know that your donation is making a difference"
• “Ready to take action?”

Every header communicates something about the organization with an exception perhaps of the call to action one at the end. You come away from a scan knowing what they do and why. This is a great model.

Obama Foundation

obama.org makes a great go at descriptive headers as well.

• “Opening this June”
• "Our mission is to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world."
• “Be an insider”
• "Opening June 2026 — A place for connection, community, and wisdom."
• "Inspiration from leaders and communities around the world."
• "Empowering the next generation of changemakers."
• “Donate Today”

Interesting how there are some headers that speak to the organization as a whole but others that are for more timely efforts or program specific. This said, they all still connect and share something that helps begin to paint a picture about what the foundation is interested in.

Kiva

kiva.org does something especially useful. Their headers do the work of explaining how Kiva actually works.

• “Real people, real solutions”
• “Almost there! Fund the last few dollars they need”
• "100% of your loan goes to supporting borrowers"
• "Kivans help people improve their livelihoods"
• "Relend money you get back to help another person"
• “Make a loan”
• "Don’t miss a thing"

The are a few headers here that detail how Kiva's lending model is genuinely different from a traditional donation. The headers explain it in plain language without needing any supporting copy.

Ford Foundation

fordfoundation.org takes a hybrid approach. Some of its headers are description and help tell a bit of the Foundation’s story while others are labels.

• "The Work of Our Moment"
• "We are advancing equality"
• "We invest in transformative ideas, individuals and institutions"
• “Our Priorities”
• “Our News and Stories”
• "Building on over 90 years of impact"
• “Visit Us”

The first three touch on what the foundation is prioritizing. They detail the work of the moment as being equality and they do it by supporting “transformative ideas, individuals and institutions”. After these we get in to the more label territory with only the “90 years” communicating a bit about the organization.

How to improve your nonprofit homepage headers

It is our take that these examples should inspire you to be thoughtful and intentional about the words you or your copywriting partners create for your homepage headers.

We believe descriptive headers are worth pursuing on your homepage, but the goal isn't to force them everywhere.

Some sections may genuinely benefit from a clear and simple label. And there are places on a homepage where a short descriptive phrase may feel awkward or out of place.

But the more your headers tell your story, the better you are increasing their value to your site visitors who use them to scan and get to know your organization.

Something to try.

• Run the scan test. Read only your homepage headers, top to bottom. What does a first-time visitor now know? If the answer is "not much," there's room to improve.
• Start with your mission sections. Headers that introduce your programs, your model, or your impact are the best candidates. These are where empty headers do the most damage.
• Try making the subhead the header. Often the real message is already there, just buried one line down. Promote it up.
• Don't force it. If a section genuinely resists a descriptive header without sounding awkward, a label might be the right call. The goal is clarity, not a rule.

If you can read only your homepage headers and walk away knowing a bit of who you are, what you do, and why it matters then your headers are working for you. If not, you now know where to start.

Being intentional about your headers is a small shift that can make a real difference in how your site communicates and how visitors feel when they land on it.

If you're thinking about improvements like this for your website, we'd love to help. Get in touch.