Cause-driven organizations have to be as flexible and nimble in their digital campaign strategies as private sector ones in order to create effective change. That being said, being able to invest time and money into digital campaign communications can feel like a real stretch for already-stretched teams. How can you take your work that extra mile without breaking the bank or your spirit? One way is by using a nimble content management system (CMS) to create a quick and pain-free website.

Design made simple

One of the biggest challenges to building a quick website is translating design comps into functional web development. With a nimble CMS, you can design while building. This makes for less internal friction and accessible results on a tight timeline. Using predefined design templates removes the strain of the development process, but maintains the flexibility to edit both now and in the future. And in case a particular template is almost right but not quite, they are often very easy to modify with some simple code. 

Loose ends made nonexistent  

If timing is an issue, then you definitely don’t have hours to spare setting up a custom environment for your site to live and operate. A nimble CMS is, “sort of like leasing and customizing an apartment in a really classy development instead of buying and owning your own house. You’re still in control of decor, cleaning, and everything living-wise – but you leave the construction, plumbing, security, and infrastructure to the property owner.” (via  ShivarWeb). Focus on the task at hand rather than burdensome technical dynamics. Let the CMS you choose do the work for you. 

Know what works

Once your new site is designed and built, it needs to start working for your campaign immediately. Tracking results and activity is critical to the success of your campaign. The majority of CMS options come with an integrated analytics tool, no setup is required. So while you’re out moving your campaign forward, the data are at your fingertips to make data-driven decisions. After all, campaigns are all about results. 

Here are some really great examples that illustrate the power of a flexible CMS. These websites were built in a series of weeks with small teams and very few custom modifications. Internews launched its United for News coalition to meet an international conference deadline and support journalists worldwide, and the organizations behind NetGain Partnership were able to get their new site up in order to focus immediately on increasing the number of people around the world who are using their technological skills to advance the common good.

Take this knowledge with you when the building of your next campaign website comes up. You’ll be surprised how powerful using a nimble CMS can be to helping you get up and online easily so that you can focus on the important stuff that drives change.