The case for understanding content management systems.

In the muddy world of IT and web development, the acronym is king, with 'experts' vying to bewilder and bemuse those not in the know.

CMS is one such abbreviation. Although it's often heard, it's not always understood. But it isn't hard to grasp and, because the CMS provides the basis for most modern websites, it will benefit your organisation if you take the time to understand it.

What is a CMS?

CMS stands for content management system, a software that manages the contents of a website. It breaks the content into different areas, including the template (which is the basic design of the pages), the text, the images, the functionality and the background stuff (meta tags and data capture).

A CMS controls a database that holds parts of the website and the script that pulls them back together - hence the phrase 'database-driven site'.

Anyone with access to the CMS can build and load content from anywhere at any time with no technical knowledge.

Each package has been built by the company that sells it, or has been adapted from a package such as MS CMS. So each one is different and there are no standards for how they look, what they do or what bits and pieces are included. Buyer beware.

For example, a CMS can be written in Microsoft-based or open source languages.

Some allow you to edit everything, others open a small window to allow you to change text and images. Some come with a built-in editing tool, some don't. Some are accessed from your web pages, others you log into separately.

Consider your needs carefully. Who is going to do the editing and what skills do they have? Aim to find a CMS that does as much as possible within its standard offering on a system you can afford.

How to use the internet to raise funds

With National Giving Week starting next Monday, we should think about online fundraising and the many forms we can use to raise income on the web.

As well as donations through both credit or debit cards and direct debits, there is a range of more subtle 'asks'. Once you are set up to receive online donations, it is easy to add in-memoriam, celebration and birthday giving. Lotteries, auctions, publications, gift shopping and Christmas cards can all be built up from the simple card and direct debit schemes.

When you are looking for a supplier, consider how much they charge, how long they take to pay, how they supply their reporting data and how easy it will be to add transactions to your database and finance systems. It is sensible to think about which types of online payment you want in the next few years, and to find a supplier that can do them all.


Apart from fundraising, there are other ways to generate income from visitors, searches and affiliate marketing deals. Consider banner placement on your site, particularly if you have an audience that will want to know where they can get goods and services appropriate to their needs.

Charity-focused search engines, such as everyclick.com, offer income from your supporters simply for using their search engines, and online retailers, including Amazon and Thomas Cook, offer affiliate deals whereby any sales driven from your site are rewarded with a percentage of the income or a flat fee per referral.

The most important thing is to tell your supporters clearly and visibly about ways in which they can support you - whether by donation, subscription, using a specific service or clicking through from your site.

You can have the most sophisticated donation and referral system available, but if it isn't easy to find and easy to use, you won't raise a penny.