Evaluating and choosing an appropriate method for developing and maintaining your web site is one of the most important decisions you'll make in your online fundraising work. Your choice will have significant staffing and cost implications. Many nonprofits find it works best to hire a Web developer to build a site and an internal Webmaster to handle the ongoing maintenance. Chances are, you've made a few mistakes already in this department, but that's ok. Between technology innovations and your changing needs, you'll be re-doing your web site every couple of years. So, evaluate your options, select one (or a combination, more likely) and get going.
Outsourcing: Hiring a Web development firm (or sometimes a single freelancer) to develop your site is usually the best solution, since most organizations don't have the expertise to build a new site in-house. You'll need to develop a detailed RFP (Request for Proposal) that details what features and functionality you want. Be prepared to give copies of your materials to the firms submitting proposals - annual reports, direct mail, newsletters, etc. Review sites the firm has created and check references. Talk to people at those organizations about work style, communication, maintenance, problems, costs, and timeliness.
The pro to hiring a Web development firm is that its staff has the skills and experience to build your site better and quicker than you could. And assuming you hire a good firm, you'll end up with a professional, appealing web site. Of course, the cons are similar to hiring a wrong person - you can easily waste time and money on the wrong firm.
Doing it in-house. These days, there are lots of Web savvy folks out there, and many nonprofits have successfully hired a staff person who uses his/her own skills and the many free tools available on the Web to develop and maintain a good site. Often the Webmaster is also the main contact with an outsourced Web developer working on a new site or a full site redesign. The position requires a resourceful person filling the role, plus good supervision, clear priorities and deadlines.
The pros are that you'll have a staff person available all the time to make quick changes and to keep the web site on the front burner, and the accumulated expertise stays in-house. The cons are that it's hard to find someone who has all the skills required - you'll need a budget to outsource some tasks - and once the site is completed she will only be using some of her skills to maintain the site.
Working with ASPs. Application Service Providers (ASPs) let you "rent" complex programs running on their own computer servers; they often provide functionality that you could not afford to build yourself. The application generally runs on their site but is formatted to look as if it is your site, so when a visitor accesses the application, they likely don't notice that they've been taken off your site. Some ASPs provide one or two applications, others provide a comprehensive suite of applications that work together. The Network for Good Donate Now service is an example of a donation processing ASP.
Source: Groundspring ITS Topic 4