Wordpress allows you to build a website for folks to view, and, in limited ways, engage with content. Wordpress is a content management system (CMS), originally created for blogging. In contrast, NationBuilder is the world’s first leadership software. As such, NationBuilder provides everything you need to lead your organization, including a website, a database, all your communications tools, including email, social media, and text, as well as financial tools you need to accept donations. Full integration of all these tools in one platform improves your insights into the impact you’re having, and helps you to take action on those insights from within the software. NationBuilder’s is designed to help you identify, attract, and engage more readers, supporters, donors, voters, or customers, as opposed to simply creating a website for folks to view.

For many Wordpress users, NationBuilder replaces their website, and also their separate email provider, email marketing system (such as MailChimp), and their database, as well as, any other tools, like action widgets, fundraising technology, etc. that they need to run their organization.

Important Considerations 

Still interested in Wordpress? Here are some important things to consider: 

• Cost: To replicate the essential functionality that NationBuilder can offer, your Wordpress site will need to integrated with at least one or two (maybe more) other systems; this has real costs, in man hours and in subscription fees to multiple vendors, not to mention the headache of going to a host of different places looking for answers when something breaks. 
• Customer service and support: If you're planning to use Wordpress, remember that support looks like wading through technical documentation on their support forum. When you decide to go the Wordpress route, build in the cost of someone on retainer to help you trouble shoot, build anything custom, provide support for anything that breaks or updates that are needed, and, of course, to support any of the integrations you'll need to get the kind of impact you would from NationBuilder and our team of experts. 
• Security: Cyber attacks are a real threats and hacks are common, especially for high-profile leaders or efforts with real opponents. With Wordpress, you'll need to make outside arrangements for someone to handle your security if you want protection. And, even with that, your database--whether its connected to Wordpress or not, could still be vulnerable. NationBuilder is equipped to handle the security of the most high-profile leaders in the world, and all of our customers get the benefit of that. Each customer has their own isolated database so you’re not vulnerable to shoddy firewalls or accidental leaks. We provide world-class DDoS protection to counter the real threat of cyber attacks by hackers trying to bring you down, keeping you organizing when it matters most. 

Even Our Sites Are Better

Even NationBuilder's sites are better. Because Wordpress's focus is only on websites, they do have a large catalog of themes to make your site attractive, and people find website building on Wordpress, largely straightforward. However, Wordpress does not handle web hosting or software updates, and Wordpress themes need to be downloaded and installed separately. Engagement with your content, requires integrated plug-ins, beyond basic commenting on your writing. Finally, keeping security settings updated can be incredibly cumbersome.

In contrast, the NationBuilder website features responsive design, allowing your website to adapt to any size screen or device, and pre-designed action pages to engage visitors, convert them into advocates, supporters, recruiters, customers, donors, or fundraisers. You can collect event RSVPs, sell tickets, post petitions, accept donations, manage memberships, process invoices, crowdsource ideas, and more, on your site. And when any action is taken on your website, the information on that individual is immediately tracked in your people database. You can even target people for email, text blasts, phone calls, or in-person meetings based on past actions they’ve taken or demographic information. And, visitors can login automatically using email, Twitter or Facebook. Finally, we've built an ecosystem of NationBuilder experts, architects, developers, and apps that offer hundreds of options to customize your site, add even more functionality, and build cutting-edge designs with unmatched functionality. 

Do you want to keep your existing site?

For customers that already have a WordPress site they love, you can create an action center on NationBuilder with pages designed to engage your supporters more effectively, and take advantage of all of NationBuilder’s features while keeping your main WordPress site. Custom integrations between your existing site and NationBuilder. Just reach out!