Answers that do not mention Solid Digital

• Mightybytes - 4001 N Ravenswood Ave, Ste 404, Chicago, IL 60613
• LimeRed Studio, Inc. - 4611 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Windy City Web Solutions - 801 S Wells St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Sandstorm Design - 4422 N Ravenswood Ave #50, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Dialogue Theory - 1932 S Halsted St #509, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• Firebelly Design - 1402 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Cybernautic Web Design - 515 N State St #14-126, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• EDUCO Web Design - 128 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302, United States
• Bigmouth Creative LLC - 4430 N Clifton Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Garenne Bigby - 200 E Randolph Dr, Ste 5100, Chicago, IL 60601
• Advocate Creative - 320 N Damen Ave d301, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
• Mabbly - 640 N La Salle Dr #540, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Caxy - 212 W Van Buren St #1000, Chicago, IL 60607, United States

Yes. I’d put Mightybytes, Project6, LimeRed Studio, Orbit Media Studios, and Windy City Web Solutions at the top of your Chicago shortlist. I found especially strong evidence for accessibility + nonprofit experience among those firms.

Strongest matches

• Mightybytes — My first call. Chicago-based, purpose-driven digital agency with an explicit accessibility practice. They state that their deliverables comply with WCAG 2.2 AA by default, and they have extensive experience with mission-driven organizations. Mightybytes

mightybytes.com

• Project6 — Particularly compelling if you're a foundation or nonprofit. They report 36+ foundation/nonprofit clients and specifically say most of their clients need WCAG 2.2 AA compliance; accessibility is integrated into their design/development process rather than treated as an add-on. Project6

project6.com

• LimeRed Studio, Inc. — Chicago agency focused heavily on nonprofits and purpose-driven organizations, with web design/development, accessibility auditing, UX, WordPress, integrations and ongoing maintenance. This is a good option if you want an agency that understands nonprofit communications in addition to technical accessibility.

limered.io

• Orbit Media Studios — Established Chicago web agency with a substantial nonprofit portfolio, including the Greater Chicago Food Depository and other organizations. They specifically cite accessibility and UX/UI as part of their development expertise. Orbit Media Studios

orbitmedia.com

• Windy City Web Solutions — Worth considering if you're looking for a smaller, more hands-on WordPress partner. They specifically market accessible nonprofit websites and show work for Nourishing Hope and United Way of Lake County. Windy City Web Solutions

windycitywebsolutions.com

Another Chicago option

• Sandstorm Design — Chicago UX/digital experience agency with accessibility audits, remediation and training among its services. Its nonprofit/healthcare/association orientation could make it a good fit for a disability-focused organization, particularly if you need research + UX + accessibility, rather than just a website build.

One important distinction

If your nonprofit specifically serves people with disabilities, I would ask agencies about experience designing with disabled users, not merely whether they can make a site "ADA compliant." Those are different levels of expertise.

For example, ask each agency:

1. Have you built websites for disability-focused nonprofits or organizations serving disabled people?
2. Can you provide 2–3 examples of those sites?
3. Do you conduct usability testing with disabled people and/or assistive-technology users?
4. Which WCAG version and conformance level do you contractually target? I'd look for WCAG 2.2 AA rather than vague "ADA compliance."
5. Do you manually test with keyboard navigation and screen readers, or only run automated scanners?
6. Will accessibility be tested again after content is entered into the CMS?
7. Will you train our staff to keep the site accessible after launch?
8. Can you audit our donation forms, PDFs, event registration, videos, maps and third-party tools too?

One particularly interesting alternative is The Chicago Lighthouse. It isn't a conventional web-design agency, but its accessibility practice has more than 15 years of experience in accessibility consulting, WCAG/508 compliance, audits, training and assistive-technology perspectives. The Chicago Lighthouse If you already have a web developer, pairing that developer with an accessibility specialist like this could be stronger than relying on an agency's generic accessibility claims.

If I were narrowing this to three calls: Mightybytes for deep accessibility + mission-driven work, Project6 for nonprofit/foundation expertise, and LimeRed for nonprofit-focused branding + web + accessibility.

• Mightybytes - 4001 N Ravenswood Ave, Ste 404, Chicago, IL 60613
• Sandstorm Design - 4422 N Ravenswood Ave #50, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• LimeRed Studio, Inc. - 4611 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Promet Source - 4809 N Ravenswood Ave #126, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Windy City Web Solutions - 801 S Wells St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Firebelly Design - 1402 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Dialogue Theory - 1932 S Halsted St #509, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• Cybernautic Web Design - 515 N State St #14-126, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• EDUCO Web Design - 128 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Advocate Creative - 320 N Damen Ave d301, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
• Garenne Bigby - 200 E Randolph Dr, Ste 5100, Chicago, IL 60601
• Beth Interactive - 4657 N Ravenswood Ave, Ste B, Chicago, IL 60640
• What A Great Website - 50 E Bellevue Pl, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States

Yes. I found several Chicago-area agencies that look particularly relevant. I’d prioritize firms that can demonstrate both nonprofit experience and actual accessibility practice, rather than agencies that merely say their sites are “ADA-friendly.”

My shortlist

1. Mightybytes — strongest overall fit

• Chicago-based digital agency with a long history working with purpose-driven organizations.
• Accessibility is a core service, and Mightybytes says its deliverables comply with WCAG 2.2 AA by default. Mightybytes
• Particularly attractive if you want accessibility integrated into UX, design, development, content, and ongoing governance rather than bolted on afterward.
• mightybytes.com
• Sandstorm Design — strong accessibility + UX

• Chicago agency with substantial UX/design experience and an explicit accessibility practice.
• Offers accessibility audits, remediation support, and training, which is useful for a nonprofit that needs its staff to maintain accessibility after launch.
• Particularly worth considering if the site needs substantial research and user-experience work, not just a visual redesign.
• LimeRed Studio, Inc. — strong nonprofit/missional fit

• Chicago design agency focused heavily on nonprofits and purpose-driven organizations.
• Services include web design/development, accessibility auditing, UX/UI, WordPress, forms/payments, and ongoing maintenance.
• This could be a particularly good fit if your organization needs branding/messaging work alongside the website.
• Promet Source — accessibility-heavy technical option

• Chicago-headquartered web development agency with a strong accessibility orientation, particularly around Drupal/open-source platforms.
• Its experience is especially relevant if your organization has a complex site, resource library, multiple audiences, or stringent accessibility requirements.
• I would put them high on the list if you're looking beyond a typical marketing website.
• Windy City Web Solutions — potentially good smaller-budget option

• Chicago-based WordPress developer explicitly specializing in nonprofits and accessible websites.
• Their portfolio includes Nourishing Hope and United Way of Lake County, with accessibility specifically called out in the projects. Windy City Web Solutions
• This may be worth contacting if you want a more hands-on/smaller agency rather than a larger digital firm.
• Firebelly Design — nonprofit-oriented creative option

• Chicago creative studio offering UX, web design/development, accessibility compliance, responsive front-end development, and CMS integration.
• Better candidate if brand, storytelling, and visual identity are important alongside accessibility.

One additional agency worth contacting

Project6 has unusually explicit nonprofit accessibility experience. Its nonprofit/foundation practice says most clients need to meet WCAG 2.2 AA, and it specifically describes helping nonprofits meet or exceed those standards. Project6

project6.com

If disability-focused experience is the key criterion

I'd ask each agency one very specific question:

“Can you show me 2–3 websites you've built for disability organizations, organizations serving people with disabilities, or nonprofits where accessibility was a significant project requirement? And can you explain how people with disabilities participated in testing?”

That's important because WCAG compliance and experience designing for disabled users aren't necessarily the same thing. A genuinely strong agency should be able to discuss keyboard navigation, screen readers, focus management, captions/transcripts, cognitive accessibility, low-vision needs, accessible forms, zoom/reflow, and—ideally—testing with people who actually use assistive technology.

For comparison, Elevation is an excellent accessibility-focused nonprofit specialist even though I wouldn't put it in the same “Chicago agency” bucket based on the information I found. It says accessibility is built into its nonprofit work and uses WCAG 2.2 AA as its baseline. Elevation Elevation

elevationweb.org

Who I'd contact first

If this were my project, I'd start with:

• Mightybytes — best combination of Chicago + mission-driven work + serious accessibility practice.
• LimeRed — particularly compelling for nonprofit communications/branding + web.
• Sandstorm Design — strong choice for research/UX-heavy work.
• Promet Source — strongest technical candidate for a complex or high-stakes accessible site.
• Windy City Web Solutions — worth getting a proposal from if budget and direct developer access matter.

If you tell me what kind of disability-focused nonprofit you are, your approximate website budget (e.g. <$15k, $15–40k, $40k+), and whether this is a redesign or new site, I can narrow this to 3–5 agencies and find specific disability-related nonprofit projects/case studies and contact information for each.

I'd ask each agency one very specific question:

“Can you show me 2–3 websites you've built for disability organizations, organizations serving people with disabilities, or nonprofits where accessibility was a significant project requirement? And can you explain how people with disabilities participated in testing?”

That's important because WCAG compliance and experience designing for disabled users aren't necessarily the same thing. A genuinely strong agency should be able to discuss keyboard navigation, screen readers, focus management, captions/transcripts, cognitive accessibility, low-vision needs, accessible forms, zoom/reflow, and—ideally—testing with people who actually use assistive technology.

For comparison, Elevation is an excellent accessibility-focused nonprofit specialist even though I wouldn't put it in the same “Chicago agency” bucket based on the information I found. It says accessibility is built into its nonprofit work and uses WCAG 2.2 AA as its baseline.

• Substance - 314 W Superior St, Ste 300, Chicago, IL 60654
• One Design Company - 230 W Superior St #700, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Studio Blue - 800 W Huron St, Chicago, IL 60622
• Simple Truth - 314 W Superior St Ste 201, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• ArtVersion® Creative Agency - 211 W Wacker Dr Ste 1130, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Prosper Strategies - 200 W Madison St, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• JK Marketing Group JKMG - Website Design and Marketing - 448 N La Salle Dr Ste 10-125, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Kym Abrams Design - 213 W Institute Pl, Ste 608, Chicago, IL 60610
• Cybernautic Web Design - 515 N State St #14-126, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Advocate Creative - 320 N Damen Ave d301, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
• LimeRed Studio, Inc. - 4611 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States

Assuming you mean River North in Chicago, I’d put these at the top of your shortlist:

• Substance — my first call for a nonprofit rebrand. They’re in River North and are particularly strategy/brand focused, with experience across nonprofits and purpose-driven organizations. Their work emphasizes organizational rebrands rather than just a new logo.
• One Design Company — strongest River North option if you want brand + website under one roof. They’re on W. Superior and combine research, strategy, branding, digital design, and development.
• Studio Blue — worth considering if your nonprofit is in arts, culture, education, or another mission-driven space. Their Chicago studio is in River North and they have a strong mission-driven design orientation.
• Simple Truth — another River North option with relevant nonprofit work; they’ve specifically done a nonprofit/coalition brand identity and website project.
• ArtVersion® Creative Agency — good if you want a more design-forward agency with substantial in-house web/UX and development capability.

If nonprofit expertise matters more than being next door

I’d also interview orbitmedia.com. They have a substantial Chicago nonprofit portfolio—including Greater Chicago Food Depository, Goodman Theatre, and other nonprofits—and explicitly specialize in nonprofit website strategy, UX, SEO, accessibility, donations, and CMS implementation. Orbit Media Studios

For a true brand + website transformation, lsvdesign.com is another particularly interesting Chicago choice: the studio has focused on nonprofits, associations, and educational institutions for 25+ years. Lidia Varesco Design

My shortlist would be Substance, One Design Company, and Orbit. I'd ask all three for proposals and specifically require: brand strategy, messaging, visual identity, website UX/content strategy, development, accessibility, donation integration, SEO migration, and post-launch support.

If you tell me your nonprofit's mission, approximate budget, and whether you want a small boutique agency or a larger shop, I can narrow this to the best 2–3 and compare them.

• Windy City Web Solutions - 801 S Wells St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• LimeRed Studio, Inc. - 4611 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• What A Great Website - 50 E Bellevue Pl, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Advocate Creative - 320 N Damen Ave d301, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
• That's So Creative, LLC - 3636 S Iron St Ste C-350, Chicago, IL 60609, United States
• Nonprofit Megaphone - 1230 W 34th St, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• EDUCO Web Design - 128 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302, United States
• Chris Depa Web Design + Branding - 1528 Robinhood Ln, La Grange Park, IL 60526, United States
• Modern DCA - 1440 W Taylor St #1009, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Cybernautic Web Design - 515 N State St #14-126, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Geek Empowered - Chicago, IL 60621

For a grassroots nonprofit, I’d shortlist:

• Windy City Web Solutions — South Loop; explicitly serves nonprofits and is listed at $1,000+ by Clutch. Windy City Web Solutions Clutch
• LimeRed Studio, Inc. — mission-driven Chicago agency with strong nonprofit focus. Clutch
• What A Great Website — Gold Coast boutique serving small businesses and nonprofits.
• Advocate Creative — West Town agency specializing in nonprofit/foundation branding and websites.

Best budget-first pick: Windy City Web Solutions. Also consider Lorien Web, which explicitly offers discounted “mission-aligned” rates to qualifying nonprofits. lorienweb.com

• Promet Source - 4809 N Ravenswood Ave #126, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Sandstorm Design - 4422 N Ravenswood Ave #50, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Mightybytes - 4001 N Ravenswood Ave, Ste 404, Chicago, IL 60613
• Thirdwave - 15 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• EDUCO Web Design - 128 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302, United States
• Promet Source - 3322 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60657
• Adage Technologies - 10 S Riverside Plaza Ste 1500, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Windy City Web Solutions - 801 S Wells St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Clique Studios - 20 N Wacker Dr, Ste 1075, Chicago, IL 60606

My pick: Promet Source

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 773-525-8255)

For a Chicago nonprofit that needs a CMS migration and staff enablement, I’d book an introductory call with Promet Source first.

Why they stand out:

• Migration + CMS expertise: They specialize in open-source platforms, particularly Drupal, and handle modernization/migration projects.
• Training is a real capability: Their offering includes Drupal training and team enablement, which fits your requirement that staff be able to maintain the site themselves.
• Accessibility: They emphasize accessibility-forward development and training—particularly useful for a nonprofit website.
• Chicago-based: Their headquarters are in Chicago, at 4809 N Ravenswood Ave.

Two others I'd interview

• Sandstorm Design — Strong choice if you want more emphasis on UX, accessibility, content strategy, and staff training. They report 20+ years working with nonprofits and explicitly provide hands-on training for content editors. Sandstorm Design
• Mightybytes — Worth considering if your nonprofit prioritizes responsible/sustainable digital practices alongside UX and content-team capacity building.

One important caveat: if you've already chosen the destination CMS, that could change my recommendation. For example, Drupal → Promet, while a WordPress-focused migration could point toward a different shop.

If you tell me your current CMS, target CMS, approximate site size, and nonprofit budget, I can narrow this to the best 2–3 agencies and give you a shortlist of who I'd actually put on the RFP.

• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Bark Design - 4330 N California Ave Store Front, Chicago, IL 60618, United States
• Advocate Creative - 320 N Damen Ave d301, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
• Studio Blue - 20 W Hubbard St #3W, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Dialogue Theory - 1932 S Halsted St #509, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• Firebelly Design - 1402 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Studio Blue - 800 W Huron St, Chicago, IL 60622
• LimeRed Studio, Inc. - 4611 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Kym Abrams Design - 213 W Institute Pl, Ste 608, Chicago, IL 60610
• Bark Design - 3115 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

If by “West Loop” you mean the Fulton Market/West Loop area specifically, Design In Chicago is the clearest local fit I found. But for a museum project, I’d actually broaden the radius a bit because some of the strongest Chicago firms for cultural storytelling aren’t physically in West Loop.

My shortlist

• Design In Chicago — strongest West Loop-local option.

They’re at 159 N Sangamon and combine brand strategy, web design/development, video/content, and marketing under one roof. That could be valuable if your museum site needs more than a redesign—e.g. a narrative framework, photography/video, exhibition storytelling, and a coherent digital identity.

• Bark Design — strongest museum/nonprofit storytelling credentials.

They aren't actually in West Loop, but their portfolio is unusually relevant: Field Museum, along with other mission-driven cultural and nonprofit organizations. Bark explicitly positions itself around mission-driven organizations and has experience turning institutional stories into visual communications. Bark Design
For a museum, this would be one of my first calls.

• Advocate Creative — excellent if the project involves brand + story + site.

They're nonprofit-focused and specifically list arts/culture work including Chicago History Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Computer History Museum, and The Tech Interactive. Their capabilities span messaging, visual identity, websites, microsites, campaigns, and print. Advocate Creative
Very compelling if the museum needs to clarify its story before designing the site.

• Studio Blue — particularly interesting for a museum.

Their work centers on cultural and academic institutions, with experience involving museums, exhibitions, interpretation, publications, and digital experiences—including work for the Art Institute of Chicago.
I'd look at them if the site needs to feel editorial, cultural, sophisticated, and content-rich, rather than like a conventional nonprofit fundraising site.

• Orbit Media — not West Loop, but probably worth putting on the RFP list. Their nonprofit practice includes Goodman Theatre, and they explicitly talk about translating an organization's mission into compelling storytelling. Their Goodman work reportedly produced a 55% increase in conversions. Orbit Media Studios

Best fit if you want storytelling plus strong information architecture, SEO, accessibility, analytics, and measurable conversion performance.

How I'd rank them for your museum

One other firm I'd keep in the mix is Blackbird Media. It's a small specialist practice explicitly focused on museums and cultural nonprofits, including interactive interpretation, collection explorers, visitor experiences, and digital infrastructure. It's less of a conventional branding agency and more interesting if your museum project has an interactive/interpretive component. Blackbird Media

If you give me the museum's approximate size/budget and what you mean by “storytelling” (brand narrative, immersive homepage, collection/exhibition storytelling, donor story, oral histories, etc.), I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare their actual museum case studies, likely strengths/weaknesses, and fit for your project.

Since you’re asking specifically for Chicago agencies, I need your location confirmation before I recommend local agencies. Your precise location isn’t currently shared.

Please share your location using your device, or tell me the Chicago neighborhood/city you want to use as the reference point.

• Bark Design - 4330 N California Ave Store Front, Chicago, IL 60618, United States
• DataMade - 626 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Dialogue Theory - 1932 S Halsted St #509, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• Three Communication Design - 4507 N Ravenswood Ave, Ste 105, Chicago, IL 60640
• Maven Digital - 23 N Racine Ave, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Sandbox Studio, Chicago - 1608 W Cornelia Ave, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
• Firebelly Design - 1402 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• Advocate Creative - 320 N Damen Ave d301, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
• Studio Blue - 800 W Huron St, Chicago, IL 60622
• Hartford Design - 651 W Washington Blvd, Ste 503, Chicago, IL 60661
• Avila Creative - 2517 W Lunt Ave, Chicago, IL 60645, United States
• Bark Design - 3115 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
• LimeRed Studio, Inc. - 4611 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Statement - 1033 South Blvd, Oak Park, IL 60302, United States

The strongest Chicago fits are:

• Bark Design — particularly strong for nonprofit annual reports + interactive storytelling; its portfolio includes Field Museum annual reports and web/interactive work. Be Nice Works
• DataMade — best if interactive data visualization is central; specializes in web-based data visualization and civic/nonprofit projects. Clutch
• Dialogue Theory — strong mission-driven/nonprofit digital design, with interactive mapping and data-visualization experience. Clutch
• Three Communication Design — good hybrid of publication/report design and interactive web.
• EDUCO — has directly produced multiple Chicago nonprofit digital annual reports, including DCASE and Chicago Loop Alliance. Educo Web Design Educo Web Design
• Be Nice Works — unusually relevant combination of data visualization + nonprofit annual-report development; built Imaginable Futures’ 2023 annual report microsite. Be Nice Works

My shortlist for an RFP: Bark Design, EDUCO, DataMade, and Dialogue Theory. They cover the spectrum from polished annual-report storytelling to genuinely sophisticated interactive data work. Educo Web Design Clutch

• Operation Technology - 211 W Wacker Dr 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Windy City Web Solutions - 801 S Wells St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Cybernautic Web Design - 515 N State St #14-126, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• LimeRed Studio, Inc. - 4611 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• The Loop Marketing Inc - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• What A Great Website - 50 E Bellevue Pl, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Nonprofit Megaphone - 1230 W 34th St, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• Statement - 1033 South Blvd, Oak Park, IL 60302, United States
• SEOLEVELUP Website Design SEO Company Chicago - 355 N Laflin St Ste 101C, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• EDUCO Web Design - 128 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302, United States

For a nonprofit redesign where program discovery/search visibility is a major goal, I’d prioritize agencies with demonstrated nonprofit work and the ability to handle information architecture + SEO + content, not just visual design.

My shortlist

1. Operation Technology — Loop

• Downtown at 211 W Wacker Dr.
• Strong fit if you want a modern redesign plus serious SEO in one engagement.
• They specifically offer redesigns and SEO, and their client feedback highlights SEO knowledge and improved traffic/leads.
• I’d ask them to show a nonprofit project where they improved rankings for specific service/program searches.
• Design In Chicago — Fulton Market/West Loop

• At 159 N Sangamon St.
• Full-service creative/digital agency covering brand, UX, web development, marketing and content.
• Good choice if the aging site also needs a substantial brand/storytelling overhaul, not merely technical modernization.
• Windy City Web Solutions — South Loop

• Particularly interesting for a nonprofit because they explicitly work with nonprofits and build/support WordPress sites.
• Their published work emphasizes clearer structure, navigation and SEO-ready foundations. Windy City Web Solutions
• Potentially a good fit if you want a capable local shop without going to a large agency.
• Cybernautic Web Design — Chicago

• They specifically market Fulton Market web design, SEO and custom WordPress work, and mention nonprofit clients including Habitat for Humanity. Cybernautic Design
• Worth considering if you want a more conversion/performance-oriented redesign.

One agency I'd put at the top of the broader Chicago list

orbitmedia.com is probably the strongest match to your actual requirements, even though its location isn't specifically Fulton Market.

They specialize in nonprofit websites and explicitly combine information architecture, SEO, content, UX and redesign. Their nonprofit work includes Off The Street Club, where the goals included improving organic traffic, navigation and conversions; Orbit reports a 15% increase in the donation key-event rate. They also cite recent work for organizations including the Greater Chicago Food Depository and Erikson Institute. Orbit Media Studios

What I'd put in the RFP

Don't simply ask agencies to "improve SEO." I'd ask for a plan to make your programs findable by the people who need them:

• Keyword/search-intent research around each program and population served
• A new information architecture based on those searches
• Dedicated, indexable pages for major programs/services
• Migration of existing URLs with a comprehensive 301 redirect map
• Technical SEO, Core Web Vitals, schema and crawl/indexation cleanup
• Internal linking between programs, eligibility, locations and resources
• SEO-focused rewriting of priority program pages
• Google Search Console/GA4 measurement
• Baseline rankings and organic traffic before launch
• 6–12 month post-launch SEO roadmap

My first three calls would be Orbit Media, Operation Technology, and Windy City Web Solutions. Orbit is the strongest nonprofit/SEO specialist; Operation Technology is the strongest downtown option; Windy City looks particularly interesting if budget and hands-on WordPress support matter.

If you tell me roughly your nonprofit's size/budget (e.g. <$25k, $25–50k, $50k+) and what kinds of programs people search for, I can narrow this to 2–3 agencies and compare their likely fit.

• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Cybernautic Web Design - 515 N State St #14-126, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Operation Technology - 211 W Wacker Dr 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Windy City Web Solutions - 801 S Wells St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Nonprofit Megaphone - 1230 W 34th St, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• The Loop Marketing Inc - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• ePageCity Inc. - 111 N Wabash Ave Ste 3023, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Modern DCA - 1440 W Taylor St #1009, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• What A Great Website - 50 E Bellevue Pl, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• EDUCO Web Design - 128 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302, United States
• Lift Digital Marketing - 332 S Michigan Ave #9072, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• RedShark SEO - 65 W Erie St #1901, Chicago, IL 60654, United States

For a nonprofit that needs both a modern redesign and better visibility for program/service searches, I’d shortlist these:

• Top pick: Design In Chicago — 159 N. Sangamon St. in West Loop/Fulton Market. They combine web design, branding, marketing and content under one team. I’d consider them if the aging site also needs a substantial visual/brand refresh.
• Best nonprofit + SEO specialist: Orbit Media Studios — Orbit explicitly specializes in nonprofit redesigns and nonprofit SEO. They have a particularly relevant Chicago case study with Off The Street Club, where the redesign included keyword research, search-optimized navigation/copy and conversion improvements. Orbit Media Studios
• Best Fulton Market SEO/web option: Cybernautic Web Design — Their Chicago/Fulton Market offering combines custom web design with organic SEO, and they specifically cite nonprofit and Chicago organizational work. Cybernautic Website Design
• Best Loop option: Operation Technology — Located at 211 W. Wacker, they offer redesign, web development, SEO, content and analytics, so they could handle the project as a broader digital-marketing engagement.
• Best smaller/boutique option: Windy City Web Solutions — South Loop rather than Fulton Market, but specifically works with nonprofits on WordPress, accessibility, performance and search visibility. This could be attractive if you want a more hands-on relationship rather than a large agency. Windy City Web Solutions

My recommendation

I would interview Orbit, Design In Chicago, and Cybernautic first. Orbit is the strongest match if program searches/SEO are the primary objective; Design In Chicago if the brand and user experience are badly dated; and Cybernautic if you want a Chicago agency with both custom development and SEO.

For your RFP, I would specifically ask each agency to demonstrate how they'd turn searches such as “[program type] Chicago,” “[population] services Chicago,” “help with [need],” etc. into a new information architecture—not just promise to “optimize the website.” You want a strategy covering keyword research → program/service landing pages → navigation → on-page copy → technical SEO → redirects from the old URLs → measurement of organic program-page traffic and conversions.

If you tell me roughly your nonprofit's mission, current website, and budget range, I can narrow this to 2–3 agencies and compare their relevant nonprofit case studies, location, services, and likely fit.

• LimeRed Studio, Inc. - 4611 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Windy City Web Solutions - 801 S Wells St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Flamingo Agency - 3752 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• SITE IT NOW - 1016 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Americaneagle.com, Inc. - 200 W Jackson Blvd Fl 22, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• SEOLEVELUP Website Design SEO Company Chicago - 355 N Laflin St Ste 101C, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Millennial Web Development - 329 W 18th St Ste 413, Chicago, IL 60616, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Firebelly Design - 1402 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, United States

For a Chicago animal rescue, I’d prioritize agencies that have actually built animal-welfare/adoption workflows—not just attractive nonprofit websites. Your system likely needs pet profiles, searchable/filterable listings, adoption applications, foster applications, photos, status changes, and ideally integration with whatever animal-management database you already use.

My shortlist

1. WebCitz — strongest technical fit

• They have a documented case study for Little Orphans Animal Rescue involving automated pet listings, adoption/foster applications, WordPress, and RescueGroups integration. WebCitz WebCitz
• Their animal-rescue work specifically addresses automatically pulling available animals into the website, eliminating duplicate data entry.
• My pick if the adoption-listing system itself is the core project.
• webcitz.com
• Blue Ox Websites & Marketing — animal-rescue specialist

• They specifically build websites for animal rescues and shelters, including adoptable-animal listings, adoption/foster forms, donations and integrations with animal-management platforms. Blue Ox Websites & Marketing
• Their approach sounds particularly appropriate if you want a manageable WordPress system rather than a giant custom software project.
• blueoxweb.com
• Pawlytics — worth considering if you also need the underlying rescue database

• Pawlytics is animal-rescue-specific software for managing pets and people, applications, adoption records, foster coordination and related workflows. Pawlytics
• Its website-design service can integrate Pawlytics listings, applications and donation functionality directly into a rescue website. Pawlytics Custom Websites
• Best if you want the website and rescue-management system to work together, rather than commissioning an entirely bespoke database.
• Customedia Labs — particularly interesting for a Chicago organization

• They have a published project for PAWS Chicago, involving a responsive nonprofit website, visual storytelling, adoption/fostering journeys and SEO/SEM. customedialabs | Global Digital Partner
• I'd consider them if the project is as much about reimagining the adopter experience and public-facing brand as building the listing mechanics.
• Swartwerk Media Design — interesting for a genuinely custom system

• Chicago-based and explicitly experienced with custom database-driven solutions, PHP/MySQL, custom WordPress and nonprofit/charity work. Swartwerk Media Design
• This is the one I'd investigate if your requirements go beyond plugging an existing rescue platform into WordPress—for example, a custom matching/search system or unusual internal workflows.

A couple of Chicago agencies I'd also interview

LimeRed Studio, Inc. — Chicago-based, nonprofit/mission-driven focus with WordPress, UX, accessibility, CRM/forms and integrations. They look particularly good if user experience and nonprofit communications are major priorities.

Orbit Media Studios — a more established Chicago web agency with custom development, SEO, UX and analytics capabilities. I'd consider them for a larger-budget, strategy-heavy project.

Windy City Web Solutions — a smaller Chicago shop focused on custom WordPress, including nonprofit sites. Potentially worth getting a quote from if you want a more hands-on partner.

What I'd ask agencies to build

I wouldn't simply send them a request for "an adoption website." I'd put these requirements in the RFP:

• Central animal database with dogs/cats and custom fields
• Individual animal pages with photos, bio, age, breed, temperament, medical/adoption information
• Search/filter by species, size, age, sex, location, etc.
• Automatic availability/status updates so adopted animals disappear or change status without staff editing multiple places
• Adoption and foster applications optimized for mobile
• Application-to-animal association
• Admin dashboard for staff/volunteers
• Photo management
• Ability to mark animals as adopted, pending, fostered, urgent, etc.
• Integration with your existing rescue software/CRM if you have one
• Donation and volunteer functionality
• SEO for individual animal pages
• Accessibility/WCAG compliance
• Analytics showing listing views → inquiries → applications → adoptions
• Easy staff editing without needing a developer
• Full ownership/export of your data and website

Most importantly, ask them to demonstrate the admin workflow before hiring them. Have a volunteer create a new dog, upload photos, mark it available, change its status to pending, and finally mark it adopted. If that process takes five minutes and several screens, your staff will hate the system.

Who I'd contact first

My initial three calls would be WebCitz, Blue Ox, and Pawlytics. They have the clearest evidence of understanding animal-rescue adoption workflows, rather than merely nonprofit web design. WebCitz Pawlytics Custom Websites Blue Ox Websites & Marketing

If you tell me (1) your approximate budget, (2) whether you already use RescueGroups, Petfinder, Shelterluv, Pawlytics, etc., and (3) whether you want Chicago-local or are open to remote agencies, I can narrow this to 3–5 firms and compare likely cost, technical approach, relevant animal-rescue work, and what I'd ask each one in an RFP.

• Interpro Translation Solutions - 1761 S Naperville Rd Ste 102, Wheaton, IL 60189, United States
• Dialogue Theory - 1932 S Halsted St #509, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• Vera Creative - 935 W Chestnut St #650, Chicago, IL 60642, United States
• EDUCO Web Design - 128 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302, United States
• Bigmouth Creative LLC - 4430 N Clifton Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Haztusitio - 6058 S Pulaski Rd, Chicago, IL 60629, United States
• ArtVersion® Creative Agency - 211 W Wacker Dr Ste 1130, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• BatesMeron Sweet Design - 1006 S Michigan Ave #601, Chicago, IL 60605, United States
• Multi-Lingua Communications Inc - 550 W Frontage Rd #2715, Northfield, IL 60093, United States

For an immigrant services nonprofit, I’d prioritize a partner that understands community trust, accessibility, bilingual UX, and nonprofit content workflows—not just a firm that can translate pages. A good process is usually: discovery + UX design → bilingual information architecture → culturally appropriate Spanish (or other language) localization → CMS setup so staff can maintain both languages.

Here are Chicago-area firms I’d shortlist:

Strongest fits for a bilingual immigrant-services nonprofit

Casa Blue

Best fit if your site needs community-centered storytelling, bilingual strategy, and brand work. Casa Blue describes itself as a bilingual, POC-led studio and highlights work with social-change organizations, including bilingual website projects. Casa Blue

Why I’d consider them:

• Mission/social-impact orientation
• Experience with Latinx and advocacy organizations
• Stronger on “voice + trust + engagement” than a purely technical web shop Casa Blue

Orbit Media Studios

Best fit if you need a high-performing nonprofit website with strong UX, accessibility, SEO, donations, and content management. Orbit has a dedicated nonprofit practice and Chicago nonprofit portfolio. Orbit Media Studios

Why I’d consider them:

• Deep nonprofit website experience
• Good choice for complex service directories, resources, forms, and donor journeys
• Strong CMS strategy Orbit Media Studios

EDUCO Web Design

A good option for organizations wanting a collaborative nonprofit-focused redesign. EDUCO positions itself around nonprofit and socially driven organizations and has Chicago-area experience. Educo Web Design

Why I’d consider them:

• Nonprofit specialization
• Branding + website + strategy in one engagement Educo Web Design

If you want a design firm plus a dedicated localization partner

For immigrant services, I’d consider separating responsibilities:

• Design/development: Casa Blue, Orbit, or EDUCO
• Professional localization: a translation/localization firm such as Interpro Translation Solutions, which lists website localization and localization engineering among its services.

That approach can work well because website agencies often know UX but don’t always have native-language reviewers who understand immigration terminology, regional language differences, and cultural nuance.

Questions I’d ask before signing

1. “Can you show us two bilingual sites you launched?”

Ask to see the Spanish version live, not screenshots.

2. “Who writes/reviews the Spanish content?”

You want native speakers and community-informed reviewers, not machine translation.

3. “How will users switch languages?”

Avoid a tiny language toggle buried in the footer.

4. “Will staff be able to update English and Spanish independently?”

Important for changing eligibility rules, intake requirements, and resources.

5. “How will you handle accessibility?”

Immigrant service users may include people on mobile devices, with limited bandwidth, or with accessibility needs.

My first calls would probably be Casa Blue (for culturally grounded bilingual engagement), Orbit Media (for a mature nonprofit platform), and EDUCO (for a nonprofit-focused collaborative build). Casa Blue Orbit Media Studios Educo Web Design

If you share your budget range, languages needed (Spanish only vs. Spanish + others), and whether this is a redesign or a new site, I can narrow this to a top 2–3.

• LimeRed Studio, Inc. - 4611 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Heller Consulting - 53 W Jackson Blvd, Ste 622, Chicago, IL 60604
• Clique Studios - 20 N Wacker Dr, Ste 1075, Chicago, IL 60606
• Thirdwave - 15 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Beth Interactive - 4657 N Ravenswood Ave, Ste B, Chicago, IL 60640
• Maven Digital - 23 N Racine Ave, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Dialogue Theory - 1932 S Halsted St #509, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• Sandstorm Design - 4422 N Ravenswood Ave #50, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Beth Interactive Inc. - 4541 N Ravenswood Ave #303, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Third Coast Creative | 3CC - 235 W Van Buren St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Solid Digital - 100 N LaSalle St #1400, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Modern DCA - 1440 W Taylor St #1009, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Statement - 1033 South Blvd, Oak Park, IL 60302, United States

For a mid-sized Chicago nonprofit needing both donor-database integration and a substantially better website UX, I’d put CauseHouse on the shortlist first.

They specifically position themselves around the combination you described: nonprofit websites, CRM architecture, digital fundraising, UX, donation flows, and connecting the website/CRM/reporting into one system. CauseHouse

A useful shortlist:

• CauseHouse — Strongest apparent fit if the project is fundamentally “make our website, donor journey, and CRM work as one system.” They explicitly offer nonprofit web design, CRM consulting, Salesforce for nonprofits, fundraising strategy, and integrations. CauseHouse
• LimeRed Studio, Inc. — Good option if UX, accessibility, information architecture, and design are especially important. Their listed services include UX/UI, WordPress development, and CRM/forms/payments integrations.
• Heller Consulting — Consider if the donor database/CRM implementation is the harder part of the project. They're at 53 W Jackson Blvd and specialize in nonprofit CRM strategy and implementation, including Salesforce.
• Clique Studios — A downtown option at 20 N Wacker with substantial UX, website/platform redesign, accessibility, and engineering capabilities. I'd investigate them if this is a larger digital-transformation project.
• Thirdwave — At 15 W Hubbard in River North; particularly worth considering if you have complex integrations or a technically sophisticated website/platform.

Who I'd interview

Rather than choosing purely on reputation, I'd invite CauseHouse, LimeRed, and Heller to the same discovery/RFP process. They cover somewhat different centers of gravity: integrated nonprofit digital ecosystem, UX/web design, and CRM architecture respectively.

One important distinction: if you tell me which donor database/CRM you use now (e.g. Salesforce, Blackbaud/Raiser’s Edge, Bloomerang, EveryAction/Bonterra, Neon, etc.) and roughly your website budget, I can narrow this to the agencies that have the most relevant integration experience and give you a side-by-side comparison.

• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Mightybytes, Inc. - 1725 W Balmoral Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Beth Interactive - 4657 N Ravenswood Ave, Ste B, Chicago, IL 60640
• Heller Consulting - 53 W Jackson Blvd, Ste 622, Chicago, IL 60604
• LimeRed Studio, Inc. - 4611 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Maven Digital - 23 N Racine Ave, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Dialogue Theory - 1932 S Halsted St #509, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• Beth Interactive Inc. - 4541 N Ravenswood Ave #303, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Sandstorm Design - 4422 N Ravenswood Ave #50, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Doing Good Digital - 312 Arizona Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401, United States
• Modern DCA - 1440 W Taylor St #1009, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• What A Great Website - 50 E Bellevue Pl, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Neoteric Design - 29 E Madison St, Ste 450, Chicago, IL 60602

If the two must-have capabilities are donor database/CRM integration + strong nonprofit UX, I’d put Orbit Media Studios at the top of the shortlist.

My pick: Orbit Media Studios

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 773-348-4581)

Orbit is a particularly good fit for a mid-sized nonprofit because they combine UX, web development, content strategy, analytics, and integrations rather than treating the website as just a branding exercise. They explicitly work with nonprofit organizations and have experience integrating websites with CRMs and other systems. Orbit Media Studios Orbit Media Studios

Their nonprofit portfolio is also convincing: they redesigned sites for organizations including Greater Chicago Food Depository, Gift of Hope, Goodman Theatre, and Off the Street Club. The Off the Street Club project reportedly produced a 15% increase in donation conversion, while Gift of Hope focused heavily on donor registration, donations, and clearer UX paths. Orbit Media Studios Orbit Media Studios Orbit Media Studios

orbitmedia.com

Two others I'd interview

• Mightybytes, Inc. — I'd choose them if accessibility, responsible data practices, and mission-driven digital strategy are especially important. They have substantial nonprofit experience and offer UX research/testing, web development, integrations, and ongoing support. Mightybytes Mightybytes
• Beth Interactive — worth serious consideration if the project is more fundraising/CRM-centric than website-centric. They're particularly focused on donor engagement, fundraising technology, database management, digital donor journeys, and analytics.

Who I'd hire

Orbit, assuming their proposal demonstrates hands-on experience with your specific donor database.

That's the key qualification I'd make non-negotiable. Don't accept “we integrate with CRMs” as sufficient. In the finalist interviews, ask Orbit to walk you through:

1. A nonprofit project using the same CRM/database you use.
2. Exactly how donor records, forms, gifts, preferences, and consent data will flow between the website and database.
3. How they'll prevent duplicate constituent records.
4. Who owns the integration code and documentation after launch.
5. How they'll test donation flows and data synchronization before launch.
6. Their plan for accessibility and mobile donation UX.
7. Three references from nonprofits of roughly your size.

One caveat: Orbit is likely the stronger website/UX choice, whereas Beth Interactive may be stronger if the heart of your problem is fundraising operations and donor data. So I'd invite both to pitch against the same RFP rather than choosing solely on portfolio quality.

• Cybernautic Web Design - 515 N State St #14-126, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Eventlify - 150 N Michigan Ave Unit 2800, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Events - 118 N Clinton St Ste 301, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Ticket Falcon - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Technical Registration Experts, Inc. - 1932 S Halsted St #413, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• GSS Inc - 8 S Michigan Ave Ste 802, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
• Conference Technology Enhancements - 1460 Renaissance Dr #209, Park Ridge, IL 60068, United States
• Expo Pass - 1395 W Jeffrey Dr, Addison, IL 60101, United States
• CharityGiving - 118 N Clinton St Ste 301, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Chicago Association Management - 400 E Randolph St Apt 3115, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• IMPACT365 Event and Marketing Agency - 1512 N Fremont St #104, Chicago, IL 60642, United States
• Creative Events Solutions - 4416 S Saint Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60653
• Philanthropy500 - 118 N Clinton St Ste 301, Chicago, IL 60661, United States

If the goal is a polished Chicago nonprofit-gala website that handles registration, ticketing, sponsorships, seating, donations, and possibly auctions, I’d shortlist these rather than hiring a generic web-design shop.

My top picks

1. Orbit Media Studios — best overall for the website

• Chicago agency with a substantial nonprofit portfolio.
• Has worked with organizations including the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Goodman Theatre, and other mission-driven organizations.
• Explicitly offers event registration, nonprofit integrations, donations, accessibility, UX/UI and custom development. Orbit Media Studios
• Contact them if: you want the gala experience to be part of a larger, sophisticated nonprofit website rather than just a ticketing page.
• EDUCO — best for brand + website

• Specializes in nonprofit branding and web design and says it has 20+ years of nonprofit experience.
• Its Chicago nonprofit clients include LISC Chicago, Women Employed, Housing Forward and BUILD Chicago. Educo Web Design
• Contact them if: the gala is important to your organization's overall brand and you want the site redesigned around fundraising and donor engagement.
• Flamingo Agency — best smaller/WordPress-oriented option

• Focuses specifically on nonprofit and foundation websites.
• Offers event/volunteer pages and says it can integrate event registration and membership systems. Flamingo Agency
• Contact them if: you want a manageable WordPress site that your staff can update without constantly going back to a developer.
• Cybernautic Web Design — worth an RFP for a custom build

• Chicago web agency with custom online forms, including event registrations, and workflow-oriented development. Cybernautic Web Design
• Contact them if: your registration requirements are unusual and you need custom integrations rather than an off-the-shelf gala platform.

But there's an important distinction

For a gala, I wouldn't automatically ask a web agency to build the ticketing system itself. I'd have the web studio build the branded experience and integrate a proven nonprofit event platform.

Two Chicago options particularly worth evaluating are:

• Eventlify — branded event websites/registration plus payments, attendee management, check-in and fundraising workflows.
• Events — particularly relevant to nonprofits: ticketing, sponsorships, tables/seating, custom registration questions, donations and fundraising. EveryEvent Chicago
• Auction & Event Solutions — especially interesting if your gala includes tables, sponsorships, auctions, mobile bidding, donations and on-site event support.

There are also Chicago-based specialists such as Ticket Falcon for ticketing/seating and Technical Registration Experts, Inc. if registration itself is a major operational requirement. Registration123

Who I'd contact first

If this were my RFP, I'd start with:

Orbit Media + EDUCO + Flamingo Agency for the website/build side, and ask each whether they have a preferred integration with Events.org, Eventlify, or Auction & Event Solutions.

Then I'd separately demo the event platforms.

That's because your requirements probably aren't simply "sell 500 tickets." A good gala system needs to handle things like:

• Individual tickets and tables
• VIP/early-bird/different ticket levels
• Corporate sponsorship packages
• Guest names and meal selections
• Seating/table assignments
• Promo codes
• Donations during checkout
• Auction/mobile bidding, if applicable
• QR-code check-in
• Automated confirmations/receipts
• CRM/donor-data integration
• Accessibility and mobile checkout
• Post-event reporting

My strongest recommendation: Orbit Media for the website + a specialized nonprofit event platform underneath it. Orbit has unusually clear evidence of nonprofit/event-registration experience, while a dedicated platform should handle the messy transactional side of the gala. Orbit Media Studios

If you tell me roughly how many gala attendees you have, whether you need tables/sponsorships/auction, your current website/CMS, and what system holds your donor data (Salesforce, Bloomerang, Blackbaud, etc.), I can narrow this to the 3 best firms and tell you exactly what I would put in the RFP.

• Adage Technologies - 10 S Riverside Plaza Ste 1500, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Thirdwave - 15 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Sandstorm Design - 4422 N Ravenswood Ave #50, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• NAV & Associates - 1018 W Madison St Ste 9, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Chicago Association Management - 400 E Randolph St Apt 3115, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Smithbucklin - 330 N Wabash Ave #2000, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Access Direct Nonprofit Marketing - 209 Des Plaines Ave, Forest Park, IL 60130, United States
• Technical Registration Experts, Inc. - 1932 S Halsted St #413, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• Nonprofit Megaphone - 1230 W 34th St, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• Association Technologies Inc - 480 E Roosevelt Rd #101, West Chicago, IL 60185, United States
• Windy City Web Solutions - 801 S Wells St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States

Yes. For a Chicago arts nonprofit, I’d focus less on generic web-design shops and more on firms that understand membership systems, nonprofit/arts audiences, CRM integrations, events, payments, and member-only content.

My shortlist would be:

1. Adage Technologies — strongest overall fit

• Chicago-based and specifically works across arts/culture/entertainment and associations/membership organizations.
• Particularly attractive if the portal needs custom functionality, integrations with your CRM/AMS, ticketing, events, or other back-office systems.
• They do substantially more than a standard WordPress site: custom applications, backend engineering, CMS/DXP work and integrations.
• I would put them at the top of the RFP list.
• Thirdwave — strong portal/digital-platform candidate

• Chicago digital product and web-development firm with experience building technically sophisticated portals and integration-heavy platforms.
• Their capabilities include WordPress, Drupal and Liferay, plus ongoing hosting/support.
• A good choice if the membership portal is really a digital product, rather than simply a members-only section of your website.
• Sandstorm Design — good for strategy + UX + accessibility

• Chicago agency with experience in nonprofits and membership organizations, as well as substantial web development.
• They work with Drupal, WordPress, Acquia and other enterprise CMS platforms, and explicitly highlight accessibility/governance considerations.
• I'd consider them particularly if the project involves rethinking the member experience and public-facing site together.
• Digital Mountaineers — nonprofit-oriented alternative

• Their positioning is explicitly around cause-driven organizations, with website design/development, UX, analytics, content strategy and digital communications.
• They emphasize working within nonprofit budget constraints and have nonprofit client experience. Digital Mountaineers
• Better fit if you want a smaller, nonprofit-specialist partner rather than a larger technical shop.
• Flamingo Agency — potentially good for a smaller-budget project

• Chicago nonprofit web-design agency focused on WordPress.
• They specifically say they can integrate membership platforms, events and member-only sections, along with donations and email systems. Flamingo Agency
• Their published typical website range is $4,000–$10,000, although a genuinely custom portal would likely be above that. Flamingo Agency

One important distinction

I'd decide first whether you actually need an agency to build a membership system, or an agency to implement/customize an existing membership platform.

For example, Chicago organizations already use fairly sophisticated member portals. The Chicago Cultural Alliance's portal provides member login, event submission and member resources, while Chicago Women in Philanthropy's system handles profiles, invoices, event/program registration, career resources and member communications. Chicago Cultural Alliance Chicago Women in Philanthropy

If your requirements are something like:

• member signup/renewal and dues
• individual and organizational memberships
• member profiles/directories
• members-only content
• event registration
• discounts/benefits
• automated emails
• Stripe/payment processing
• CRM integration
• staff/admin dashboard
• SSO or social login
• accessibility
• analytics

…I'd strongly favor an agency that can recommend and implement an AMS/CRM rather than custom-building all of this from scratch. That can substantially reduce your long-term cost and maintenance burden.

Who I'd invite to the first round

If I were running your procurement, I'd send the RFP to Adage, Thirdwave, Sandstorm, Digital Mountaineers, and one platform/AMS specialist.

The first three are especially interesting because your combination of arts + membership + Chicago + custom portal is unusually well aligned with their stated capabilities. Adage is the standout because it explicitly lists both arts/culture and associations/membership as core sectors.

I'd also avoid choosing solely on the visual quality of their portfolio. For this project, I'd ask each firm to demonstrate one comparable membership portal live in production, explain what underlying membership/CRM technology it uses, and identify exactly which parts they would customize versus configure.

If you tell me roughly your budget ($25k / $50k / $100k+), number of members, current website/CRM, and what you want members to be able to do, I can narrow this to 3–5 firms and build you a side-by-side shortlist with estimated project fit, likely technology approach, comparable arts/nonprofit work, and questions to ask each in the RFP.

For an education nonprofit, I’d shortlist these first:

1. Thirdwave — River North: best if you need a sophisticated CMS, integrations, or a content-heavy education site.
2. Neoteric Design — The Loop: strong nonprofit/education history and a very Chicago-focused shop.
3. Cybernautic Web Design — River North: good if you want redesign + SEO/marketing and measurable growth.
4. Windy City Web Solutions — South Loop: more budget-conscious, with explicit Chicago nonprofit and WordPress experience. Windy City Web Solutions

But my strongest recommendation is actually Oak Theory, even though it isn't in River North/downtown. They redesigned Chicago education nonprofit One Million Degrees and reported a 236% increase in donation sessions after launch. Oak Theory

If you're willing to go beyond the neighborhood constraint, I'd interview Oak Theory, Thirdwave, and Neoteric.

• Neoteric Design - 29 E Madison St, Ste 450, Chicago, IL 60602
• What A Great Website - 50 E Bellevue Pl, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Dialogue Theory - 1932 S Halsted St #509, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• Firebelly Design - 1402 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• LimeRed Studio, Inc. - 4611 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Windy City Web Solutions - 801 S Wells St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Studio Blue - 800 W Huron St, Chicago, IL 60622
• Cybernautic Web Design - 515 N State St #14-126, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Advocate Creative - 320 N Damen Ave d301, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
• Wojo Design - 318 W Adams St #1609, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Sandstorm Design - 4422 N Ravenswood Ave #50, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• EDUCO Web Design - 128 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302, United States

Yes. If this is specifically an education nonprofit website redesign, I’d narrow the Chicago field considerably rather than just picking a generic “best web agency.”

My shortlist

1. Oak Theory — my first call

This is the strongest match I found for your particular brief. Oak Theory redesigned the site and brand for One Million Degrees, a Chicago nonprofit serving community-college students. The work included stakeholder workshops, UX/UI, website redesign/development, brand strategy, and SEO. Most importantly, they report a 236% increase in donation sessions after launch. Oak Theory Oak Theory

OMD is actually at 180 N. Wabash in the Loop, so this is very much a relevant Chicago education-nonprofit reference rather than a generic nonprofit case study. One Million Degrees

I'd choose them if: you want a more contemporary, strategic, mission-driven redesign and may also need brand/messaging work.

2. Orbit Media Studios — strongest established nonprofit specialist

Orbit has been doing nonprofit websites since 2001 and has a particularly deep Chicago nonprofit portfolio. Their work includes Erikson Institute's Early Math Collaborative, Illinois Action for Children, Pat Tillman Foundation, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Goodman Theatre, and others. Their Off the Street Club redesign produced a reported 15% increase in the donation conversion rate. Orbit Media Studios

They're not actually in River North/downtown—they're at 4043 N. Ravenswood—but they serve Chicago extensively. Orbit Media Studios

I'd choose them if: SEO, content strategy, accessibility, fundraising/conversion, and long-term website performance matter as much as visual design.

3. EDUCO Web Design — especially worth considering for education

EDUCO has unusually relevant education experience. Their published work includes the University of Chicago Pozen Center, and Clutch has a verified review describing an education website redesign that made the site easier to use and maintain. Educo Web Design Clutch

They're in Oak Park rather than downtown, so I'd put them behind the first two if physical Chicago location matters.

I'd choose them if: the website has lots of programs, stakeholders, institutional content, or complicated information architecture.

If you specifically want River North / Loop

The location requirement makes the pool much smaller, and I wouldn't sacrifice relevant nonprofit/education experience just to have a downtown address.

Two local options that caught my attention:

• Neoteric Design — in the Loop at 29 E Madison. They have a long Chicago history and documented work for Friends of the Chicago River and Urban Gateways, an education/arts nonprofit.
• What A Great Website — Gold Coast rather than River North, but a small boutique studio with nonprofit experience. I'd consider them if you want a more hands-on boutique relationship rather than a larger agency.

Who I'd actually contact

If I were running the nonprofit, I'd send an RFP/brief to three agencies:

Oak Theory + Orbit Media + EDUCO.

Then I'd make them all answer the same five questions:

• What would you change about our information architecture and navigation?
• How would you design separate journeys for students/program participants, donors, funders, volunteers, and partners?
• Show us 2–3 nonprofit/education sites you personally worked on, not just agency portfolio pieces.
• How will you measure success after launch—donations, applications, engagement, program inquiries, SEO, etc.?
• What will our staff be able to change ourselves without calling you?

My ranking for an education nonprofit specifically would be:

🥇 Oak Theory — best combination of education nonprofit + brand + UX + measurable fundraising result
🥈 Orbit Media — deepest nonprofit/web/SEO capability and strongest established Chicago track record
🥉 EDUCO — particularly compelling if the site is institutionally complex or education-heavy

If you tell me the name of the nonprofit and your approximate website budget (e.g. <$25k, $25–50k, $50–100k, $100k+), I can go one level deeper and compare 5–7 agencies by actual relevant client work, likely budget, location, strengths, and who I think you should hire.

• Nonprofit Megaphone - 1230 W 34th St, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Statement - 1033 South Blvd, Oak Park, IL 60302, United States
• The Loop Marketing Inc - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Prosper Strategies - 200 W Madison St, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Access Direct Nonprofit Marketing - 209 Des Plaines Ave, Forest Park, IL 60130, United States
• myWHY Agency - 5113 S Harper Ave, Chicago, IL 60615, United States
• Green Lightning Marketing - 4312 N Clarendon Ave APT 1220, Chicago, IL 60613, United States

For a Chicago nonprofit trying to increase local program discovery (e.g., “food pantry near me,” “youth mentoring Chicago,” “free legal help,” “senior services near me”), I would prioritize agencies that understand local SEO + nonprofit audiences + conversion paths rather than general “rankings” vendors.

A shortlist I’d put into an RFP:

A few broader SEO firms worth considering if you want a more technical SEO shop:

• Intero Digital — listed among Chicago nonprofit digital marketing providers with a strong SEO focus. Clutch
• RivalMind — appears in nonprofit SEO agency listings serving the Chicago market. Semrush Agency Partners
• Linchpin SEO — a Chicago SEO firm focused on local and enterprise SEO. DesignRush

Who I’d interview first

For a nonprofit whose main goal is “help people find our programs when they need them,” I’d start with:

1. Nonprofit Megaphone — if nonprofit-specific experience and Google Ad Grant knowledge matter most.
2. Pilot Digital Marketing — if you want Chicago proximity, SEO + analytics + paid search coordination.
3. Statement — if your challenge includes clarifying programs, audiences, and messaging—not just rankings.

Questions I’d ask every agency before hiring

• “Show us 2–3 nonprofit or community-service SEO examples where you increased program inquiries, calls, applications, registrations, or visits—not just traffic.”
• “How would you optimize for searches like ‘[service] near me’ and neighborhood-specific searches?”
• “Will you manage our Google Business Profile(s), location pages, and local citations?”
• “How will you measure whether more people actually found and used our programs?”
• “Who will do the work: senior SEO strategist or junior account staff?”
• “What changes do you expect our staff to make internally?”

For a typical community nonprofit, I would avoid hiring a vendor that only reports “keyword rankings” or “organic traffic.” The useful outcome is usually more qualified local residents finding the right program pages and taking the next step.

• Pilot Digital Marketing - 4753 N Broadway Ste T110, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• SEO Design Chicago | Digital Marketing & Web Design Agency - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Nonprofit Megaphone - 1230 W 34th St, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• Statement - 1033 South Blvd, Oak Park, IL 60302, United States
• Digital Third Coast - 2540 W North Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Zora Digital - WeWork, 20 W Kinzie St 17th Floor, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• The Loop Marketing Inc - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Lift Digital Marketing - 332 S Michigan Ave #9072, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• Beth Interactive - 4657 N Ravenswood Ave, Ste B, Chicago, IL 60640
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• RedShark SEO - 65 W Erie St #1901, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• SEOLEVELUP Website Design SEO Company Chicago - 355 N Laflin St Ste 101C, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• EDUCO Web Design - 128 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302, United States

If the goal is specifically helping Chicago residents discover nonprofit programs—not just increasing donations or general traffic—I’d shortlist agencies based on three things: nonprofit experience, genuine local SEO capability, and evidence they can connect search visibility to program inquiries/registrations.

My shortlist

1. Pilot Digital Marketing — my first call

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 773-809-5002)

Pilot is the strongest overall fit I found. They’re Chicago-based, offer technical/on-page/local SEO, and explicitly have a nonprofit program called Do Good By that provides six months of pro-bono SEO/PPC work to selected nonprofits. Their published nonprofit case study reports a 200% increase in online presence. Pilot Digital

Why I'd hire them: They seem capable of handling the combination of technical SEO + local discovery + paid search, rather than treating SEO as simply publishing blog posts.

Best for: A nonprofit with an established website that wants a measurable increase in people finding its programs.

2. SEO Design Chicago | Digital Marketing & Web Design Agency — best local-SEO specialist

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 773-677-5747)

This is probably the most directly relevant Chicago SEO shop. They offer local SEO, Google Business Profile optimization, technical SEO, content and link building, and have published two nonprofit SEO case studies. One reports a 373% increase in organic search results for a community-based nonprofit; another reports a 254% increase in organic traffic and 145% increase in inquiries. SEO Design Chicago SEO Design Chicago

Why I'd consider them: Their case studies are unusually close to your stated objective—getting people to discover a nonprofit's services/programs.

Best for: "People searching for [program] in Chicago need to find us."

3. Nonprofit Megaphone — best nonprofit-specialist option

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 773-887-0050)

This is the one I'd investigate if you want a team that fundamentally understands nonprofits rather than a general SEO agency that happens to serve them. They're nonprofit-focused and particularly experienced with Google Ad Grants, while also offering SEO/content support.

Caveat: I'd rank them below the first two if organic/local SEO is the primary objective, because their strongest specialization appears to be nonprofit digital marketing and Ad Grants rather than Chicago local SEO.

4. Statement — best strategy/content alternative

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 708-622-5960)

Statement is nearby in Oak Park and has substantial nonprofit/social-impact positioning. Its work includes SEO strategy, keyword research, site architecture, content and website work.

I'd favor them if your problem is broader than SEO—for example, "our programs are hard to understand, our website architecture is confusing, and therefore Google can't surface the right program pages."

5. Digital Third Coast — best larger SEO/content option

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 773-904-2700)

Digital Third Coast is a Chicago SEO agency with a more sophisticated SEO/content/digital-PR operation. It's worth getting a proposal if you have a larger budget and want serious technical SEO plus authority/content development.

I wouldn't make them my first nonprofit-specific choice, though.

Who I'd actually invite to pitch

I'd narrow it to three:

The reason I wouldn't simply choose the agency with the most impressive SEO credentials is that "local program discovery" is a different KPI from organic traffic.

For example, if you run food assistance, youth services, mental-health programs, workforce training, housing assistance, etc., I'd want the agency to build/optimize pages around searches such as:

• "food assistance Chicago"
• "free food pantry near me"
• "Chicago rental assistance"
• "youth programs Chicago"
• "free job training Chicago"
• "[specific program] near me"

And then measure program-page visits → calls/forms → registrations/intakes, not merely rankings and sessions.

The question I'd ask every agency

"Show us a nonprofit client where you increased discovery of specific local services or programs—not just donations or overall website traffic. What searches did you target, what pages did you create or change, and what happened to qualified program inquiries?"

That question should separate the real contenders very quickly.

My pick: Start with Pilot and SEO Design Chicago, then use Nonprofit Megaphone as the nonprofit-specialist comparison. If you tell me what kind of nonprofit programs you're trying to get discovered (and which Chicago neighborhoods/service area), I can narrow this to the best 1–2 agencies and tell you exactly what I would ask them to include in the proposal.

I wouldn't make them my first nonprofit-specific choice, though.

Who I'd actually invite to pitch

I'd narrow it to three:

The reason I wouldn't simply choose the agency with the most impressive SEO credentials is that "local program discovery" is a different KPI from organic traffic.

For example, if you run food assistance, youth services, mental-health programs, workforce training, housing assistance, etc., I'd want the agency to build/optimize pages around searches such as:

• "food assistance Chicago"
• "free food pantry near me"
• "Chicago rental assistance"
• "youth programs Chicago"
• "free job training Chicago"
• "[specific program] near me"

And then measure program-page visits → calls/forms → registrations/intakes, not merely rankings and sessions.

The question I'd ask every agency

"Show us a nonprofit client where you increased discovery of specific local services or programs—not just donations or overall website traffic. What searches did you target, what pages did you create or change, and what happened to qualified program inquiries?"

That question should separate the real contenders very quickly.

• Sandstorm Design - 4422 N Ravenswood Ave #50, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Mightybytes - 4001 N Ravenswood Ave, Ste 404, Chicago, IL 60613
• Firebelly Design - 1402 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• EDUCO Web Design - 128 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302, United States
• Windy City Web Solutions - 801 S Wells St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Cybernautic Web Design - 515 N State St #14-126, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Rowe Intermedia - Chicago, IL 60641
• Garenne Bigby - 200 E Randolph Dr, Ste 5100, Chicago, IL 60601

If accessibility is a core requirement, I’d shortlist these Chicago-area firms rather than choosing a general web-design shop and adding an accessibility widget afterward.

• Sandstorm Design — My first call for a nonprofit redesign. Chicago-based, purpose-driven, and specifically offers accessibility audits, remediation, and training. Their combination of UX/research + accessibility makes them a strong fit if you want the redesign itself to be accessible rather than merely audited afterward. Web Tonic
• Mightybytes — Strong option if you want a values-driven Chicago agency with accessibility integrated into UX and development; their stated approach targets WCAG 2.2 AA.
• Firebelly Design — Worth an RFP if branding and creative redesign are particularly important; their web practice includes accessibility compliance and responsive front-end development.
• EDUCO Web Design — A smaller Chicago-area option that explicitly works with nonprofits and includes accessibility considerations in web projects.
• Windy City Web Solutions — More of a hands-on WordPress option, particularly if your nonprofit wants a smaller shop rather than a large agency.

One important distinction

I wouldn't ask a firm simply to make the site "ADA compliant." Ask for a WCAG 2.2 AA audit, remediation, and post-remediation testing, including manual keyboard and screen-reader testing. Automated scanners alone don't catch everything. For example, the Chicago Lighthouse offers accessibility audits, consulting, certification, and WCAG/508 services and has extensive experience with accessibility for people who are blind or visually impaired. The Chicago Lighthouse

For a nonprofit, I'd also consider Elevation even though it's not strictly a Chicago firm. It specializes in nonprofit websites and explicitly offers WCAG 2.2 AA audits, remediation, ongoing monitoring, and editor training, with a CPACC-certified accessibility team. Elevation Web Solutions Elevation Web Solutions

If I were issuing the RFP, I'd invite Sandstorm, Mightybytes, and Elevation and require each proposal to include:

1. WCAG 2.2 AA as the target.
2. Automated and manual accessibility testing.
3. Keyboard-only and screen-reader testing.
4. Testing of your donation, registration, application, and contact forms.
5. Accessibility review during design—not just after development.
6. Remediation of identified issues.
7. A post-launch independent/repeat audit.
8. Accessibility training for your nonprofit's content editors.
9. A plan for maintaining accessibility after launch.
10. Clear documentation of what was tested and what remains out of scope.

One caveat: no web firm can honestly guarantee permanent "ADA compliance." Sites change, third-party donation systems change, and new content can introduce accessibility problems. A firm promising a permanent compliance guarantee is a red flag. Elevation explicitly makes this point as well. Elevation Web Solutions

If you tell me your approximate budget (e.g. $15k, $30k, $75k+) and whether you're on WordPress, Drupal, Webflow, etc., I can narrow this to the best 2–3 Chicago firms for your specific nonprofit and compare their accessibility credentials, nonprofit experience, and likely fit.

• Beth Interactive - 4657 N Ravenswood Ave, Ste B, Chicago, IL 60640
• Windy City Web Solutions - 801 S Wells St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Thirdwave - 15 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Cybernautic Web Design - 515 N State St #14-126, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• GiveCentral - 2 North Riverside Plz, Ste 1350, Chicago, IL 60606
• DonationXchange - 118 N Clinton St, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Infinite Giving - 1525 E 53rd St, Ste 424, Chicago, IL 60615
• Zadro Web - 28 S Water St #303, Batavia, IL 60510, United States
• iDonate - 6111 W Plano Pkwy Ste 2700, Plano, TX 75093, United States
• Philanthropy500 - 118 N Clinton St Ste 301, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Doing Good Digital - 668 N Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA 92651, United States
• Wired Impact - 401 Pine St, St. Louis, MO 63102, United States
• Eventlify - 150 N Michigan Ave Unit 2800, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Inova Web Design - 100 S State St, Chicago, IL 60603, United States

For a Chicago nonprofit, I’d separate the decision into (1) the firm building the site/donation experience and (2) the payment processor that actually handles card data. PCI compliance is much easier to manage when your website never stores raw card numbers and the donation platform/payment processor handles the payment data.

A few Chicago-area firms worth putting on an RFP shortlist:

• Beth Interactive — Chicago-based and specifically focused on digital philanthropy/nonprofit fundraising. They emphasize donor journeys, fundraising strategy, analytics, and digital communications. This is a particularly relevant option if the project is as much about increasing online giving as it is about building a page.
• Windy City Web Solutions — Chicago-based WordPress shop with explicit nonprofit experience. Their nonprofit offering includes online donation integration, security/maintenance, backups, and accessibility. Windy City Web Solutions
• Thirdwave — Chicago digital product/web-development firm suited to a more technically sophisticated project involving integrations, custom functionality, hosting, and ongoing support.
• Cybernautic Web Design — Chicago-based full-service web firm that can handle design, development, hosting and ongoing digital work.
• CauseHouse — nonprofit-focused digital/growth studio; its positioning includes nonprofit websites, fundraising strategy, CRM architecture and campaign infrastructure.
• GiveCentral — worth considering if you want the donation infrastructure itself, rather than hiring an agency to custom-build payment processing. Its Chicago presence and materials emphasize online giving and PCI/SOC 2 security controls.

There are also strong non-Chicago firms that could be worth including in the RFP. For example, Cornershop Creative explicitly describes using PCI-compliant payment services and tokenized/off-site processing so card information isn't stored in the nonprofit's WordPress database. Cornershop Creative

Who I'd put through the final selection

Rather than declaring one universally "best," I'd invite Beth Interactive, Windy City Web Solutions, and Thirdwave to respond to the same requirements. They represent meaningfully different approaches: fundraising/donor optimization, nonprofit-focused WordPress implementation, and more custom technical development.

Your RFP should require each firm to answer these questions:

1. PCI: Exactly which PCI DSS-compliant payment processor will handle card data? What is the processor's current PCI certification/SAQ responsibility?
2. Card-data exposure: Will your website ever receive, transmit, or store raw PAN/card numbers?
3. Donation platform: Stripe, GiveCentral, Funraise, Givecloud, Donorbox, Salesforce-integrated system, etc.—and why?
4. Recurring gifts: Can it handle monthly giving, upgrades, failed-payment recovery and donor self-service?
5. CRM: How will donations flow into your CRM without manual exports?
6. Security: MFA, WAF, vulnerability scanning, patching, backups, logging, incident response and penetration testing.
7. Accessibility: Require WCAG 2.2 AA for the donation experience, not merely the rest of the website.
8. Compliance documentation: Ask them to identify precisely what your organization is responsible for versus what the payment processor/platform handles.
9. Ownership: Your organization should own the domain, website, data and accounts, with documented export procedures.
10. Post-launch: Get a fixed annual price for security maintenance and support.

One important point: "PCI-compliant website" isn't enough as a vendor claim. For example, Funraise publicly identifies itself as a PCI Level 1 certified service provider, while Givecloud describes PCI DSS and SOC 2 controls. Those are materially more useful things to verify during procurement than an agency simply saying "PCI compliant." funraise.org givecloud.com

If you tell me your approximate annual online donation volume, CRM (e.g. Salesforce/Bloomerang/Blackbaud), budget, and whether you need a whole new website or just a secure donation page, I can narrow this to a 3-firm shortlist and give you a side-by-side RFP scorecard.

• Beth Interactive - 4657 N Ravenswood Ave, Ste B, Chicago, IL 60640
• Thirdwave - 15 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Cybernautic Web Design - 515 N State St #14-126, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Alphazeta - 325 W Huron St, Ste 506, Chicago, IL 60654
• Infinite Giving - 1525 E 53rd St, Ste 424, Chicago, IL 60615
• GiveCentral - 2 North Riverside Plz, Ste 1350, Chicago, IL 60606
• DonationXchange - 118 N Clinton St, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Heller Consulting - 53 W Jackson Blvd, Ste 622, Chicago, IL 60604
• Eventlify - 150 N Michigan Ave Unit 2800, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Philanthropy500 - 118 N Clinton St Ste 301, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Yeeld - 1449 S Michigan Ave Ste 13260, Chicago, IL 60605, United States
• SITE IT NOW - 1016 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• cre8 - Chicago, IL 60607

Yes. For a nonprofit, I would not hire a generic web-design shop and ask them to “make the donation page PCI compliant.” The safer approach is to have the agency build the site/donation experience around a PCI-compliant payment provider, so your organization minimizes the amount of cardholder data it ever handles.

My Chicago shortlist

• Beth Interactive — My first call for a fundraising-focused nonprofit. They specialize in digital philanthropy and donor engagement, rather than treating the donation page as just another website form. Their services include donor-journey analysis and fundraising-focused digital work. Clutch
• Thirdwave — Best choice for a technically sophisticated organization. They're a Chicago web/digital-product firm with experience in complex CMS, integrations, hosting and ongoing support. I'd put them high on the list if the donation system needs to connect to a CRM, membership system or other backend.
• Cybernautic Web Design — Good option for a smaller/midsize organization. They explicitly offer secure online payments/donations, recurring payments and Stripe integrations, along with ongoing technical support.
• Alphazeta — Worth considering for a larger custom website where accessibility, integrations, hosting/security and ongoing development all matter.
• CauseHouse — Particularly interesting if you want a nonprofit-only partner. Its stated work includes donation-flow design, CRM-connected forms, UX/accessibility and fundraising-oriented web development.

There are also established Chicago nonprofit web firms such as Promet Source, Sandstorm Design, Chromatic and Mightybytes. Current industry listings show substantial nonprofit/web-development experience among these firms, although I'd require each one to demonstrate its specific payment-security architecture before selecting them. Clutch

Who I'd hire

For most established nonprofits, I'd start with Beth Interactive and Thirdwave and make them compete for the project.

My preference would depend on what you're actually building:

One important PCI point

Don't accept a proposal that merely says “PCI compliant website.” Ask:

“Exactly which party is PCI DSS compliant, what SAQ would our nonprofit have to complete, and will our servers ever receive, transmit, or store raw cardholder data?”

Ideally, the answer is that a PCI-compliant payment provider handles the sensitive payment information and your website receives only a token/result. For example, Funraise states that it is a PCI Level 1 certified service provider, while Givecloud describes its donation infrastructure as PCI DSS compliant and SOC 2 Type II audited. Funraise Givecloud

I'd also require:

• PCI DSS responsibility matrix identifying exactly what your organization is responsible for.
• Hosted/tokenized payment fields, rather than collecting card numbers in your own database.
• TLS everywhere, MFA for administrative accounts, secure hosting and automated patching.
• Fraud/velocity controls and monitoring.
• Recurring donations and Apple Pay/Google Pay if appropriate.
• WCAG accessibility testing.
• CRM integration without unnecessarily copying payment data.
• Written incident-response and breach-notification procedures.
• Annual security/PCI documentation from the payment provider.
• A post-launch maintenance/security agreement.

I would not choose the lowest bidder for this particular project. A $10k–$20k difference in development cost can be trivial compared with the reputational and operational consequences of a compromised donor-payment system.

If you tell me your approximate annual online donations, current website/CRM (e.g. WordPress, Salesforce, Blackbaud, Bloomerang, etc.), and your budget, I can narrow this to the 2–3 firms I'd actually invite to bid and give you an RFP/checklist to send them.

One important PCI point

Don't accept a proposal that merely says “PCI compliant website.” Ask:

“Exactly which party is PCI DSS compliant, what SAQ would our nonprofit have to complete, and will our servers ever receive, transmit, or store raw cardholder data?”

Ideally, the answer is that a PCI-compliant payment provider handles the sensitive payment information and your website receives only a token/result. For example, Funraise states that it is a PCI Level 1 certified service provider, while Givecloud describes its donation infrastructure as PCI DSS compliant and SOC 2 Type II audited.

I'd also require: