Most of the websites we take over were built by a volunteer. Someone in the congregation who knew a bit about computers, gave a few evenings to it, and kept it running for years. Then they move away, or step back, and nobody knows how any of it works.
If that is where your organisation is heading, there are three things worth writing down before the handover. They take one afternoon and save a great deal of trouble later.
1. Who owns the domain name?
The domain is the address, and whoever registered it controls it. If it sits in a private account with a private card attached, the organisation does not really own its own address. Move it into an account in the organisation name, with the treasurer able to see the invoices.
2. Where is the site actually hosted?
Hosting and the domain are often two different companies, bought years apart. Write down both, along with the renewal dates. A site that disappears in August usually disappeared because an invoice went to an address nobody reads any more.
3. Who can log in, and who should not?
Old accounts pile up. Someone who left the board in 2019 may still have full access. Make a list of who has a login, remove the ones nobody recognises, and make sure at least two people can still get in.
None of this is technical work. It is just writing things down while the person who knows them is still there to ask. If you would like a hand going through it, send us a message and we will look at your site with you.