Example Project 1 - A Simple Website

Your First Project: Creating a Simple Nonprofit Website

Let's build something practical - a basic website for your nonprofit that can handle traffic spikes during fundraising campaigns. This project will introduce you to several key AWS services.

Project Overview

We'll create a website that includes:

• A homepage describing your mission

• A donations page

• A volunteer signup form

• Automatic scaling to handle traffic spikes

• Secure HTTPS connections

• Regular backups

Phase 1: Set Up File Storage (Amazon S3)

What we're doing: Creating a secure place to store your website files that can serve them to visitors worldwide.

1. Open the S3 Console: In the AWS Console, search for "S3" and click on it.
   
   

2. Create a Bucket: Click "Create bucket" and choose a unique name like "yourorganization-website-2024". Select a region close to your supporters.
   
   

3. Configure Public Access: By default, S3 blocks public access for security. We'll need to allow public reading of website files while keeping everything else secure.
   
   

4. Enable Static Website Hosting: In your bucket settings, enable "Static website hosting" and set your index document to "index.html".
   
   

5. Upload Your Website Files: Create a simple HTML file on your computer and upload it to test the setup.
   
   

Phase 2: Set Up Content Delivery (Amazon CloudFront)

What we're doing: Creating a global network that makes your website load quickly for visitors anywhere in the world.

1. Open CloudFront Console: Search for "CloudFront" in the AWS Console.
   
   

2. Create a Distribution: Click "Create Distribution" and point it to your S3 bucket. This creates copies of your website in data centers worldwide.
   
   

3. Configure Security: Enable HTTPS to encrypt connections between your visitors and your website.
   
   

4. Set Caching Rules: Configure how long different types of files should be cached to optimize performance.
   
   

Phase 3: Add a Contact Form (AWS Lambda + API Gateway)

What we're doing: Creating a serverless function that processes form submissions and emails them to your staff.

1. Create a Lambda Function: Go to the Lambda console and create a new function. This will process form submissions.
   
   

2. Write the Function Code: Create code that takes form data and sends it via email using Amazon SES.
   
   

3. Set Up API Gateway: This creates a web address that your contact form can send data to.
   
   

4. Test the Integration: Submit a test form to make sure emails are being sent correctly.
   
   

Phase 4: Monitor and Maintain

What we're doing: Setting up monitoring so you know how your website is performing and get alerts if something goes wrong.

1. Set Up CloudWatch Alarms: Create alerts for website downtime, high error rates, or unexpected traffic spikes.
   
   

2. Configure Backup: Set up automatic backups of your website files and any databases.
   
   

3. Review Costs: Check your billing dashboard weekly to understand your usage patterns and costs.
   
   

4. Plan for Growth: Document what you've built and plan next features like donor management or volunteer coordination tools.
   
   

Expected Costs

For a typical nonprofit website with moderate traffic:

• First Year: $0-20/month (mostly covered by free tier)

• Ongoing: $5-50/month depending on traffic and features

• Traffic Spikes: Costs scale automatically but remain reasonable

What You've Accomplished

By completing this project, you've:

• Built a professional website that can handle thousands of simultaneous visitors

• Implemented security best practices with HTTPS encryption

• Created an automated system for handling contact form submissions

• Established monitoring to catch problems before they affect visitors

• Set up a foundation you can build upon for more complex features

Next Steps

Once your basic website is running, consider adding:

• Online Donation Processing: Integrate with payment processors like Stripe

• Volunteer Management: Build forms and databases to coordinate volunteers

• Email Marketing: Use Amazon SES to send newsletters and updates

• Event Registration: Create forms and payment processing for fundraising events

• Data Analytics: Track website usage and donor behavior to improve your outreach

Remember, you don't have to build everything at once. Start small, learn as you go, and gradually add features that support your mission. The AWS community and documentation are excellent resources when you need help, and many other nonprofits have successfully made this journey before you.