8 Community Website Templates + Examples to Inspire You

Do you manage an online community?

Do you need a place where your members can come together to discuss shared interests, problems and solutions, exchange resources and advance a common mission?

You need a community website.

WildApricot’s website builder is used by over 20,000 organizations. It’s easy to set up and customize to your needs. More importantly, it’s part of an all-in-one solution for nonprofits and membership based organizations, meaning your website will integrate seamlessly with your membership management software. With just a few clicks, you’ll be able to use your website to:

• Register new members online and process payments
• Set up a donation page and take online donations
• Share a calendar of events and complete event registrations
• Create member-only pages
• Create a member directory
• And much more

To help you gather inspiration for your own community website, we’ll take a look at 8 website templates (or themes, as we refer to them) offered by WildApricot that are ideal for communities of any kind.

These themes are extremely easy to use and customize. They are also responsive, so they’ll work and look great on any device (desktop, tablet, mobile, etc).

Each WildApricot theme uses a drag-and-drop system so you can personalize them as much as you’d like. You can select content gadgets as building blocks to add text, pictures, tables, and links wherever you want on your page. You can use our other gadgets to display dynamic content from your WildApricot account, like recent blog posts or upcoming events.

WildApricot themes are designed to be flexible, so you can play around with spacing between the content blocks and change colors and fonts without any knowledge of HTML or CSS (though if you’re comfortable with it, you can also edit the existing code to customize your site even further).

Now, without further ado, let’s take a look at the WildApricot community website templates:

1. Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope uses bright colors and large blocks of photos and text to draw the visitors’ attention to the most important information on the site. It’s especially great for organizations who display a lot of photos or imagery as part of their brand.

Who uses it well:

For an example of this theme in use, check out WICE – an English speaking community based in Paris, France.

Their website houses a blog to keep members up to date, and the latest blog articles are displayed in a widget on the home page.

They offer a variety of courses and host events —members can quickly and easily register for these right on the website.

They also have a member forum on their website, a place where members can share ideas, ask questions and discuss common interests.

2. Homestead

Homestead is a great theme for organizations whose website contains a lot of information and important pages. It features a sidebar where organizations can place their most important links.

It also makes use of what’s called “sticky” content, or content that doesn’t scroll with the rest of the page. A common choice is to make the header or the main menu of your website “sticky” so that as users scroll down through the page, they still have quick access to the menu and can easily navigate to anywhere else.

Who uses it well:

This theme is used by the Women’s Policy Forum, a group of women leaders in Tarrant County who come together to create positive change in their community.

Their mission is clearly stated on the homepage of their website, making it easy for new site visitors to get to know their organization.

The header of the website is “sticky”, meaning it stays at the top of the page, even as users scroll down.

Their website also features a “Value of Membership” page, where prospective members can learn more about how and why they should join.

3. Firma

Firma is a theme that works well with a background image or with a simple white background. If an image is used, it stays in place and doesn’t move with the rest of the website as visitors scroll up and down.

You can upload your own background image or choose from a dozen versions of the template, all complete with beautiful images and matching color schemes.

You can also choose to play around with the opacity of your content blocks so that more of the background image is visible underneath.

Who uses it well:

Connections uses the Firma theme for their website. They bring together a community of businesswomen to foster a supportive and mutually beneficial environment.

Their website features positive and inspiring quotes from current members on the homepage and throughout other pages.

The homepage includes a widget with upcoming events, as well as a countdown clock to the next event.

They also have a page on their website dedicated to networking and what members can expect when they attend a typical meeting.

4. Skyline

Skyline is similar to Firma. It also features a background image that stays in place as the user scrolls down, but it uses cooler colors and has a more professional feel. It was designed to suit business or trade associations that are trying to improve real estate industry in their area, though it can be used and customized by any organization.

Who uses it well:

This theme is used by The Venture Forum, a community designed to help entrepreneurs launch a successful business.

Their website’s homepage features an embedded video — a recording from one of their most recent events — so site visitors can get a sense of what to expect when they sign up for an upcoming event.

Their homepage also includes a form where people can sign up to receive their newsletter, as well as a Facebook widget, automatically showcasing their most recent Facebook posts.

5. Fiesta

Fiesta was designed primarily for organizations in the food industry, though it still works perfectly for any other type of organization. This theme uses welcoming colors and features a large rotating display of photos.

A standout feature in this theme is the secondary navigation bar at the top of the page. Organizations can easily place internal or external links here, specify the link names and destinations, choose a vertical or horizontal orientation, and select from a list of menu styles.

Who uses it well:

Fiesta is used by the Federation of Asian Storytellers, a group of experienced storytellers with a vision of promoting the art of storytelling in Asia.

Their website features large “Join” and “Donate” buttons on their homepage, making them hard to miss.

They also have a member directory, where members and non-members can browse through and search for members. The homepage features a directory widget with a few of the members displayed and a link to view the rest of the directory.

6. Whiteboard

Whiteboard is a simple template featuring a clean look with just a single color and plenty of white space. It’s perfect for organizations in the teaching and education space or any professional organization that shares expert information.

Who uses it well:

A great example of this theme in use is the The Inglewood Community Association’s website, representing the oldest neighborhood in Calgary, Alberta.

Their website features a community resources page — a place dedicated to providing members and non-members with information about local schools, clubs and recreational resources.

The website also has an online store, where site visitors can purchase a cap with the neighborhood’s logo. This helps the neighborhood’s residents feel a part of a community, while generating extra income for the association.

Another stand-out feature of this website is that people can submit their own articles to be included in the community newsletter. The website has a dedicated page that outlines submission guidelines and FAQs.

7. Tinted Tiles

Tinted Tiles is a monochromatic theme, relying on various shades of a single color, rather than different colors. It uses white or gray text, making for a cohesive and clean looking website where no single element stands out too much.

It’s perfect for organizations who aren’t planning to use a lot of photos or imagery and want a minimal, clean look to their website. The color scheme can easily be customized — using shades of the main color in your organization’s logo typically works well.

Who uses it well:

This theme is used by the California Map Society, a group of people who share a passion for cartography.

Their website is simple and sorts information into colored blocks, all of which fit into a cohesive theme.

One of the blocks on the homepage invites members to log in and lists the features available in the member-only area. Another block invites people to join the membership and lists the benefits of being a member.

This society also offers gift memberships and has a page where people can fill in a form and purchase a membership for a friend or family member.

Their website also houses many publications related to cartography, all of which are stored on the website as .pdf documents.

8. Showcase

Showcase is designed to display large photos and picture links, as well as large headings that divide the page into sections. It’s perfect for organizations who have portfolio-style content and focus on presenting one particular service or item of interest.

This theme also has a special menu. Sliding navigation and clear design make it easy for users to navigate the site and find the pages they’re looking for.

Who uses it well:

This theme is used by The Woodlands Mothers of Multiples, a community providing support to parents of multiple birth children.

Their homepage features a rotating gallery of photos, showcasing the children and parents who make up the community.

They also list their sponsors directly on the homepage in order to recognize and show appreciation to the organizations and businesses who make their work possible.

A stand-out feature of their website is the FAQ page, where current and prospective members can learn about joining the community and what to expect at meetings and events.

So there you have it! If you’re ready to try out one of these templates and create and customize your own community website, start the free 60-day trial of WildApricot today!

How to Get Your Free Trial of WildApricot

To get started with your free, 60-day trial of WildApricot, simply click below:

You’ll be taken to a registration page where you can enter your account details. Once you click submit, you’ll activate a free 60-day trial of the paid version of WildApricot’s software. This means that you will have all the access to all the functionality that our paid clients receive for 30 days.

If at any point you need help with our system, feel free to get in touch with our friendly support team. They’ll be more than happy to help you set up your account as quickly as possible.

Good luck with your community website!