Why my name isn't in the footer.

You've seen it a hundred times. You scroll to the bottom of a small nonprofit's website and there it is, in light gray text: Website by Such-and-Such.

I'm probably the only person who notices. Most visitors aren't thinking about who built the site. They're looking for the donate button, the volunteer form, the service times. That's the whole point.

Which kind of makes my case for me.

If no one's really reading it, what's that credit line actually doing? It's not serving the visitor. It's not serving the organization. It's a quiet little marketing placement on someone else's website, one the client usually didn't think to question.

For a nonprofit or a church or a community group, the footer is valuable real estate. It should point people toward the mission. Contact info. A newsletter signup. A donate link. Maybe an address. Not a designer's business development.

So I don't do it. When I hand off a website, it's yours. Fully. My name doesn't sit at the bottom of it.

You hired me to make your mission easier to share. The site should do that, and nothing else.