You've probably noticed cookie consent popups on nearly every site you visit. Does your nonprofit have one? If not, maybe you've wondered if you need one too. Or maybe someone installed one years ago because “everyone said you needed it” and now you're not entirely sure how it got there or if it's working properly.
Let's chat about what are web cookies, who needs cookie policies, and some of the tools you can use to set them up.
What Are Cookies (and Why Should You Care)?
Cookies are small text files that websites store in your visitors' browsers. They're useful for things like remembering that someone's logged in, keeping items in a shopping cart, or tracking which pages get the most traffic.
If you look up a product on Amazon, and now all your ads in Facebook are about that product — that’s a cookie. Or if you log into an account to renew your membership, and the next day you don’t need to enter your password again. That’s a cookie, too.
By themselves, cookies aren't inherently bad. In fact they are quite useful in a lot of ways. But they can be used to collect and share information about your visitors with third-party companies – especially advertising platforms. Which is where privacy concerns and regulations come in.
Do You Actually Need a Cookie Consent Banner?
From a website management perspective, you might be asking if you are required to have a cookie consent banner. And does it really need to pop up and interrupt people browsing your website?
Here are some answers. Starting with: not every website needs a cookie consent banner (but most do). It depends on two main factors:
- What your website actually does
- Where your visitors are located
What Triggers the Requirement
You likely need a cookie consent solution if your website:
- Uses Google Analytics or similar tracking tools
- Has embedded content from YouTube, Vimeo, or social media platforms
- Uses forms that track submissions or save user data
- Has any kind of advertising or remarketing pixels
- Uses live chat widgets
- Tracks user behavior for personalization
Basically, if you're using any tools that collect visitor data – even anonymously – you're probably setting cookies.
The Geography Question
Privacy laws vary by location. The European Union's GDPR is the strictest and most well-known, but there are also regulations in California (CCPA), Canada, and other regions.
If your nonprofit serves people internationally, accepts donations from overseas, or simply can't predict where all your website visitors are located, play it safe. Treat cookie policy compliance as a requirement, and use the strictest rules as a baseline.
What If You Don't Need One?
If your website is truly basic – just informational pages with no tracking, no embedded content, and no forms – you might not need a cookie banner at all. One less thing to manage.
But be honest about this assessment. Most modern websites use at least some tracking or embedded content, even if you didn't explicitly set it up. You’re probably using Google Analytics for visitor data. Your WordPress theme might be loading Google Fonts. Your donation button might be tracking conversions. Your embedded YouTube video or Instagram feed is definitely setting cookies.
Understanding Your Options
Let’s assume you DO need a cookie policy solution. Here's what matters most: it needs to actually work. That sounds obvious, but many “solutions” just display a message without actually controlling anything. A real compliance tool blocks tracking scripts until someone gives permission.
Free Tools: Lightweight Solutions
There are several free cookie consent tools that work with WordPress such as WP Consent, CookieYes, and CookieBot. They work for what they are, but understand their limitations going in.
Pros:
- No financial investment
- Quick to set up
- Works for basic compliance needs
- Good for testing if you're not sure what you need
Cons:
- Often have usage limits (pageviews per month)
- May suddenly stop working when you hit that limit
- Sometimes only display a banner without actually blocking scripts
- Limited customization options
- Updates and compliance changes are up to you to monitor
IMPORTANT: Many cookie banners only display a notification but don't actually stop tracking scripts from running. This means you're showing a consent request while simultaneously collecting data – which defeats the entire purpose. Look for solutions that explicitly state they block scripts until consent is given.
Paid Tools: What You're Actually Paying For
Paid solutions typically cost around $10-15 per month. You're not just paying for a popup – you're paying for reliability, actual script blocking, automatic updates when regulations change, and support when you need it.
Standalone Cookie Tools: Services like Cookieyes (paid tier) and Complianz offer cookie-specific management. They scan your site, identify which services are setting cookies, and provide detailed declarations.
If you're only concerned about cookie compliance and nothing else, these can work well. But they're single-purpose tools.
Comprehensive Privacy Management: This is where something like Termageddon comes in, and it's why we recommend it for most of our nonprofit clients. For the same monthly cost, you have cookie consent AND legal policies which help you stay compliant as laws change.
Termageddon costs about $12/month* and gives you:
- Cookie consent banner that actually blocks scripts until permission is given
- Privacy Policy generator that walks you through step by step
- Terms of service template
- Disclaimers and other policy documents
- Automatically updates/notifies you when laws change (which happens regularly)
The key difference: you're not just covering cookies. You're addressing your entire privacy compliance picture with one tool that stays current as regulations evolve.
For nonprofits managing tight budgets with small teams, having one comprehensive tool that handles multiple compliance needs makes more sense than piecing together separate solutions for cookies, privacy policies, and terms of service.
What Actually Matters When Choosing Your Cookie Consent Tool
Whether you go free or paid, here's what to look for:
- It should actually block scripts. Not just show a message. A real solution prevents tracking until someone clicks “accept.”
- It should remember user choices. Your visitors shouldn't see the popup on every single page. Once they've made a choice, the tool should remember it.
- It should be clear and unobtrusive. The message should be straightforward, and the banner shouldn't make your website unusable.
- It should work with your other tools. If you're using Google Analytics, forms, or other tracking, your cookie solution needs to play nicely with them.
- It should guide you through the setup. Assuming you’re not a compliance attorney, most of use need help with the wording and which laws are applicable to our websites.
Getting It Done Right
Here's our recommended approach:
- Audit what you're actually using. Look at your Google Analytics, embedded content, forms, and any other tools that might be tracking visitors.
- Choose a solution based on your actual needs. If you have a simple site with occasional traffic, a free option might work. If you have international visitors, regular donations, third-party embeds, or any complexity, invest in a proper tool.
- Create or update your policy. Your visitors should be able to read exactly what data you collect and why. If you're using Termageddon, this happens automatically. If not, you'll need to write this yourself.
- Set it up on your website and test thoroughly. Make sure it's actually blocking scripts and remembering user preferences. Test it in different browsers.
- Review regularly for compliance (or use a Tool that does this for you). Once it's properly set up, this should run in the background so you can focus on your mission work. If you have a free policy, we recommend you review it at least once per year and update as needed.
Questions? Not sure what to do next?
If you're not sure what your site is doing, what cookies it's setting, or which solution makes sense for your situation – feel free to reach out to our team.
We help clients:
- Identify what's actually happening on their site
- Understand which compliance requirements apply to them
- Choose the right tools for their budget and needs
- Implement everything correctly the first time
- Troubleshoot when free solutions hit their limits (we see this often)
The goal is to get this handled properly once so you can forget about it and get back to your real work.
Need help figuring out what your site needs? Get in touch and we can walk through your specific situation together.
*NOTE: Termageddon pricing as of December 2025: $12/month (or $10/month if you pay annually). Get 10% off by using our agency code SURELUTION at checkout, or use any Termageddon links on this page.