Don't mess with it. No one wants to read all about what your organization was doing three months ago. DON'T have long downloading times.
Most people lose patience after about ten seconds, fifteen seconds at the most.
Also, don't use colors that are hard to read on your background, like yellow writing on a white background. Everyone hates to be interrupted on their way to a site they want to see by a popup window they couldn't care less about. - DON'T make sound files that automatically load when you open a page. No one likes to wait for the text they need to see to come back on the screen. I mean, really. Once again, remember to place all pertinent information in plain sight on your page.