Website design for a nonprofit making a big difference
The UGLI Foundation
The UGLI Foundation was created by Angela Garcia with a mission to end bullying, forever.
The meaning of the word “ugly” was changed to a UNIQUE, GIFTED, LOVED, INDIVIDUAL, and the foundation works to educate young people and parents on the detrimental effects of bullying, providing valuable resources and tools, and working to end the chain of hate by responding with messages of love.
Angela uses her own experiences and talents to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds about bullying, and her foundation advises on what schools and communities can do and how they can serve others to create a positive impact.
PROJECT DETAILS
The Challenge
We were contacted by JHL Company, the foundation’s PR and event planning partner, who were tasked with maintaining the organization’s official website.
The existing website had been created on Wordpress, which had caused a lot of headaches for those trying to maintain it. Not only was the backend not user-friendly, but constant updates of all the components were very confusing and time consuming.
Another major pain point for the client was that the website’s navigation was disorganized, and the CTAs leading to the donation page were not well thought out and fell flat.
Visitors were not engaging with the website and there was a major sense of lost opportunities.
The foundation relies heavily on the website to raise awareness, provide resources, and to raise money through donations and special events. Improving the overall user experience and guiding visitors to the right information on the website is critical.
The importance of the foundation’s work to end bullying in all its forms is one that struck a raw cord for us all, and we wanted to help.
RAISING AWARENESS… AND DONATIONS
The UGLI Foundation relies heavily on its website to raise awareness about bullying, provide critical resources, and raise funds through donations and special events. Improving the overall user experience and guiding visitors to the right information on the website was imperative.
We are parents and this project hit home… we were totally up to the task!
Website Strategy
The launch timeline was tight, so we began with our signature website strategy call to better understand the foundation’s challenges and goals:
Reorganize the content and navigation to keep visitors engaged and informed
Enhance the overall user experience to increase conversion
Improve the method for updating the site
Website Design
Reorganize content + navigation to keep visitors engaged
We got to work right away analyzing the existing Wordpress website. Working directly with the client, we pulled and reorganized the content, rewriting important headings and titles. We simplified the navigation, creating a better information flow to make it easier for visitors to find important information. We also added a simple form that allows visitors to get in touch or share their own bullying stories.
Enhance user experience to increase conversion
When we received the brand assets from the client, we saw immediately an opportunity to help liven up the website design and to play on the foundation’s acronym “U.G.L.I.” The color palette is bright and colorful, and we designed some fun icons to complement the brand and enhance the user experience.
We integrated colorful buttons throughout to attract attention and ensure visitors were guided to the important areas of the site. A critical function of the site is the donation feature, which we made sure is highly visible across all pages. Visitors can donate securely to the foundation to support their various anti-bullying programs and initiatives.
Improve method for managing the website
We knew immediately that by moving the website from the Wordpress platform to Squarespace, the client’s website maintenance efforts would be improved dramatically. The platform’s intuitive editing features help deliver a winning experience, and there are no added components or manual security updates to worry about.
As a website design studio, it’s incredibly important for us to be able to hand over a website to our client with confidence - knowing that they can easily manage most aspects of the website themselves. We build each Squarespace website with that in mind, providing helpful video tutorials and usage guides after the site’s launch.
“Erin is very knowledgeable, has a great eye for design, and pays close attention to every detail. She brought our team’s vision to life with very little direction and quickly made any tweaks that we requested. She gave us specific instruction on how to update the site ourselves moving forward. Definitely recommending to others!”
The Results
An engaging, streamlined website helping the foundation’s mission to end bullying forever.
✓ Improved Visitor Engagement
✓ Increased donations
✓ Larger audience, better outreach
✓ Positive website maintenance experience
The UGLI Foundation’s website is now an informative hub for vital programs and content about combatting bullying. There’s been an increase in traffic and visitor engagement post-launch, and the organization is confidently sharing and promoting its new website.
By launching their new website, the foundation can now fully focus on their critical mission of bullying prevention and awareness.
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