DesignHammer launched a redesigned website for the Raleigh Rescue Mission, a faith-based nonprofit serving the homeless in Raleigh, NC. The website is optimized for mobile browsing, and improved for information management and relationship building.
The Raleigh Rescue Mission provides services for individuals to overcome homelessness through long-term recovery and rehabilitation services, as well as emergency overnight services for women and children, an on-site licensed preschool, adult education, a free on-site medical clinic, and seasonal services such as a winter clothing ministry. With a current daily capacity to host 102 individuals, the Mission has helped more than 750,000 people since 1961.
DesignHammer has worked with Raleigh Rescue Mission since 2007, most recently redesigning the Mission’s website in 2009. For the 2013 redesign, the Mission wanted to update the overall look, incorporate a mobile-friendly design, and integrate features to better connect and build relationships with site visitors.
The team at DesignHammer built upon the existing website, which was created using Drupal. Drupal is a highly flexible open source content management system that allows an organization to independently modify website content. The CMS is trusted by prominent nonprofits worldwide, such as Oxfam International and Human Rights Watch.
With more than 10,000 community-contributed modules to extend its functionality, Drupal contains an abundant list of features and add-ons to provide for a variety of content needs.
The redesigned website features new Webforms that facilitate relationship building with users. “These forms make it easier for visitors to sign up to take a tour at the Mission and to keep informed of the latest needs, volunteer opportunities and news at the Mission,” said Leslie Millett, director of public relations at Raleigh Rescue Mission. “We’ve seen an increase in user engagement in these two areas since the implementation of these new forms,” she said.
The expert team of developers at DesignHammer has experience successfully integrating Drupal and third-party software. DesignHammer wrote a custom module to integrate eTapestry, which is used by the Mission to process online contributions, and manage donors and email subscribers.
“This integration is a more efficient way to process information and engage with our visitors,” Millett said, explaining that the information transfer is a simple one-step process.
Another goal for the redesign was to enhance the sense of community by incorporating a local feel through images. Prominent throughout the website are images of downtown Raleigh and its architecture, and individuals in downtown settings such as the bus terminal and on-site at the Mission.
“With the help of local photographers and direction from DesignHammer, we were able to capture images that resonated with the Raleigh and downtown area, and also fit into the overall design concept for the new site,” said Millett.
The Mission recognized the increasing migration to mobile browsing, and wanted to make it easier for users to engage with the website. “The responsive template design and the mobile-optimized giving form were a tremendous improvement to our website,” Millett said.
DesignHammer utilized Responsive Web Design to create an attractive, modern layout that would complement the Mission’s compelling content on a wide variety of Web platforms. Responsive design optimizes mobile user experience by adapting a website to the size of display it is viewed on. The online donation form was redesigned with mobile in mind and simplified for mobile navigation.
Millett said the conversion rate from mobile devices has increased since the mobile-optimized giving page launched.
“DesignHammer beautifully translated our site goals and vision into not only an aesthetically pleasing site, but also one that is performing well and achieving results,” Millett said.
Since the launch of the site, Millett said, the bounce rate has decreased, visitors are spending more time on the site, and are visiting more pages during their visit.
With an increase in donations and email list growth, Millett said, “In just a few short months we are seeing significant results and expect that trend to continue as we approach the holidays, when our website traffic increases.”
Founded in 2001, DesignHammer is an award winning, full-service website design and development agency. The firm specializes in graphic design, content management systems, online application development, search engine optimization, usability and hosting, with experience in serving the needs of organizations of all sizes.
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