Headquarters: Memphis, TN
Client Since: 2009
Service type: Project
Industry: Non-profit

A nonprofit love story about successful website redesign on a modest budget

Established in 1933, The Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County has spent 80 years upholding their mission to ease the plight of the thousands of animals that are neglected or abused in Memphis and Shelby County every year. This nonprofit provides shelter, food, and medical attention for an average of three hundred animals at any given time. They are one of our favorite clients, and we’ve been honored to work with them since 2009.

The Goal:

Like many non-profit organizations, the Humane Society needed a compelling way to better tell their story, engage their target audiences, and increase donations. Their funding comes exclusively from private donations; they needed a way to make it easier for donors to find and fund them.

"I was apprehensive about this project at first, worrying that my lack of techie knowledge would make it frustrating. But Helen has been so great and patient with my million questions and requests...it has been totally painless!" Katie Pemberton, PR/Marketing Specialist

Our Solution:

We started with a completely new website design developed for the Joomla! content management system, packing the site with functionality for the Humane Society’s modest budget. Using the power of open source software, we found plugins for Joomla! that handled everything from donations to an online auction plugin to use for their annual Paw Prints fundraiser. An online store with full e-commerce capabilities was included in the project, and is available to be turned on once the organization is ready.

Rebuilding the website was also a matter of design. We fully utilized the screenspace and made sure that the most powerful information was located in prime locations. While the Humane Society’s previous website did have donation capabilities, they were difficult to locate and use. We made the the site more compelling and easily navigable to improve user experience, ensuring their donors the most streamlined route to contribute.

"Sometimes it’s the small things that make a difference on a website. This project was a great example of that."

Results:

As a result of the redesigned website, The Humane Society of Memphis has seen as much as a 62% increase in online donations since the launch in 2009. We at Valeo are extremely supportive of those working to improve our community. The Humane Society of Memphis is an organization whose philosophy is aligned with our own and we are proud to be part of multiple projects with this organization.