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Building an Online Home for the House of Ruth
The Challenge
House of Ruth is a Louisville-based non-profit organization that provides services to families and individuals affected by HIV and AIDS. "In today's society, there is still a stigma surrounding AIDS," states Linda Underwood, Executive Director for House of Ruth. "We needed a way to reach members of our community while they are in the comfort of their own homes." Many people are hesitant to go to the House of Ruth office or to receive information in the mail related to HIV/AIDS issues. House of Ruth needed an online presence to allow potential supports to learn about the organization and its work without the need to leave their comfortable environment.
The DBS>Interactive Approach
DBS>Interactive combined images from existing House of Ruth marketing materials with a design that would provide a welcoming online environment. The appearance of the website was created to develop a new brand for the organization. The color scheme was selected to present a comfortable, non-threatening online presence that would encourage site visitors to explore the services provided by House of Ruth. The site was originally designed as an informational website to present valuable information about the organization to the community. The navigational structure of the site was developed to allow for expansion, allowing for the seamless integration of new information and interactive tools to meet the growing needs of the organization. The site was also designed with the search engines in mind, to allow interested visitors to locate the site quickly through the major search engines.
Interactive elements were also added by DBS>Interactive to allow the site to be more useful to both volunteers and supports. Some of the interactive elements available on the website include the following:
- Online Volunteer Application - This feature allows those interested in becoming involved with the organization to submit an online application to become a volunteer. Several versions of the application are available to collect only the information needed, based on the requirements for the volunteer activity being requested.
- Online Donations - Visitors to the website are provided with a simple process for making secure online donations.
- Volunteer Time and Expense Recording - A password-protected area allows volunteers to record their time, mileage and other expenses. The reporting features allow House of Ruth to more accurately gauge community involvement, and provides an easy method for volunteers to record their expenses for their personal tax reporting.
- E-mail Campaign Management - House of Ruth supports can register to receive email newsletters and updates from the organization. Professional newsletters which reflect the branding of the organization are easily created and distributed by House of Ruth office staff using PostOfficeExpress, an online email campaign service developed by DBS. This service allows the organization to communicate regularly with interested supporters without the expense of designing, printing, and mailing a conventional newsletter.
As part of an on-going commitment to the community, DBS>Interactive is currently developing additional interactive tools which will encourage increased community participation and volunteerism. These new tools include the development of a volunteer calendar. This feature will provide a password-protected area which allows registered users to view the list of volunteer needs and to register for a volunteer activity that meet their qualifications without the need to directly contact the organization. This will allow for the more efficient assignment of volunteer tasks, while reducing the office labor required to schedule through manual methods.
The Results
Community awareness of House of Ruth has continued to increase significantly. The organization's only major fundraiser, Dining Out for Life, is prominently featured on the website. The online promotion of this event provides valuable marketing exposure for sponsors, and encourages businesses to sponsor the event in exchange for this increased exposure. The number of inquiries submitted through the website has surpassed the organization's goals, and the number of volunteer applications has significantly increased since enabling online submissions. Active volunteers have been enthusiastic in their use of the online time and expense management tools, and have expressed excitement about the upcoming volunteer calendar tools.
Based on the current success of the website, House of Ruth expects the site to continue to serve as their primary marketing presence, and expectations are high that the amount of community involvement generated through the website will continue to increase over the next year.
About House of Ruth
House of Ruth is an association of persons caring for families and individuals affected by HIV and AIDS. Located in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, this organization provides advocacy and support for the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual needs of those lives which have been altered by AIDS.
About DBS>Interactive
DBS>Interactive provides 360 degree comprehensive website design and interactive programming, site hosting, marketing and maintenance for complete life cycle management.
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