How a Social Service Agency Effectively Reached Families in Need and Donors Via the Web

Company: Jewish Family Service of MetroWest Website: http://www.jfsmetrowest.org Location: Florham Park, New Jersey Industry: Individual & Family Services

Quick Read

Jewish Family Service of MetroWest New Jersey (http://www.jfsmetrowest.org) offers a wide range of mental health and social services to people of all ages. But the agency was having a hard time delivering its message online. They were worried about their low presence in search engine rankings, the site's confusing navigation, a lack of new donors and a low number of new client intakes. What's more, the in-house staff couldn't edit - or even see - the old website.

By teaming with Talance, Inc. (http://talance.com), a Boston-area Web development and design firm that specializes in user-friendly websites for non-profits, JFS MetroWest now boasts an easy-to-use website with high visibility and the ability to accept online payments.

The website - which includes optimized search engine capabilities, an online shopping cart for accepting donations and selling tribute cards, a calendar of events, a news updates section, a newsletter and more - is now manageable by a staff without any in-depth technical expertise. The site also effectively informs its constituency about upcoming events and community resources. The new platform has helped JFS MetroWest achieve its goal of having a lively website that's easy to maintain, increase donations and publicize a rich selection of programs and services.

The Challenge

JFS MetroWest, a non-profit, non-sectarian, nationally accredited agency, knew its site needed a serious upgrade. It needed to be easier for administers to maintain. It needed to inform its constituency about a host of helpful services available to the public. It needed to have the capability of accepting online payment for donations and product sales. And to achieve better visibility, the new website needed a smart and compelling design and to have optimized content that people could find online.

One barrier was that the site was hosted on an internal server that prevented anyone in the office from viewing it. It was also impossible for the staff, which had no formal technology training, to edit. A new content management system (CMS), on the other hand, solved the problem of accessibility and also provided a tool that would be easy for anyone in the office to maintain, regardless of their technical background.

Another issue was that the public wasn't finding the website. The old format was causing search engines like Google to ignore it, and it was neither cataloged nor searchable. With such a low profile, it was hard for donors to find, and it was hard for the JFS team to tell locals about the wealth of programs and services they had available.

The Project

After reviewing the existing website structure for usability and interviewing key members of the JFS office, Talance determined a new structure and design that would appear on search engines and be more attractive to donors and clients. They developed a website plan that included:

• Better design: the old black and white design was replaced by a vibrant site with color photos that represent the services offered by the agency.
• Expandable text-based menus: Given the extensive menu of services available to the community, Talance created a menu that allowed for many options that don't look overwhelming.
• Shopping cart: The new shopping cart allows donors to purchase tribute cards, make donations and buy tickets for events.
• Calendar: The new and improved calendar brings the numerous events and programs onto the homepage while highlighting what's available on the current day.
• JFS in the News: A list on the homepage allows the agency to highlight its most recent media coverage.
• Newsletter: A customizable newsletter can go out to the constituency while being archived on the website.
• Friendly URLs: As part of an overall search engine optimization (SEO) campaign, each page has a unique address that's easy for visitors to read and that is easily catalogued in search engines.

From the Client

"The support from Talance has been incredible," says Reuben Rotman, executive director of Jewish Family Service of MetroWest New Jersey. "Our non-profit went from having an old, very limited website to three different robust websites. Each step of the way, the staff at Talance held our hand, offered concrete suggestions and suggested innovations we never would have thought of on our own."