Soapbox Engage Blog

At PICnet, were not about just moving pixels around to create a website. We're about empowering non-profits to better meet their missions through web technology. So when the good folks over at the Coast Guard Foundation let us know that's exactly what happened as a result of the launch of their new site, we had to do a little jig.

We could have posted a video of that but, since our jig skills leave something to be desired, we figured it would be better to let the Foundation give you the low down in their own words:

Last year, we decided to fully overhaul our website, coastguardfoundation.org. We knew that our mission — helping the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard and their families — was important, but our online presence needed improvement.

Our old site was difficult to update, sorely lacking interactive features and was generally unappealing. So in conjunction with nonprofit technology consultants Big Duck and PICnet, we embarked on a nearly year-long project to transform our website into something modern, engaging and more user-friendly.

The redesigned website has delivered results already. We know from looking at the metrics, traffic to the site and user engagement has improved. But the statistics only tell part of the story. We’re attracting attention from national sponsors like The Weather Channel, Girl Scouts and Huggies. Our website now reflects who we are, a national nonprofit with reach and scope across the country.

The people we serve are everywhere, and now with the new site, we’re able to reflect that online. We’ve long sought to engage better with the people who make up our community, and the redesigned PICnet site allowed us to do just that with their commenting system, which lets our stakeholders be a central part of the conversation.

In addition to the increased functionality of the site, our redesign improved the aesthetics of our mission and message, as well. Our president, Anne Brengle, was on the West Coast recently on donor visits. Due to a delayed flight she wasn’t able to meet with a prospective major prospect. Just hours after their meeting was supposed to take place, Anne received a call from the donor.

“He said, ‘I just looked at your website. I have all the information I need to make a donation,’” Anne said. The result was a $25,000 gift to one of the Coast Guard Foundation’s scholarship funds.

As an organization, we’re convinced that if we were still operating our old site, this type of donation would have never happened. Non-Profit Soapbox has allowed us to have a platform that presents our organization’s message in a powerful and compelling way online. Our website serves as the face of our organization, and we are confident that we’re presenting the Coast Guard Foundation in our best light thanks to PICnet.

Congrats on the success! May the website continue to open doors as you work to serve the men and women of the Coast Guard and their families!