Case Study: Boys & Girls Clubs of the Big Bend

Company Overview
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Big Bend (BGCBB), a non-profit organization based in Tallahassee, Florida, provides after-school and summer youth development programs for more than 7,000 at-risk kids ages 5-18 at 16 Clubs across four North Florida counties. It employs nearly 200 management, administrative and front line staff and enlists the assistance of more than 100 volunteers. Its annual budget exceeds $4 million.

Research/Situation Analysis
In 2008, BGCBB learned through an online survey that its Web site did not meeting the needs of key stakeholders. The failure of the site to offer relevant, clear and organized information generated a slew of unnecessary calls, e-mails and visits to the administrative office from frustrated parents and prospective volunteers and employees asking questions that could be easily answered online. An internal analysis revealed that tending to these inquiries resulted in the loss of thousands of dollars per year in staff time that could be redirected toward more productive activities, such as fundraising.

In addition, survey data showed that the poor design of the site negatively affected users’ overall perception of the organization and created a lack of perceived credibility, thereby jeopardizing BGCBB’s well-respected brand and limiting online donations. In response to these findings, BGCBB hired Taproot Creative to redevelop the organization’s Web site.

Objectives
Together with BGCBB, Taproot set forth the following measurable objectives to be achieved within the first six months of launching the new site.

Reduce the number of unnecessary visits, e-mail inquiries and phone calls to the administrative office regarding club membership, volunteering and employment by 50%
Increase overall user satisfaction of the Web site from a 70% rating of “excellent” or “good” to 90%
Improve the organization of information on the Web site from a 66% rating of “excellent” or “good” to 90%
Improve the overall design and appearance of the Web site from a 73% rating of “excellent” or “good” to 90%

Implementation
Taproot reviewed suggestions offered through survey responses and subsequent focus groups to gain a better understanding of internal and external user needs. Ideas for improvement included reducing page clutter; drafting clear and concise content; making important information more readily accessible; adding employment information and an online job application; highlighting volunteer opportunities and uploading an online volunteer application; expressing more detailed information about club membership and offering an online membership application; incorporating staff bios; enhancing the look and feel; creating a press room; posting photos of club members and staff; offering external resources for parents; developing a section just for kids; publishing testimonials; integrating a more effective donation processing system; and building a content management system that would enable BGCBB staff to update the site regularly and eliminate the need to outsource site maintenance.

Ultimately, in addition to implementing the suggestions outlined above, Taproot designed the look and feel of the new site to reflect the mission of the youth-serving agency by featuring vibrant colors, smooth lines and rotating photos of kids at the clubs. The site map and navigation embraced simplicity and featured a logical flow of categories and sub-categories, with consideration of user needs. New content gave special attention to brevity, clarity and relevance. Taproot also changed the URL from bgcbb.org to ThePositivePlaceForKids.org to make the site address more memorable and better aligned with the organization’s brand.

Evaluation
Within six months of launching and promoting the new site, the number of unnecessary visits and e-mails to the BGCBB administrative office decreased by 80%, and unnecessary phone calls decreased by 58%. These results far surpassed the goal of decreasing unnecessary visits, e-mails and phone calls by 50% respectively.

A post-survey found that user satisfaction increased from 70% to 96%, exceeding the goal by 6%.  Ninety-seven percent of users rated “organization of information” as “excellent” or “good,” up 31% and surpassing the goal by 7%. Satisfaction with overall design and appearance improved from 73% to 97%, surpassing the goal by 7%. Open-ended comments praised the site’s ease of navigation, relevance of information, simple explanations, variety of photos and overall design. Due to the new Web site’s positive effect on users’ perception of the organization, BGCBB now receives more online donations than ever before.

In 2009, the Florida Public Relations Association recognized the Web site as an outstanding public relations campaign component, presenting Taproot Creative and the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Big Bend with a statewide Golden Image Award and a Judges Award.