NBN or no NBN, the internet just got bigger courtesy of Hootville which has recently developed four websites for Australian nonprofits working in community health, age services, vocational educational training (VET) and family violence.
Serious issues don't oblige creators to be boring.
First up let’s meet familyviolencehumeregion.com.au which brings together the many agencies and institutions that support people experiencing family violence in Victoria’s Hume region. (Think Shepparton, Benalla, Mansfield.)
The website aims to provide a one-stop shop for professionals or community members in need of assistance – thus the services directory. We aimed for a look that wasn’t dour or depressing – thus the colours and degree of slick. We aimed for a site that could further synchronise the sector – thus the calendar of professional training and development. We did pretty well.
Try attracting young students with an old website.
Next we head into the competitive world of VET in which Inner Melbourne VET Cluster competes. It now competes with the aid of a gorgeous new website. Let us be frank – this site is HUGE and complex – lots of different programs requiring explanation, bookings, payments and – oh – there’s a site within the site – but that’s another story.
This is one nonprofit organisation website that dramatically reduces admin time to deal with take bookings and payments. It also goes much further to persuade students, teachers, referrers and employers that IMVC is the right VET provider option.
Striking images dominate the homepage
Finally we head to the cool, gritty, diverse north of Melbourne where Merri Community Health Service lives. This is another large site for a broad-based community health service that aims to be inviting, retailesque and informative. The Merri HR team is also benefitted from a far superior online job application system.
This site utilises online videos which Hootville produced. The unscripted videos are far more than straight talking heads and are scattered appropriately across the site but also live together here. Could you do with some videos like this? Unlike these videos, yours need not utilise Brett’s acting skills. (Top video 1.45m in – cue Oscar buzz.)
The sector needs to recruit and retain like never before.
And then there’s this website campaigning for better aged care funding for client Leading Age Services Australia (LASA). The URL was Brett’s idea – there are three million Australians aged 65yo and older. That’s why the boost to age services is so vital. We also created an election specific tool allowing participants to email their local MPs.
All these sites are built to last – the WordPress content management system (CMS) we use means that these sites could last a decade. WordPress is most likely to be able to ‘play’ with any and all new developments. WordPress is sophisticated enough to be simple to update. We always include training in basic website maintenance. We recommend hosts but take not a penny from them. Post-launch our clients can choose between us and thousands of other WordPress-literate developers.
A bad website costs you more than you can ever calculate: staff, clients, donors, members, partners and influence. If your nonprofit website isn’t up to scratch stop wasting time wondering about how to take the first step and talk to Brett: 03 9017 1062.
