Strive is a campaign theme primarily designed for use on mobile devices. Its primary function is to gather quick signup information and process donations in the field. Its layout features a compact navigation/social media icon section on one side, and an action form with quick signup and donation functionality on the right. These sections are always visible and ready for action. The site is small, and every page is designed to bring the viewer to back to a signup or donation form. I spent a great deal of time refining the forms-- testing out animations and color combinations. Try them yourself and let me know what you think!
Friends of Fiji brings together returned Peace Corps Volunteers and members of the Fijian diaspora to fund development projects and hold periodic events that raise awareness of Polynesian culture.
I created this site to serve as a reliable platform for their fundraising campaigns and community events. It features a comprehensive membership system, an easy-to-use event calendar and multiple, quick-access methods to stay in touch.
Logged-in members have access to a member dashboard page which tells them the status of their accounts and shows them how to use the site. The site collects custom data and prompts the user if key fields are not filled out. All members have access to a volunteer page where they may sign up for various tasks, and board members have a special resource page to store administrative information and meeting minutes.
Trayon White is a community activist who served with distinction on the DC School Board. Now he's running to represent Ward 8 on the Washington D.C. City Council.
Every page of Trayon's website contains a signup form front and center, designed to be used on a mobile device. Organizers in the field can easily sign up supporters and volunteers, then quickly refresh the form to sign up the next person.
The site is a customized NationBuilder system with standard event management, volunteer sign-up, vote pledging and fundraising capabilities. Each page is designed to display a wide-angle photo with the page's headline overlaid. The footer contains prominent links to the candidate's social media accounts, where much of the day-to-day progress of the campaign is documented.
The Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Washington D.C. is one of the oldest and most active groups of its kind. It provides resources and activities for thousands of members in the nation's capital.
This is my first NationBuilder site and I am constantly using it to develop new tools and techniques that unleash the potential of its user base. Here are some of the latest features:
Sourcing Forum Questions
We launched a bulletin board-style page at http://www.rpcvw.org/ask_peace_corps to source questions for a public forum. Members were encouraged to post questions with a simple form. Others could then comment on or vote on the worthiness of the question. The most popular questions were incorporated into the event.
Country Group Directory
Since many of our members also represent smaller groups, we wanted to offer them a piece of our website where they could advertise and recruit new members. This page, located at http://www.rpcvw.org/country_groups, allowed any logged-in user to post a group, upload an image (typically that country’s flag) and then write a small blurb about the group and its DC-area representation. A widget displays the 4 most recent entries on the homepage.
Featured Sponsors
We created a pilot advertising program where individuals or commercial entities can create a promotional presence on our website at http://www.rpcvw.org/sponsor_list. Sponsors create accounts, which are then tagged by an administrator. The names of sponsor accounts appear in a sidebox on almost every page in the website. When someone clicks a name, it reveals the sponsor’s logo and contact information, along with a link to a full bio page that the sponsor can customize.
Mentoring
We inherited a mentoring program from another organization and began working out a way to manage it through our website. The mentoring system at http://www.rpcvw.org/mentoring is still in its early stages, but it serves the purpose of providing a secure platform for any logged-in user to declare mentor/mentee status and make contact. The page displays lists of “open” and ”matched” participants arranged by bio card that displays each person’s name, occupation, employer, country of service and a link to send an email. A mentoring committee, working behind the scenes, can then “link” accounts to track relationships and a system for establishing goals and tracking results is in the works.
Member Submitted Events
Due to popular demand, we created a calendar page that members could use to host community events. At http://www.rpcvw.org/member_led_events, any logged-in member can post an event. An event snippet will then display in widgets on the homepage and the normal events page. Posting an event is simple, and several members have used it to advertise fundraisers, picnics and interesting events.
The Friends of Willowbranch Library was a nonprofit organization in Jacksonville, FL dedicated to protecting a local landmark and making it a hub for community engagement.
I built a branded website in the colors of the library that included a simple membership system, event calendar and streamlined processes for interested people to donate, volunteer or sign up for regular communications. I can readily deploy the same theme for an organization looking to grow!
This site was developed for a tennis camp that operated in multiple locations and used the sport to teach leadership values to kids. Their site allowed them to build an email list, expand their presence on social media and introduce a membership program for their most ardent supporters.
While the original site is no longer active, a fully-functioning demonstration site is available for you to browse.
The Eastern Shore Cooperator is a community newspaper in Nova Scotia. I designed the site to pull together multiple blogs which serve as the paper's sections.
The site is still in development, but when finished, it will include a basic advertising system, a community calendar that trusted partners can add to and a steady stream of top stories.
The Democratic Business Council of Northern Virginia brings together like-minded entrepreneurs to exchange ideas and discuss the issues of the day. I customized a theme that would make it easier than ever for members to pay their dues, find events and network with each other through an enhanced member directory.
I've worked for NALP since 2014, helping them meet their fundraising and recruiting goals. I manage their growing NationBuilder database, develop customized HTML emails to drive their message, and produce all manner of content for their online outlets. They recently launched a new site on WordPress, so I designed and developed a NationBuilder donation page that matches their branding. Click the button below to check it out!
Minimizing Entropy is the guiding philosophy behind the work of an enterprising young academic, who commissioned me to design a portfolio website in his bid to join the faculty of a prestigious university. I used responsive design, coupled with original graphics, to guide the user on a journey through his work and highlight his potential.
I joined the board of Friends of Jamaica in 2015 and launched a SquareSpace to build out their member list and raise funds for small grants in rural Jamaica. While Squarespace was inexpensive and easy to maintain, in 2017 I configured a SilkStart association management site connected to the larger National Peace Corps Association, of which Friends of Jamaica is an affiliate. This way, Friends of Jamaica benefits from the global Peace Corps network, sharing a database with dozens of other groups, collecting dues and growing its capacity at an unprecedented rate.
Silver Spring Town Center is the hub for community-based programming inside the new Silver Spring Civic Building and outside at Veterans Plaza. It hosts a wide variety of community events and programs throughout the year. From dance to music to visual arts to theatre, the organization invites all to participate in helping Silver Spring thrive as an arts and entertainment destination.
Heartbeat brings together more than 30 Israeli and Palestinian Youth Musicians to build critical understanding, develop creative nonviolent tools for social change, and amplify their voices to influence the world around them.
I took a stock NationBuilder page and tweaked it to better highlight their multimedia content, using a two-column format to provide quick links to pictures, audio recordings, videos and press links.
Here are a few of my recent projects. Additional information about my professional background, including the details of my Peace Corps service can be found here in my Linkedin profile. I'll gladly put you in touch with any of my listed clients.
* project is in development
** original site inactive, demo displayed