I think the benefit and the work involved with websites is sometimes lost on the trustees of non-profits. I've been trying to pull together a redesign of the Friends of Goodale Park website for over a year. I'm looking at what is needed from our website - content management and contact management and online donations, as well as the actual stats on what the public responds to. Part of the design is dependent upon the direction the board wants to go with things like membership, and the board's willingness to use any particular tools included in the website (no sense spending time on things no one ends up using). So, there is the challenge of determining what will meet the needs of the board, of the public, and what will really be used. In addition, I'd like it to look professional and interesting. We have developed enough content that I believe it is getting difficult to find everything that is out there. As is the problem with any website, I keep adding on items someone wants posted immediately, without determining an overall plan for organization.
It's often just not in the budget to pay for these services (FGP also doesn't pay for the hundreds of hours of project management time volunteered by board members or the hours of work volunteers spend in the park gardening). As with any volunteer services, everyone volunteering has other commitments that demand their time, and so the development can be extremely slow. In our case, I'm one of the few people who writes our content, and the only person who posts content. I don't do graphics or make things look exciting. The limited hours I have to donate are spent writing emails, taking pictures of things park related, and jerry-rigging a website to have all the content available somewhere. I currently have one graphic designer who is going to try to help, but like many of us, hasn't had much time to commit to the project. In a heart-beat, I would take the services of any graphic artists, or really any web developers, wanting to donate time .
If there are folks who have some ideas for improvement for the Friends of Goodale Park website, PM me. I can find a place for you on the team. Once my kitchen is done, I'll be hosting a meeting at my home to really pull together a team and a project plan. Anyone who has been to a meeting at my home knows I make it worth your while: not only a task oriented meeting, but always with food and drink provided. There will be opportunities for as much or as little as anyone wants to do. Ultimately, my goal is to have the website maintained by many, so I can focus most of my efforts on organization of events and other outreach activities instead of web content.
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