PADS (Pacific Assistance Dogs Society)
Challenge
Part 1
When we began working with PADS, the perks included sweet puppy cuddles, but their digital challenges were less than sweet! They had multiple different technologies for managing data: two for collecting donations online, one for email communications and others for managing volunteer, dog, client and donor info for staff. The process was not only cumbersome but hugely time consuming, and there were things that none of the systems could do what they needed. Their website was outdated and not responsive, even though 65% of their visitors came through mobile devices.
Part 2
After a few years of rapid growth, PADS was stretching the limits of their website as it became the hub for 300+ volunteers and staff to interact, submit reports, and keep everyone aligned on services and events. With this much traffic on a dual volunteer/public purpose site, PADS began to think the site needed to be split into two separate entities – public and internal.
Additionally, PADS asked us to review their SEO. The goal was to improve the site’s SEO position with more visibility to PADS’ programs and events, including user experience and site flow adjustments that would make information and applications easier for PADS candidates.
Solution
Part 1
An integrated donor management system that combined all these tools into one and merged seamlessly into the new website was designed. It allowed them to send emails, fundraise online (and allow their own supporters to fundraise online!), was customizable so that they could integrate people and dogs, and keep their donors up to date on their activities.
We built a brand-new responsive website, which simplified 350 pages into 70, and had a custom-built area for their monthly “pupdates” that update donors on how their dogs are doing.
We applied for and set up the Google Grants program for them, giving them access to $10K of online advertising per month.
Part 2
Spryberry developed a volunteer/staff site called Hydrant to take over the heavy lifting of day-to-day interactions of the organization. The new members-only site is a hub of business activity that enables users to interact in a Facebook-like environment of posts, tagging, and sharing, while also providing access to critical protocol documents, events, and submission forms. With Hydrant taking the load off of the main website, pads.ca is now the public-facing site concentrating on donors and taking applications for service dogs.
Result
Part 1
Increased efficiency, cost reduction and a whopping 220% increase in web traffic in the 12 months post launch based on the previous year.
Part 2
A nimble public site where traffic is streamlined to specific audiences, resulting in better service and ability to measure activity.
A volunteer/staff hub that both serves critical business processes and creates community. With all the volunteers added to the new site, Hydrant promises to enrich the volunteer experience with the organization and build more knowledgeable puppy raisers and breeders. Hydrant is the first step in a bigger goal of automating and streamlining processes that will result in better use of funds.
Updating the site’s page organization and structure resulted in a 24% increase in organic keyword position SEO rankings, increasing the number of Top 10 ranked keywords by 19%.
User experience updates have improved site visitor engagement. Pages per session have increased by 13%, average session time by 5%, and PADS’ bounce rate has decreased by 5%.
