The Work
Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation supports organizations focused on alleviating poverty and increasing social and economic justice in 11 Southern states.
A new strategic vision for Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation prompted the organization to redo its website — which was unresponsive and needed a visual refresh — so they could effectively communicate their new strategic approach.
The Challenge
The Foundation identified several goals for their new website: modernize their look while keeping an approachable, community-focused tone; and more effectively communicate who they are and what they do.
The site needed to show their focus in three areas:
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Democracy and civic engagement
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Economic opportunity
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Supportive policies and institutions
With a wealth of historical content including stories of grant recipients, prominently featuring these stories was also a priority to showcases the Foundation’s impact in the South. In addition, they needed to have an easy-to-use content management system so that team members at the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation could update the site and keep content fresh.
The Solution
Along with an updated visual design, the new website makes it easy for grantees to find helpful information about funding priorities, how to apply, and data about past grantees. It communicates the Foundation’s strategy, vision and approach while providing a platform for sharing stories of the Foundation’s impact and for content managers to easily update the site. Their new website showcases how progress has been made in the South to combat poverty and achieve greater social and economic justice.
Board of Directors Intranet
A second site — an intranet — provides a portal for the Board of Directors to access information, collaborate, and prepare for grant cycles. The previous intranet was underutilized because it was difficult to navigate and not well-organized. Alloy worked with Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation to create a more efficient, user-friendly intranet that complements the visual design of the public-facing website. The intranet needed to walk a fine line between improving usability and not changing too drastically, given the technology comfort level of some board members.
Alloy focused on creating a structure that highlights key dates and materials — and makes finding resources more intuitive. The work resulted in an intranet that is much easier for staff to manage and a platform that is actually a powerful resource for board members to prepare for meetings. “This allows them to travel light and review documents on their mobile devices rather than fumble with paperboard books that can be hundreds of pages long,” says Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation’s communications director, Susanna Hegner.
