Don't Start From Scratch
Tell me if this has happened to you or your association before…
A website update is inevitable. It needs to happen. You know it. Your coworkers know it. You may mention to each other the pain your current website causes the team on a daily basis. Naturally, everyone is on the same page.
You then start asking questions to get a feel for what you may be in for. Some of your questions may be "When did we last update our website?", "What did we learn during that last update?", "Did it go well?, "What experiences did we take away from it?", and…wait for it…"Who on our team worked on it?".
Seems legit, right? It's a straight-forward way to get things rolling.
All of those questions SHOULD be asked, and hopefully answers can be found. However, that last question is most likely the most frustrating one…because of the answer it usually generates.
We can't tell you how many times we've seen this play out in the most unfortunate way for an association. Too often the individuals that played a part in the last update are no longer on the team. Therefore, most of those preceding questions likely garner less-than-helpful answers. It's painful to hear…and that's from our end! We can't imagine what it feels like from your perspective.
We'd love to help get rid of this pain. And the lovely part…you play a valuable role in this progression as well.
We build the websites. We create the back-end that allows you to quickly and easily control your website.
But, it's you that rids your own pain. What do we mean by this?
Our platform would be meaningless without the help and direction shared by the associations in the COMMUNITY. You know your association better than ANYONE ever will. You understand what your association needs online. You have an idea of what you want your website sharing with your communities, and how you'd like that content shared.
It then makes all of the sense in the world to utilize this mountain of knowledge to add meaning to the entire website platform…to make it tailor-made for an association like yours.
To make this a reality, contributions have come in many forms over the years…both in design and function. Let's share some examples before proceeding:
Auto-scheduler - maybe you'd like to be proactive and make multiple changes to your site at once, or maybe you only have thirty minutes every month to make changes. (It's most likely the latter, right?!) Either way, these are realities that multiple associations shared with us…and we needed to account for it. Therefore we added the functionality that allows you to create content and choose when it publishes and un-publishes.
Registration buttons - not all programs are registrable…now, ever…for a multitude of reasons. Whatever the reason, you should be able to control what programs display your Register button. We listened, and created a simple toggle that puts you in control of your available online registrations.
Brand compliance - this may have been the biggest no-brainer when it came to implementation… Your site should be compliant from the get-go, and just as importantly, it should stay compliant as you continue to edit and manage your website…no matter the staff and team you have managing it. This required us to develop an interface for you that allows you to edit your site automatically WITHIN your brand standards.
These are just a few examples of how association input has helped push things in the right direction. And what's better, this two-way idea highway is always open. Periodic website reviews and one-off communications aren't only accepted, they're necessary. Without ideas passing back-and-forth, we all become stagnant…and that's just not an option!
Now that we know 1) association input has helped get us where we are today, and 2) the idea highway is always open…we need to ask, "What kind of association does this benefit?".
That is a wonderful question!
The simple answer is ALL associations. But let's go a bit deeper by comparing two different, yet equal scenarios.
The Mid-to-Large Association
We can assume they have some sort of IT team that handles both the day-to-day endeavors and planning for the future…when time allows. We can also assume they are able to implement website content changes, website hosting, and maybe even some website code updates.
The Small Association
Here we can assume the Marketing Director handles a list of items…including but not limited to: mission advancement, communications, social media, the association's website, and…oh yeah…marketing.
Again, these are two very different scenarios…with the resources available and the capacity to implement more complex aspects of operations. But, they're equal in that they both deserve the same thing = a high-functioning website that helps drive their mission and online registrations…all while keeping it simple for staff to quickly and easily update website content.
We don't think that is asking too much, regardless of how the financial statement looks. Our community would agree.
But, all of those kick-off questions still loom, right?! You still need to get your website update rolling, and it would be great if you had some answers.
Thankfully ONE MORE similarity exists…and it is that both DO NOT need to start from scratch.
Over the years, our development hours and the community's feedback have already brought us to where we are today. Not only does this greatly benefit our community as it stands today. It also benefits those that are looking for a viable website option in the future.
So, unless you enjoy spending more hours than you have researching what it takes to overhaul your current website, do not start from scratch.
Unless you want to be a pioneer with your website, do not start from scratch.
Unless you enjoy numerous unknowns, do not start from scratch.
And, unless you are willing to risk having to update your site again in three-to-four years, do not start from scratch.
All of these, over time, have already been accounted for and built into what we offer and how we help…to give you a starting point that is MILES down that road, and one alleviates the pain and stress that are almost certain with most website updates.
Again, you deserve a website that progresses your mission online. And it shouldn't require you reinventing the wheel to get it. So if you do not have all of the answers, no need to worry. We already asked the questions, and the YMCA community helped answer them for you.