Throughout 2011, Commonwealth Land Trust’s administrative team was searching for a way to bring our very basic, four-page website out of the Stone Age. After months of advertising for web development services on online volunteer boards, CLT’s Communications and Grants Manager, Maisie O’Brien, applied to Common Impact, an organization that matches nonprofits with highly skilled volunteers to complete capacity building projects.
Shortly after submitting our application, representatives from Common Impact contacted us to arrange a site visit. CLT’s administrative team and President and CEO, Ellen M. Tan, met with Common Impact’s Founder and President, Teresa Ellis, to discuss CLT’s mission, programs, and goals for the website. In the fall of 2011, we were thrilled to learn that we had been selected by Common Impact to receive website enhancement services valued at over $50,000.
Common Impact paired us to a team of volunteer web developers from Putnam Investments. Phillip Camp led the Putnam Investments web development team composed of Collin Sanders, Ian Moriarty, Pavel Sotskov, and Jon Kaufman. Mike Abbene, a business and marketing professional, provided additional coordination and general support, and James Magerman served as the project lead for Common Impact.
Over the course of six months, James Magerman, the Putnam Team, and CLT’s Maisie O’Brien, held weekly conference calls to discuss the site’s construction and design. It was a long process, but the end result –our brand new website– is fantastic. It has exceeded all of our expectations in terms of its layout, functionality, and sustainability. Indeed, it was created using WordPress, a platform that allows us to easily update content, photographs, and video without the use of HTML.
CLT’s beautiful new website effectively conveys our story to potential funders, volunteers, and other target audiences. In communicating our mission and programs, it has increased our ability to bring more people out of homelessness and into permanent housing. The success of the website enhancement project is a testament to what can be achieved when the corporate and nonprofit sectors work together to accomplish a public good. We are so grateful to Common Impact and the Putnam Investments team for their hard work and dedication to this project.
Click here to learn more about Common Impact.
Click here to learn more about Putnam Investments.