A New, Dramatic Look for Burton Snowboard's Chill Foundation
The Chill Foundation, the non-profit foundation started by Burton Snowboards' founders Jake and Donna Carpenter, is an amazing organization that we had the privilege of working with.
We enhanced their brand, overhauled their website structure to improve conversion optimization, created an engaging flow to get both program participants and donors alike excited about their programs, and optimized their site for quality, focused nonprofit SEO.
The new chill.org, designed by Sarah Moon + Co (SarahMoon.net).
They have locations all over the country and engage at-risk youth in leadership activities through boardsports, including snowboarding, skateboarding, stand-up paddle-boarding and surfing.
Ages ago, I worked for the City of Portland, and one of my projects was public relations and promotion of the city's skatepark project. I got to understand the action sports industry quite deeply, and learn what a profound impact involvement in skateboarding, snowboarding, and other action sports could have on young people.
This was one of the most gratifying projects I worked on during my time in the public sector, so it was awesome getting back to a subject I'd been passionate about so long ago. (Fun fact: my last day on the job at the City, then Mayor Tom Potter invited me to join him in cutting the ribbon for a new skatepark and I may have cried a little at that generosity.)
Chill had a nice Wordpress based website but it didn't have the storytelling vibe that they needed, and it was quite difficult to maintain in-house.
It wasn't edgy or boundary-pushing. It worked, it looked nice, but it didn't match their work. My team and I were excited to re-envision what Chill.org could be, complete with a fab hero video (created by Vitae Sessions), vibrant colors, some edgy-feeling iconography, an interactive map and an awesome infographic created by my frequent graphic design collaborator, Ashli Hughes of Cascade Creative PDX.
Chill.org - BEFORE: A boring, typical nonprofit website that was confusing to navigate and lacked a cohesive message.
This was a big project, with lots of what I call "mini-sites" highlighting each location—a smart strategy from and SEO and fundraising/volunteer cultivation perspective if your organization has many locations.
Wrangling this breadth of content can be a real challenge but we still managed to tighten up the site substantially, making it clear and straightforward for any visitor. This is a lesson that nonprofits can learn from for-profit companies and startups, for sure!
Chill.org - AFTER: A bold and dynamic website with clear messaging, logical user experience, and a story to tell.
Chill.org Infographic that instantly showcased the impact of the organization, which speaks to donors and volunteers. This kind of visual that functions as an impact report to every visitor can make a huge difference in building support for your cause.
Non-profit websites are actually the most challenging sites I work on due to most organizations needing to speak to two or three unique audiences with different and, at times, competing needs.
This is why we use our signature Four Sector Alignment™ approach when consulting on nonprofit and foundation websites.
These organizations tend to involve more stakeholders, often with competing goals, and therefore it takes more research and fine-tuning to nail down just the right strategy. It’s a unique process that I can’t help but love, as it requires teasing out not only the client's goals, but hearing the needs of donors, staff, volunteers, participants and ensuring that their online presence strikes the right balance with regard to all those audiences. It's a tricky endeavor, but a fun one.
