Web Services Increase Community Impact of Indianapolis Urban League

Like most of us in the nonprofit sector, Indianapolis Urban League employees handle multiple responsibilities which made it difficult to find time to provide regular updates to the organization’s website. Only one individual was trained in html code, and other staff members were reliant upon her for placement of their departmental updates and announcements. Because much of the information on the IUL site, such as job postings and events, is time-sensitive, it was essential for the organization to find a more efficient way of managing these updates and communicating the news to its constituents. Additionally, the overall look and feel of the website was outdated and needed to align visually with the national network.

NPower created a job board feature and event calendar so information could be available to the community in a timely manner and relieved people from having to call the office for information. A content management system was also implemented to enable IUL staff to easily make their own updates to the website without the use of html coding. As indicated by Nycole Johnson, Information Technology Specialist, "This allowed the different departments to manage their respective parts of the site, eliminating the inefficiencies of relying on just one person for site maintenance."

Additionally, the appearance of the website was refreshed to reflect the new logo and marketing strategy implemented by the national network. The site now appears more welcoming and users can read the information and navigate with greater ease than before NPower’s web development services.

The content management system installed by NPower has greatly increased efficiency in maintaining the website and allowed the responsibility of making updates to be spread across multiple staff members. Now all pertinent announcements and events are housed in one central location, and staff can direct callers to the site for information instead of conveying all the details over the phone. The electronic job board specifically has greatly reduced the hassle of posting and refreshing hard copies of ads at the IUL facility.

In addition to the logistical benefits, the new website’s appearance and more user-friendly structure has improved constituents’ ability to use it to retrieve information. In fact, IUL is now using the website as a training tool to help individuals improve their computer skills.