UMass Amherst
Redesign & enhance the UMass Rising web presence to increase philanthropy and online giving. User-experience design and content strategy, visual design and Drupal CMS development.
UMass Rising: Web design for philanthropy
What inspires people to give to their alma mater?
UMass Amherst had a fundraising website that was outdated with no specific theme or campaign. Rubic redesigned and developed a new web presence that communicated the spirit of philanthropy at UMass and brought their UMass Rising campaign to life online.
The new website celebrates the success and generosity of the UMass community. Rubic crafted a web experience centered around their existing philanthropists. Through text, imagery and video, the Stories & Voices section connects reasons for giving with 2013 campaign priorities and ways to give.
Through research and interviews, sitemapping and web prototyping, Rubic streamlined navigation, reduced lengthy content and created attractive styles for highlights and calls to action. Working with UMass creatives and technical teams, Rubic implemented a new system for web typography while meeting existing brand and typography guidelines.
Rubic collaborated closely through iterative sitemaps and wireframe prototypes that provided a foundation for graphic design and content creation. The site includes video via Brightcove, news releases and content feeds from third-party vendors. A Drupal-based directory of campaign contacts opens the door for questions and communications. Originally specified for Drupal 6, Rubic worked with UMass to ensure the site could be built and maintained more easily on the newer Drupal 7 web platform.
“The team at Rubic has been great. In fact, we’d like to use your process as a model for all of the websites we build at UMass Amherst. ”
By the Fall of 2013, the new home for philanthropy at UMass has gained 40% increase to returning visitors and securely collected over $4M in online donations alone. The website supports print and face to face programs for giving. The 2013 UMass Rising campaign has been so far the most successful in the last 20 years of the school's decorated history.