Fundraising Website Construction

Cary Library Foundation Fundraising Website Construction

In collaboration with the Cary Library Foundation

Introduction

In partnership with the Cary Library Foundation, the Youth Steam Team is hosting an event where YOU have the chance to design a website for the Cary Library Renovation Project (ChiRP)! This event is beginner friendly. We welcome all students grade 5-12, even those who have zero experience designing websites.

Experienced mentors and hands-on training for all-levels of webpage and graphic design will be available. We will teach students about web design, create a website for the ChiRP project, and recruit new members for the Youth STEAM team.

This event is a great opportunity for students to learn new skills, meet other students with similar interests, and contribute to a meaningful community project!

Meeting Notes

10/16/23 Meeting Notes
Overall:
Keep the same picture at the top of all pages for consistent visual presentation.
Incorporate the airplane graphics at the bottom of the landing page into other pages.
Home page:
Combine the Home page and About Us page into a single page.
Add another bullet point to the landing/home page,
“This project represents a private public partnership”
Don’t need the Meet the Architects section
Take out the Goals section
Thermometer should be kept on the dedicated Fundraising Updates page instead of the Home page, allowing people to track its growth.
Donate Page:
Eggs should be colored in ChiRP! Colors.
The layout of the Donate page should be basically the same as the Cary Library Foundation’s donate page.
Sponsorship Opportunities page:
Change the menu heading to “Business and Organization Sponsorships” instead of “Sponsorship Opportunities”.
Top picture should be replaced with an image of someone cooking.
Reorder the current Sponsorship Opportunities page to place “Businesses” before “Non-Profit” sponsorship options.
Remove the “Donate Now” button on the current Sponsorship Opportunities page.
Take out the “Buy Tickets” link on the current Sponsorship Opportunities page, as tickets won’t be sold until January.
Create a section with the heading “Business and Non-Profit Sponsorship” for the Event Details and include a button that links to that section.
Take Flight Gala page:
The header for the Take Flight Gala should feature an image of a child reading.
Replace the placeholder text with precise event details, as the current wording is unrelated to the content.
Mention “Tickets will be on sale early January” on the Take Flight Gala page next to the “Save the date!” image.
Transfer the Information related to the Gala from the Take Flight Gala Page to the Sponsorship Opportunities page, as it is more relevant there.
Donors page:
Change “Individual Sponsors” from a button to a heading, as it is more suitable for representing the content. It currently looks like a link button.
Instead of “Institutional Sponsors,” it should be “Businesses and Non-profits.”
Replace buttons on Donors page with headers that still function as buttons to maintain a cleaner and more consistent design.
Institutional Sponsors page:
Add logos on the current Institutional Sponsors page.
First list businesses and nonprofits, then show individuals.

9/24/23 Meeting Notes
Home Page
Tasks:
In the first subsection, change the “Learn more about us” button to “Learn More About ChiRP!”
In the first subsection, change the “Children’s Room Project & Large Meeting Room Transformation” text into “Children’s Room Project and Lower Level Renovation Project”
On the bottom section (the one with the airplanes), remove the links and text of “Our ChiRP! Donors” “Cary Library” “Cary Library Foundation”
Make all the fonts on the homepage the same so it looks cohesive
Notes:
Don’t put buttons for links on the homepage that already have links on the top of the website
Take Flight Gala Page
Tasks:
In the Event Details section, change the title from “Event Details” to “Gala Details”
In the Event Details section:
“By sponsoring the Gala, your company or organization will be recognized as a key member of our community and a champion of literacy, learning, and libraries. Your organization’s support will be recognized in front of our large audience of community members. This is sure to be Lexington’s party of the year — 500 tickets to our 2019 Gala sold out in two weeks!”
Paragraph should be removed from the Take Flight Gala Page into the Sponsorships Opportunities Page
Remove all the Sponsorship Information from the Take Flight Gala Page into the Sponsorships Opportunities Page
On top of the Event Details section, write “Save the date” then “tickets on sale at carylibrary foundation.org in early January”
Notes:
Remember to keep a consistent font
Remove Sponsorship Info and put it into the sponsorship page
Sponsorships Opportunities Gala Page
Tasks:
Make it clear that the sponsorships should be coming from non-profits or businesses, NOT individuals
In the first subsection, remove the “About” button because we don’t need it there
Make a first subsection and put the “By sponsoring the Gala, your company or organization will be recognized as a key member of our community and a champion of literacy, learning, and libraries. Your organization’s support will be recognized in front of our large audience of community members. This is sure to be Lexington’s party of the year — 500 tickets to our 2019 Gala sold out in two weeks!” paragraph in so it gives people context
Copy and paste the event details from the Event Gala page into the Sponsorship page

9/6/23 Library Meeting Recap
Sponsorship Information:
To enhance clarity, we have decided to remove the sponsors section from the gala page.
Instead, we will create separate pages for sponsorship information tailored to nonprofits and businesses.
We are also considering the inclusion of Donor Advised Fund (DAF) as an additional sponsorship option.
All detailed sponsorship information will be conveniently linked to the foundation's donation/sponsor information page.
Design Enhancement:
In a bid to engage our volunteers more actively, we are planning to implement a system where they can vote for their preferred designs, which will eventually be presented to the public.
Streamlined Links:
To simplify the user experience, redundant information will be replaced with intuitive links or buttons. These links will direct users to the foundation's webpage, providing comprehensive details.

7/17/2023 Meeting Notes
Important Details to Consider:
Duplicate your webpage for an ‘easy’ way to extend your Squarespace free trial editing time
When referring to ChiRP, refer using proper capitalization and with an explanation mark: ‘ChiRP!’
Most users use the website on their phones, so consider mobile view and that users don’t scroll much
Date of Gala: April 6
Check Library Doc for ADA Compliance (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Hz3l_q9zXGDzsv0vKymADZOi1dhMcDvD)
Incorporate pictures of kids when possible!
Squarespace Tutorials (Yuanheng, Sophia, Ethan):
Interesting features & tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afI1j4FLl40
Make your website unique from templates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip18ovzNsJs
Sophia’s document of Squarespace features (browser icon, adding alt text to images, adding HTML code): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rTJjMtZJtJcpKw-LZ6_RRLwEiGsfmUlzPHT57_0Kn4U/edit?usp=sharing
Homepage:
Can contain less information
Incorporate pictures of kids as much as possible
Will take pictures of adults soon too to convey that this project is for everybody
Take Flight Gala Page:
Library will design Gala tickets, poster designs, and images for us to incorporate in the fall
We started brainstorming ways to incorporate AI images into the website, some of these can be added right now (see requirements document for AI generated images to add)
Display text that makes it clear tickets are on sale in January
Instead of copy & paste, consider how to split up the text
Donate Page:
Incorporate name of venmo
Adjust mobile view
Sponsorship Opportunities Page:
Has a clean and clear design
Donate button is everywhere which is great for usability
Don’t need to break it up between businesses and non-businesses, just list the two methods to donate
Post Sophia’s page online first once the text is adjusted, Wei will follow up to reach out to Sandra
Include corporate logos later
Donor Display Page:
If there are two last names, order alphabetically by the first last name
Privacy concerns with listing amounts/ranges, so just list names alphabetically instead of with amount categories
Wei will follow up with Sandra about the ADA compliant text color
Under ‘Thanks for your support’ have two lists, one for listing Individual Donors and one for Institutional Donors
Wei will follow up to post Joley’s page soon too
Once a month, have a process where Mary Ellen will send an updated donor list

7/9/2023 Meeting Notes
Gala Page
Insert relevant graphics from Pinterest for the Gala page
Use a tree as the fundraising thermometer.
Live Donor Counter vs. Updated Image:
We need to decide whether to include a live counter of donors or update the image routinely.
Brainstorming Donation Counter:
Brainstorm creative ways to display the donation counter.
Take Flight Gala Page:
Instead of using "Make a Reservation," let's replace it with "Buy Tickets" to encourage immediate ticket purchases. We should make the "Buy" button hidden until January 2024, when tickets officially go on sale.
Consider creating a separate webpage with detailed information about auction items at the gala. This will provide interested attendees with a dedicated space to explore the offerings.
Ways to Give:
In the "Ways to Give" section, we should include Venmo as one of the options. Additionally, please reach out to Mary Ellen to explore other potential giving options.
Sponsorship Opportunities:
When presenting corporate sponsorship opportunities, let's focus on both businesses and nonprofits. However, we should exclude individual sponsorships.
Instead of featuring a building picture, let's replace it with images of children and families. This will evoke a stronger emotional connection and appeal to the pathos of potential sponsors.
Donor Display Page:
Enhance the donor display page by incorporating images. Visuals will make the page more engaging and encourage continued support.
Consistent Design:
Throughout all the pages related to the Gala, let's ensure a consistent design. This consistency will create a cohesive and professional impression for our website visitors.

7/2/2023 Meeting Notes
Information
Be careful about the other information of ChiRP.
Start modifying the actual site after being familiar with Squarespace
Include poster and color palette as well as accessibility on the ChiRP Project website
TODOs:
Start the language of each page early so that Mary Ellen can revise it, revision cycle
Share a google doc of the language (language for each section and each page) Lillian takes lead on language
Link ChiRP in the news: article about ChiRP (insert link)
Irene create google doc, follow up with Lillian
Joley/Ivy lead on graphic design section
Joley → 8 donors design
Gala looks more mature/minimalistic as opposed to childlike
Fundraising Updates put the thermometer on, interesting language → keep updated to show our progress (Yuanheng collab with Joley)
Must have a rough draft by next Sunday
Setting up meeting time: likely weekends (Sunday) between 5-7pm.

6/10/2023 Meeting Notes
To Do’s to be completed ASAP:
Set up group email address (ChiRP members only)
Set up weekly meetings (apart from weekly project meetings)
Set up meeting with Sandra to discuss Squarespace

Website specificities:
1st stage must be completed by AUGUST 14th
Currently envision the website with drop down menus on the side
The ChiRP website should be graphically engaging
Adhere to the wireframe (link: Wireframe beginning_CHIRP.v3..xlsx )
Use https://carylibrary.org/ ChiRP page as a template, further text will be provided along with architecture drawings
Two stages: development and deployment stage
Must ensure that the website created can be adjusted across all platforms and devices
Square space also provide html css and javascript, can incorporate in later phases
Page specific:
1st page drop down menu: general fundraising update
Link to library donate page
Tickets won’t be on sale until January 2nd, there’s a distinction between early bird price ($125 which will last for two weeks), will be update throughout January
Hope to make money through the Gala
Ask local business and give them recognition benefits (sponsorship opportunities)
Link to sponsor website
Corporate sponsors can have linkable logos and split into tiers, differs from individual sponsors
Last page: creative ways to garner support
Must have consistent design from the beginning, also must follow guidelines for accessibility, use consistent color.
Donating through venmo

Advisors

Wei Ding