Donation journey
redesign.
A responsive nonprofit website connecting the story of Young Heroes with clearer ways to support children and families in Eswatini.
Case study / Nonprofit & givingExplore the project
The redesign
brief.
The Young Heroes website was more than a decade old and did not adapt to smaller screens. Its donation process was difficult to understand, and the site needed a lighter foundation for people using slow or intermittent internet connections.
I contributed to the redesign and built a custom WordPress theme around clearer communication, more understandable giving options, and a responsive experience. Payment-system integration and ongoing maintenance were part of the work.
The giving
journey.
The intended giving journey moves from understanding the organization’s work to exploring a program, learning what sponsorship provides, and choosing to contribute. The sponsorship page places practical support details before its giving action.
The homepage and mission page build context around that decision. The gallery lets you follow the relationship between the mission story, program information, and sponsorship.
Homepage
The mission and giving action lead into programs, impact, and organizational updates.
Mission & history
A dedicated place to understand the organization’s story and approach.
Sponsorship
The sponsorship page explains what support provides and how the program works before inviting a contribution.
Clarify giving
Reduce clutter and connect program information with understandable options for support.
Design for real conditions
Build a lightweight, responsive custom theme with slower connections in mind.
Support the long term
Connect payment systems and maintain the site beyond the initial redesign.
Donors and
supporters.
The website needs to communicate the work clearly while respecting the practical needs of supporters and the team.
Donors & sponsors
Understand the programs, what sponsorship supports, and how to contribute.
People learning about the mission
Explore the organization’s history and its work with children, young people, and families.
The nonprofit team
Share programs and updates through a custom WordPress website with ongoing technical support.
Designing for
slow connections.
The site needed to serve people using slow or intermittent internet connections, alongside visitors on smaller screens. That constraint shaped the lightweight custom WordPress theme and responsive layout.
The design priority was to make the mission and giving options understandable within those conditions. Payment-system integration and ongoing maintenance connected the donation journey to the operation behind it.
More about how I workFrom the Young Heroes team
I highly recommend Blue Beacon Creative. Alfredo redesigned our website and currently does maintenance every month. Alfredo is always quick to respond to my questions and provides me with the critical information I need to make branding, business development, and digital strategy decisions.
Two design awards.
The Young Heroes website received two awards in 2018: the WebAward for Outstanding Achievement from the Web Marketing Association and the American Web Design Awards from Graphic Design USA.
My contribution included the lightweight, responsive WordPress build, payment-system integration, and ongoing support. The project brought together design, writing, photography, and development.
A little more
context.
What did you design and build?
The work included custom web design, a responsive WordPress theme, payment-system integration, security policies, and ongoing maintenance.
Why was a lightweight theme important?
The project specifically considered slow and intermittent internet connections. A lightweight custom build was part of making the experience more usable in those conditions.
What recognition did the work receive?
The website received the WebAward for Outstanding Achievement from the Web Marketing Association and the American Web Design Awards from Graphic Design USA, both in 2018. The recognition celebrates the website team’s work, including my contribution to the responsive WordPress build.
Results and
lessons.
The redesign connected a clearer mission story with a responsive website and a more understandable giving experience. Young Heroes received the 2018 WebAward for Outstanding Achievement from the Web Marketing Association, and the relationship continued through ongoing website support.
For me, the lesson is that nonprofit design extends beyond telling a compelling story. It also means making the next step understandable and keeping the experience usable over time.
Next: Goodwill Central Texas