New York Community Trust gives generous New Yorkers the chance to leave a legacy by supporting causes that matter. Since 1924, NYCT has made an incredible $4.3 billion in grants to address New York City’s most urgent challenges, and today NYCT manages more than $2.8 billion in assets.
NYCT felt their website needed to better communicate their mission, their wide range of expertise, and the impact of their work on New York City. In addition, the limitations of their CMS made the site difficult to maintain, and challenging to update with new content. They partnered with BFM to build a best-in-class nonprofit site.
The Challenge
NYCT’s work is multi-faceted and complex. There was a need to show expertise in creating and managing a range of charitable funds, particularly donor-advised funds. And with many audiences to speak to, including prospective and current donors, financial advisers, and nonprofits, NYCT’s existing site had grown complex and difficult to navigate.
The Approach
We applied our human-centric philosophy to NYCT’s reimagined site, creating user pathways for different audience groups, while ensuring our design put the human impact of NYCT’s work front and center.
Messaging Strategy
We identified the need for an overarching message to communicate, in a brief and compelling way, what the NYCT did and why it mattered. Our homepage messaging is succinct, action-oriented, and quickly sums up why a donor might consider working with NYCT.
User Pathways
To meet the challenge of addressing multiple user groups, we researched each secondary audience and planned out an area of the site to meet their needs. We also added key actions and information for critical audiences to quick links beneath the homepage banner.
Clean Design
Our design uses NYCT’s signature red to add a bold touch to a clean and modular design, with complex information is broken up into interactive elements to make it easier to absorb. The image selection emphasizes human impact by focusing on the people supported by NYCT.
A Flexible CMS
We helped NYCT switch their CMS from DNN to Wordpress, which was easier to maintain. We also created a modular design system, enabling internal teams to easily configure design templates within the CMS and continue to evolve the site on their own.
Results
The new site powerfully communicates the Trust’s unique mission and expertise to New Yorkers, and the flexible technology solution makes it easier for NYCT to share their successes with the city they serve. As a result, NYCT can make an even greater impact on New York in the years to come.
