MCF Giving Center rebuild - Case Study

An innovative foundation

Since 1986, Marin Community Foundation (MCF) has united the people of the Marin Community and beyond in making a difference to the lives of others by empowering nonprofits and the good work they do. Its efforts include assisting families and individuals to optimally allocate funds and grants for maximum impact. Since its foundation, MCF has continuously strived to increase the magnitude and effectiveness of its grant making, digitally transforming the process in 2004.

The Giving Center is an online platform that allows MCF donors to seamlessly and securely support causes they believe in. Over the last 16 years, the Giving Center had been a core part of their ability to raise funds and distribute them accordingly. In 2019 MCF decided that its site needed a ground-up refresh and assembled a team of experts to execute the project; having selected VRP as a core participant member of the team.

A fresh start

MCF’s Giving site was quite innovative at the time of the launch in 2004, using the newest web design standards. However, the last 16 years have seen incredible advancements in technology, as well as a significant growth to their donor base, which led to MCF the conclusion that an upgrade was necessary. The goal was to enhance user experience and future proof any new platform.

By redeveloping the giving site, MCF would benefit from an improved donor engagement platform, a modernized representation of their brand, as well as underlying technical performance improvements, backend reporting tools and solid architectural structure. MCF decided to set up a cross-foundational team to collaborate with a Marin-based digital agency to provide the blueprint for an enhanced user experience. To complete the project team, MCF selected VRP Consulting to bring essential programming & technical skills, as well as experience in successfully delivering projects for other nonprofit organizations.

Delivering change

VRP Consulting set about transforming the initial design mock-ups into a fully functional platform. Despite a series of changes during the project, the team met all project deadlines and delivered the new solution in just 6 months; including development, QA testing and user-acceptance testing.

The VRP Consulting team used a variety of code and programming languages allowing them to deliver a customized, fast-loading, modern solution with responsive design for donors & admins, with additional functionality. The new solution enhances usability and increases responsiveness of the site, making it simpler for donors to find, make and repeat donations to causes they care about. A new workflow was introduced to help guide users to relevant organizations, provide valuable information about causes and streamline experiences to make and manage grants.

The new Giving Center platform has provided administrative and reporting tools for MCF staff to streamline their work. The new content management system has made it easier for administrators to update data and manage the giving site.

Enhanced user experiences

Initial results from the new site have justified the redevelopment. User feedback has been positive from donors and staff who have praised the enhanced user interface and modern design. There has been a 34% increase in user uptake compared to the previous year, despite the challenging climate for nonprofits.

As a result, this has led to an increase in grants towards the many organizations MCF supports. These additional funds are providing crucial help during this difficult time when there is an increased burden being placed on the nonprofit sector.

A foundation for the future

MCF's new Giving Center provides a better experience for donors, a new administrative solution with automated and accelerated processes ensuring funds are allocated sooner. The new dashboards and reports are providing valuable data for MCF. With these insights, MCF can analyze site performance and giving trends, guiding site enhancements and fundraising initiatives.

Importantly, by updating to modern web frameworks, their Giving Center is future proof.

Company Profile

The Marin Community Foundation is one of the largest community foundations in the U.S. and is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of others through thoughtful, effective philanthropy. The foundation supports the grant making strategies of more than 500 individuals and families who give to nonprofits locally, nationally and globally.

MCF

Marin Community Foundation

Upgrade its donor site to provide an enhanced user experience, drive grant making and streamline site administration.