With over 2.3 million people in America’s jails and prisons, another 18 million with a felony conviction, and an estimated 70 million people with criminal justice contact, America is facing a crisis of incarceration. At this critical moment in history, Public Welfare Foundation is focusing on catalyzing a transformative approach to justice that is community-led, restorative, and racially just. While its work has never been more important, Public Welfare Foundation didn’t have a website that reflected its marketing strategy or vision for its brand.
By completely reorganizing its website around key message areas and calls to action, Social Driver enabled users to engage with grantee stories, book event space, apply for grants, and other important actions. Social Driver curated a visual brand to convey the vivid, gritty, and hopeful landscape of their work to address racial inequality and economic injustice.
For more than 70 years, Public Welfare Foundation has adapted to meet the challenges of changing times and to serve their community. Social Driver built a website that can grow with the Foundation, while increasing user engagement and retention. Since the launch of the redesigned website, the pages viewed per session increased by 14%, average session duration increased by 13%, and overall bounce rate decreased by 4%. Through elevating Public Welfare Foundation’s brand and redesigning its website, users have become more engaged with its mission and work.
The site has also received industry recognition: DesignRush recognized Public Welfare Foundation’s website as on of its Top 10 Non-Profit and Charity Website Designs.
Previously, Public Welfare Foundation’s website felt muted, distant, and didn’t capture the texture of the people they serve. Social Driver audited the existing content and recommended a refreshed approach. We opted for heavy use of photography in order to let the humanity of the Foundation’s work shine through. We also implemented a bold color palette, timeless typography, and subtle textures to create a design that strikes a balance between communicating intense conviction and a sense of energetic optimism.
Social Driver took a unique approach to redesigning Public Welfare Foundation’s website. We identified a content pattern and created a system of components. Building the site in this modular way empowers the PWF team to quickly adapt its site to the constantly changing landscape of restorative justice.