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Branding / web design & Development

One Million Degrees: Inspiring Transformation with Effective Branding for Nonprofit Organizations

How Oak Theory Revamped OMD’s Digital Presence to Drive Success by 44%

About
One Million Degrees (OMD) is a transformative nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering community college students in the Chicago area through comprehensive support services. Many of these students face significant challenges, balancing school, work, and personal responsibilities without adequate support. In Illinois, over half of community college students struggle to earn a degree, with only one in four graduating within three years. As a nonprofit organization, OMD is committed to changing this narrative—and Oak Theory helped them achieve this by enhancing their digital presence.
THE CHALLENGE

To amplify their impact and expand their reach, OMD turned to Oak Theory for a digital transformation.

The goal was to create a robust online presence that could effectively engage users, boost donations, and clearly communicate their mission. OMD’s existing digital presence was limited, with low user engagement and a modest audience reach. A complete website overhaul and strategic enhancements were necessary to reflect OMD’s growth and better serve their expanding community of students. By focusing on what we know to be effective branding for nonprofit organizations, Oak Theory set out to elevate OMD’s digital impact.

WHAT WE DID
  • Interactive stakeholder workshop
  • Website redesign
  • Website development
  • Brand redesign
  • Marketing collateral design
  • Style guide
OUR OBJECTIVES
Oak Theory stepped in to reimagine OMD’s brand and digital footprint. Our goal was to develop a website and marketing materials that were not only ADA-compliant and user-friendly but also capable of driving authentic engagement in nonprofit organizations. By clearly communicating OMD’s mission, programs, and initiatives, we aimed to strengthen their connection with the community college students they support and the broader public. The focus was on creating a user-centric website design known to work for nonprofit organizations who want to increase engagement and drive action.
OAK THEORY'S CONTRIBUTION
Our approach began with a deep understanding of OMD’s target audience groups and how to create a website that would not only resonate with them but also address their specific needs. By implementing digital marketing strategies for mission-based organizations, we created intuitive pathways and landing pages for each user group, making it easy for them to take action. The sitemap was strategically designed to provide clear paths for each audience, with subpages hosting relevant information and features.
  • Scholars: To ensure that students could easily access information about scholarship applications and programs, we designed a user-friendly interface that provided clear pathways to these opportunities and support systems. This made navigating the site simple and intuitive for those looking to advance their education.
  • Coaches: For volunteers eager to get involved, we highlighted the ways they could join the program and make a difference. By implementing clear calls-to-action, we facilitated the process for potential coaches, making it easier for them to understand how they could contribute their skills and time.
  • Donors and funders: We streamlined the donation process to be intuitive and straightforward, making it easier for individuals and organizations to support OMD’s mission. This involved simplifying the donation interface and creating a seamless experience that encourages financial contributions.
The visual design drew inspiration from the concept of building blocks, symbolizing growth and upward momentum. We incorporated Tetris-like blocks into the design, representing the various elements that come together to form OMD. This choice also subtly hints at their name — One Million Degrees. To reflect the vibrant personality of the brand, we used bright, bold colors, ensuring the digital experience was both engaging and memorable.

Understanding OMD’s dynamic nature and the variety of activities they engage in throughout the year, we developed a modular website that could easily adapt and grow. This user-centric website design is crucial for mission-based organizations, allowing for consistency in user experience while being flexible enough to update content as needed. Oak Theory continues to host and maintain the site, focusing on optimizing performance for speed and SEO. This ongoing support ensures that OMD’s digital presence remains robust and continues to lead in user engagement.

To increase awareness for mission-based organizations, a thorough SEO approach is essential. We implemented a strategic messaging hierarchy to ensure clarity and effectiveness across the site. This approach further optimized the website, improving the site’s visibility and ranking, a critical component of SEO strategies for mission-based organizations. Core pages and subpages were structured to increase reach and impact, making the website easily crawled and indexed.

WORDS FROM OUR CLIENTS

“Thank you for all your incredible hard work on this project–and for bearing with us along the way. We are forever grateful for your dedication–and THRILLED with the final product.”

— Colleen O'Connor, Director of marketing and communications, ONE MILLION DEGREES
the results
Our efforts led to substantial improvements in user engagement, donation activity, and returning user metrics, showcasing the effectiveness of content marketing for nonprofit organizations. For two months, OMD ran marketing campaigns for their annual gala alongside their rebrand and site launch, achieving notable results:

Before the launch of the redesigned website, OMD had 2.5k users, with 2.4k being new users. Post-launch, these numbers increased dramatically to 3.6k users, with 3.3k being new. This boost in traffic was a clear indicator that the website redesign and content optimization were attracting a broader audience and keeping them engaged.

The average engagement time on the website rose to 1 minute and 7 seconds post-launch, an increase of 20 seconds. This improvement showed that visitors were not only coming to the site but were also staying longer, exploring more content, and learning more about OMD’s mission and impact.

We also found an 8.1% decrease in page views compared to the same period last year, indicating fewer pages viewed, but higher engagement.

A crucial metric for OMD was the number of donation sessions. Pre-launch, there were 11 users who engaged with the donation feature. Post-launch, this number soared to 37 sessions, indicating a significant increase in user interest and action towards donating.

CONCLUSION

Oak Theory’s strategic partnership with OMD has not only enhanced the digital experience for their users but also significantly increased engagement and support for their mission. By leveraging the best-in-class digital marketing strategies for nonprofit organizations, Oak Theory has helped OMD expand their reach and deepen their impact. As OMD continues to grow, Oak Theory remains committed to supporting their mission to empower community college students through innovative digital solutions.

WHAT WE MADE

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