SPCA launches new site, e-cards

Mrs. Allison Williams, President of the Bermuda SPCA said today: “The Bermuda SPCA is pleased to announce the launch of its new website and online E-card application.”

“The new website (www.spca.bm) is a vast improvement over the previous site and has been designed to provide our supporters and donors with a seamless, user-friendly online experience. Everyone knows that an engaging website is a must for a business wishing to thrive online and it is our opinion that charity sites should be no different.”

“As part of our ongoing strategic development, we wanted to develop a site that is informative and one that will become a central and cost effective communications channel. By aligning the focus of the site with the needs of our users, we are able to provide a better experience, whilst also increasing functional attributes such as revenue generation through the use of technology.”

I would like to thank committee member, Diana Heslop, and the entire team at the SPCA who worked tirelessly on the this project: Sara Corday, our Development & Volunteer Coordinator, Lori Limes, our Office Manager and D’Arcey Betschart, our Treasurer, who were all instrumental in getting this project off the ground. I would also like to thank the web development team at Total Marketing & Communications for their invaluable help and guidance, especially James Birch, their Web Developer, and Wendy Madeiros, their Creative Director.”

Mrs. Heslop stated: “We are proud of our new website and much credit must be given to Paul Mait who very kindly volunteered his time in the initial stages.  Sadly, Paul passed away shortly thereafter and we are very grateful for the team at Total Marketing and Communications for  picking up where Paul left off to create the site that we see today -  one which improves our reach to the public and our mission to educate and stop animal cruelty.”

“The new website is a huge improvement over our older version as we have added an Education area on the site, we have added a new Report Abuse tab on the homepage which allows for photos and information to be easily uploaded anonymously to report animal abuse, and the new Donations tab on the homepage allows for an easy and secure online donation capability. Additionally, SPCA in Action and the SPCA in the News on the home page allows the public and staff alike to stay up to date with everything that is going on with the SPCA.”

“Another really exciting feature we have added is the new E-card application. This new e-card app provides a simple and fun way for people to send cards to their relatives, loved ones and friends to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, retirements and weddings, whilst at the same time providing support for those that cannot support themselves. There are also e-cards to say thank you, get well e-cards and condolence e-cards.”

Graham Redford, Managing Director of TMC, added: “We are happy to have been able to help the SPCA with this e-card initiative. It was a very rewarding project for our team as the specific functionalities involved with setting up e-commerce solutions can be a daunting task for many businesses, let alone charities!”

“When developing this site, we ensured that the user journeys were clear and the navigation funneled users to the correct content area. We also wanted to ensure there was social media engagement for pulling in potential support whilst allowing for user generated content to ensure fresh ideas and community engagement. We also included methods for the SPCA to use analytical insights to help them with future channel strategy refinement and development.”

Wendy Madeiros added: “This is a great way for people to help the SPCA whilst filling a very real personal need – how many times have you sat at home or at your office saying, I have to go to the store to pick up a card for … now you can simply go online to www.spca.bm, select your card and message and you’re done. It’s fast, easy and when you donate to the SPCA in honour of someone’s special day you are helping the SPCA to continue to fulfill its mission.”

Mrs. Williams concluded by saying:” Given the current economic climate, it is increasingly difficult for charities such as ours to continue to raise the funds necessary to provide the services we do, and as the majority of our funding comes from private donations, we are always looking for innovative ways to engage with the public. We hope that everyone will try our new e-card app – it’s a fun way to make giving for any occasion easy. Please show someone you care and support the SPCA.”