IWA's digital future

DIGITAL FUTURE

Here’s how we’re improving our website and communications for you

IWA is a campaigning chari and our work needs to be at the fore ont of our communications for decision makers and supporters. As an independent organisation with no Government or regular external funding we rely heavily on membership subscriptions, donations and legacies, and so we need to be able to e ectively a ract new members and deepen our relationships with existing supporters.

We have two projects underway to upgrade our communication with IWA volunteers, members and potential new supporters. The fi rst is the redevelopment of our website, and the second is to combine a number of disparate contact databases into one database.

With four separate databases, over 60,000 contacts, 3,000 website pages, at least 30 sub-sites for branches, plus a site for Essex Waterways, functionali which includes a shop, event bookings and the need for integration with our fi nance so ware, this is IWA’s biggest digital project undertaken in recent years.

The new website will be fi t for purpose with easy-to-use search facilities and most content within three clicks of the homepage.

Getting ready to launch

This is a signifi cant project but the outcome will be a website and contact database fi t for the future, that will enable us to be er showcase our campaigns, improve our communication and give you more control over your own personal details.

The project is due to launch in 2020. If you are interested in helping us to make sure things are working as expected for users and across di erent browsers and devices, please email joanne.mass@waterways.org.uk.

Reasons for change

benefits for you

• Better communication – Combining the databases will mean we can identi if you are both an IWA member and a WRG volunteer, or if you are the treasurer of one of our member restoration trusts as well as being a volunteer on a commi ee. This will enable us to be more informed and considered in our approach to the equency and content of the communications that we send to you. • Everything in one place – The website and our contact databases are not currently linked. These areas will be fully integrated meaning that on the new website you will be able to log in to access and update your profi le, see your transaction history and update your communication preferences. You’ll be able to book your boat into IWA

Canalway Cavalcade as well as subscribe to WRG’s Navvies magazine and check your online account to see that they have both happened. • Three clicks – Each month at least 30,000 people visit

IWA’s website with many of them coming to the site om a

Google search. When they arrive, they get the information they were searching for and then leave. Our campaigns, volunteering opportunities and restoration work are all invisible to them. We want the new website to show clearly what IWA stands for and to have visitors to the site see quickly how they too could support our work. We want to bring as much content up to the surface as possible and ideally, within three clicks of the homepage. • Easier to find what you re looking for –

Currently our site search gives you your search results in a pop-up window. If you are using a pop-up blocker, you can’t see the search results until you click to ‘temporarily allow pop-ups’. This function is provided by Google, so ads and sponsored content prevent you om seeing your search results at the top of the page. Our new search facili will be presented on the page with the opportuni for you to fi lter the results to get to exactly what you are looking for. No pop-ups and no ads!

Benefits for IWA

• Mobile first – More than 50% of our online users now access the website using a mobile phone or a tablet. Although our website does resize for mobile devices, it is not necessarily easy to use, particularly for things like membership sign-up forms and the shop. This is not only ustrating for people but a ects our abili to generate income and we lose all but the most commi ed supporters. • Rebrand – Our new vision and long-term objectives were launched in November 2017 but we held o spending money fully rebranding the website so that we could focus our resources on this project. We will now bring the branding of our website in line with our other communications. • Ongoing costs – Our current website is over ten years old. The so ware is bespoke to one company, meaning we pay an annual licence fee, and it can only be developed by its personnel. Modifi cations to the site also mean that we don’t benefi t om standard updates to the core so ware.

The new solution will be open source, meaning that there will be no ongoing licence fees and a large pool of experts who are able to make changes. • Focussing our efforts on what matters –

Integration of the databases will allow for resource e ciencies within the sta team, meaning that we can focus on the work that really ma ers: our campaigns.

Please let us know your email address

If we have your email address, we will send you new login information when the new website is live, enabling you to directly access your account to update your personal details and see your transactions, event bookings, communication preferences and more. Please contact the membership team to make sure we have the most up-to-date email address for you. Email membership@waterways.org.uk or phone 01494 783453, remembering to quote your membership number.