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Access Fund

Website & User Journey Redesign for America’s Climbing Advocates

Access Fund moved from a developer-dependent website to a modern, optimized platform their team could manage in-house.

The Challenge

Since 1991, Colorado-based Access Fund has worked “to ensure a sustainable future for climbing by bringing climbers together to protect climbing landscapes and the incredible experiences they offer.”

Their impactful work spans advocating for sustainable, accessible public lands, purchasing threatened climbing areas, and building nature-friendly trails and climbing locales.

Access Fund’s messaging needed to reach a wide range of audiences, from climbers and donors to lawmakers and land managers. But their Craft content management system (CMS) required significant outside technical support, making it harder for their team to keep up.

And while they had a rich library of amazing photography, their dated website made it difficult to use those visuals to tell their story online—and make a case for giving.

 

A rock climber ascends a boulder in a desert environment

To address Access Fund’s concerns, we needed to answer two critical questions:

  • Which CMS won’t require a developer, works with the variety of third-party plug-ins we want to use, and offers attractive, modern templates for building smart web content?
  • How can we improve Access Fund’s online storytelling to drive donations and gain new donors and members?

Our Solutions

Access Fund needed to ditch developer dependence, put their photography to work, and make it easier for their supporters to take action. We gave them the tools to do just that.

A Manageable Website

  • We explored and recommended three major content management systems, all with user-friendly drag-and-drop editors. After demoing, Access Fund chose Squarespace, which offered both the functionality they wanted and the ease of management they needed.
  • We then created reusable templates that showcased Access Fund’s photography, promoted clear and compelling calls to action, and reflected a contemporary nonprofit worthy of donor support.

An Optimized Giving Experience

  • We integrated third-party platforms and plug-ins, elevating Fundraise Up’s AI-powered donor experience through a custom integration with Access Fund’s website.

The Results

Less Developer Dependence

  • Access Fund now has a much easier interface for updating content without needing outside support for every change.

Powerful Online Storytelling

  • Access Fund’s new pillar pages were redesigned and rewritten to clearly explain the problems Access Fund solves and make the case for donations.
  • The modernized site makes better use of third-party platforms like Fundraise Up to optimize the path to give.
  • This project laid the groundwork for a long-term relationship between Access Fund and CauseMic. We remain their strategic website partner.

I just wanted to express my thanks for the beautiful new website and the seamless launch.

This is my fourth website launch with Access Fund, and I've also managed website projects on the agency side, and this is by far the smoothest and easiest I've ever seen.

You all are very good at what you do, and you have our deep appreciation!

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