URL: www.skillman.org
Project Type: Web Design, Content Management System & E-business
Duration: Multiple phases over 3 years

CHALLENGE

Skillman Foundation President / CEO Kari Schlachtenhaufen used to hate her organization’s Web site because it never changed. The cumbersome html coding required for changing text on the Web site was too big of a hurdle for the staff, and it was expensive and time-consuming to have the Web provider do it. As a result, nothing changed for two years.

SOLUTION

The problem has been solved with a new Web design and a content management system (CMS) provided by WIT.

Skillman Communication’s managers can add, edit or delete information to the Web site instantaneously through an easy-to-use CMS interface. Any authorized staff member capable of typing and using an Internet browser may make changes to the Skillman Web site content. The CMS allows for changes to be made within the newly designed Web site and keeps the site’s look and feel consistent across all sections. Business managers and stakeholders may make changes without worrying about over-stuffing the pages with photos and text. Pre-defined business rules allow Skillman the flexibility they need to make changes without compromising the overall branding image of the site.

In addition to the CMS, WIT implemented Skillman’s first e-business solution. A “Determine Fit” section allows for future grantees to complete initial stages of the grant application online. Skillman program officers can review grantees’ initial information in a fraction of the time it used to take. Pre-screening utilities identify which grantees are more likely to be awarded grants based on the information gathered.

RESULT

The addition of timely information and a colorful redesign has made the Skillman Web site more useful to organizations seeking information about grants and programs. More than 50,000 registered users visited the site during the first five months of 2003, compared with only 10,500 during the same period in 2002.

Publicizing the availability of funds and the application process is crucial to the success of the $425 million foundation that supports programs to benefit children in the Metro Detroit area. By posting new information quickly, the Skillman staff has improved communications about the foundation’s programs, while also reducing time spent on answering questions.

“This [Web site] makes us more independent, and we can communicate directly with our audience,” explains Kari Schlachtenhaufen, President and CEO for the Skillman Foundation.

Software frees groups of Web-update tangles
Skillman Foundation gets WIT Inc.'s help to fix site problem

By Eric Pope / Special to The Detroit News