What is it about a website that makes a user want to donate or volunteer? Catholic Charities is a website that influences users to donate money or volunteer their time by telling the user their message. To see if this website is effectively or ineffectively getting their message across to the user I have examined the website in depth. I analyzed the audience, purpose, genre, author and context of the website. I found some great things the site is doing and some things they need to improve on. I do believe they are effectively getting the message across to the user.
When looking at the website catholiccharities-md.org the first thing I noticed was that donate, volunteer, advocate, find help and careers taps. I think this works well because it shows the user right away what they are looking for and what they offer. When I clicked on the donate tap it showed two more taps which are donate now and more ways to give.
I liked this a lot because it allows those users who may not have the money to donate still be a part of their mission. The other ways people can donate are sponsorship opportunities, partners in hope, ect. This shows you don’t need money to donate to help those in need which I really liked. When scrolling down the site I saw “Donate Now” and “Volunteer Now” again which I like because while scrolling down the user will see more of the site is about and this may make them want to donate or volunteer.
The main target audience for this site is anyone of faith willing to give to immigrants and those in need since the site is not just asking for money. Since the site is called Catholic Charities it will attract people who are religious or faithful.
A secondary audience would be immigrants themselves. The site offers Adult Spanish Classes and some of the text is in Spanish and there is a video that is in Spanish. This is different than other sites I have looked at which everything is in English for example Maryland Immigration Rights Coalition (MIRC).
The type of medium is web which makes it easy access for just about everyone. People are on their smartphones, tablets and computers all the time on the go so having a website allows user to access it whenever they want. If Catholic charities just handed out pabnflits they would be behind everyone else for example Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS). People want thing to be simple and available to them at all time which Catholic Charities is. The site is exactly the same if used on a smartphone or computer which makes it easy to use and understand.
After examining the website, the purpose is to serve, inform, and persuade the users. When scrolling down the site I saw this statement “Our dedicated staff and volunteers provide services related to education, healthcare, immigration legal matters, family reunification, anti-trafficking, and general community support to thousands of immigrants each year.” This site serves the community by persuading the user to help those in need with words like “Donate Now” and “Volunteer Now”. The blogs that are written by the volunteers serve to inform the community about what is going on. Some of these blogs are about immigration facts, families being reunited, and what’s going on right here in Baltimore.
I think these is a great move on their part because this could be another reason a user donates or volunteers. Lastly in the about us page there is this statement “I hope you will use this website to learn more about our work. We would love to have you join us in service. You can contact us at info@cc-md.org or call (667) 600-2000.” This is great because it shows they want you and how the user can get in contact with them.
The genre of the Catholic Charities website is that it’s a “non-profit” organizations helping those in need. Catholic Charities follows what most “non-profit” sites platform to make it easier for users to understand. There are images at the top of the page and it is broken down into three columns. When looking at a “non-profit” website I expect to see what they are looking for right away. The site should be flow and not be all over the place, this is crucial to a good “non-profit” website. Catholic Charities does a great job with this. If you go onMaryland Immigration Rights Coalition (MIRC) you will see that they are very similar.
The website has lots of images which help draw people in and could influence them to donate or volunteer.
These three images can attract a wide variety of people. Images can be more powerful than words so having powerful images is key to a good “non-profit” website. The website was lacking in videos which they need to improve on. The only video I found was in Spanish which is not helpful to all.
The website should also change the font from Lato to Sans-Serif, this font is easy for people with dyslexia and learning disabilities to read. Being a website looking for donations and volunteers they need to make it as easy as possible for everyone.
After looking through the site I have determined the author of the website is Catholic Charities. In the about us page of the site you can see all who are involved with this organization. “We are a family of more than 2,000 talented and dedicated colleagues, supported by nearly 8,000 selfless volunteers and more than 10,000 generous donors.” This organization was established in Baltimore in 1972 and has been helping the community ever since. Some notable names I found on the site are Reverend William E. LoriChair, Catholic Charities Board of Trustees,and William J. McCarthyExecutive Director. When googling the site to find out more information about them. I found reviews from people that have worked with this organization and the responses were mixed. The overall recommendation to a friend to work there was on 48% I wish this was I hire because it makes me question why more than half would not. The experience was 56% positive which could be higher but 70% approve of the CEO which I think is great because a good CEO means there can be improvements.
I do trust the team behind this website maybe I would not work for them, but I would donate because the site is ligament and I know they will do good. Another reason I trust this is because they show the uses of operating funds, so I know where the money is being used.
Overall I feel this website is effecitve and I feel they are trustworthy. There does need to be a few changes like the font to Sans-Serif and more videos but these are easy fixes. One big problem was the review about recommending a friend that needs to go up. Users may donate but not volunteer because of that. Catholic Charities does get their massage across clearly and the site is user friendly. After analyzing the website I feel overall it is effective.
Citation
“Esperanza Center.” Catholic Charities of Baltimore, www.catholiccharities-md.org/services/esperanza-center/.
“Working at Catholic Charities of Baltimore.” Glassdoor, www.glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-Catholic-Charities-of-Baltimore-EI_IE833039.11,42.htm.