Nonprofit portfolio Archives

Developing Outstanding WordPress Websites for 12 years

Posted on September 14, 2022September 22, 2022

Presenting my latest website overhaul for Early Music Seattle, a nonprofit presenting classic concerts at venues around the city – including Benaroya Hall, Bastyr University Chapel, Federal Way Community Performing Arts Center, Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, and Town Hall.

This project involved converting a custom-built WordPress Theme and migrating content into a new performance-optimized Theme (_Underscores). The Block Editor was integrated for more robust layout and styling. Accessibility improvements included higher contrast colors, navigation skip links, keyboard accessible menus, and mobile-clickable phone numbers. A new branded event calendar was also integrated, with the ability for community organizations to submit third-party events. By reducing server requests 45% and reducing page size 85%, page load speed now ranks in the upper 10^th percentile of sites.

Scope of Work

Accessibility consulting
Content migration
Performance optimization
Security hardening
WordPress training & consulting

Site Statistics

Performance Metric	Old Website	New Website (September 2022)
Google Lighthouse: Accessibility	79/100	100/100
Google Lighthouse: Best Practices	67/100	92/100
Google Lighthouse: Mobile Speed	62/100	90/100
Google Lighthouse: Desktop Speed	89/100	95/100
Google Lighthouse: Search Engine Optimization	83/100	100/100
WebPageTest Speed Index	4.426	2.804
Total Homepage File Size	2.1 Mb ( 1.36 Mb Images + 574 Kb Scripts + 156 Kb CSS + Kb HTML)	323 Kb (169 Kb Images + 57 Kb Scripts + 45 Kb CSS + 43 Kb Fonts + 18 Kb HTML)
Total Web Server Requests	64 (22 Images + 29 Scripts + 11 CSS + 5 Other + 2 HTML)	35 (7 Images + 11 Scripts + 13 CSS + 3 Font + 1 HTML)
Total Homepage Load Time	~4.4 seconds	~2.8 seconds

WebPage Test Speed Index: median = ~3.591; top 10% = <1.388
In 2021, the average page size = ~2.4 Mb and median page size = ~2.1 Mb.
Database-driven websites, like WordPress, are more performance optimized when server requests are < 40 – 60.

Photography: EMS staff, volunteers and Scribe Music
Videography: Markdavin Obenza: Scribe Music
Visual Design: Amy Tullis
WordPress Theme Development: Scott Marlow

Building WordPress Websites with Equity and Accessibility in Mind

Posted on July 13, 2022August 29, 2022

Sometimes a website with reasonable benchmarks can still perform poorly. This dental foundation website is a perfect example. The former site’s 2.2 Mb page size was well within the industry median; and 84 server requests is above optimum, but certainly not atrocious. Still, migrating from a custom-coded Theme to a WordPress-approved Theme (_Underscores) significantly improved perceived page load speed, despite server requests increasing and page size decreasing nominally.

Benchmark Analysis

Performance Metric	Old Website	New Website
Google Lighthouse: Accessibility	95/100	100/100
Google Lighthouse: Best Practices	92/100	100/100
Google Lighthouse: Mobile Speed	31/100	73/100
Google Lighthouse: Desktop Speed	81/100	91/100
Google Lighthouse: Search Engine Optimization	80/100	83/100
WebPageTest Speed Index	7.309	1.926
Total Homepage File Size	2.2 Mb ( 1.36 Mb Images + 574 Kb Scripts + 156 Kb CSS + 110 Kb HTML)	1.7 Mb (1.28 Mb Images + 295 Kb Scripts + 63 Kb CSS + Kb Fonts + 124 Kb HTML)
Total Web Server Requests	84 (25 Images + 32 Scripts + 16 CSS + 11 Other + 1 HTML)	92 (64 Images + 15 Scripts + 8 CSS + 3 Other + 2 HTML)
Total Homepage Load Time	~7.3 seconds	~ 1.9 seconds

WebPage Test Speed Index: median = ~3.591; top 10% = <1.388
In 2021, the average page size = ~2.4 Mb and median page size = ~2.1 Mb.
Database-driven websites, like WordPress, are more performance optimized when server requests are < 40 – 60.

Scope of Work

Accessibility auditing, consulting and remediation
Performance optimization
Security hardening
WordPress training & consulting

Web Design + Development Team

Visual Design by David Owen Hastings
WordPress Theme Development by Scott Marlow

Proven WordPress Websites that Nonprofits Love!

Posted on May 6, 2022September 16, 2022

Sound Generations’ Project Enhance provides licensing, training and assistance for two nationally recognized evidence-based programs: Enhance^®Fitness and Enhance^®Wellness.

The new Project Enhance WordPress site features an integrated members-only content area for fitness instructors and affiliates across 43 states. Benchmarks across all measurable areas have improved significantly. Overall page size has reduced 93% from 6.5 Mb to < 500 Kb; web server requests have reduced 69% from 59 to 18. These improvements result in page load speeds less than 3 seconds.

Site Statistics

Performance Metric	Old (Divi) WordPress Theme	New Custom-Branded WordPress Theme
Google Lighthouse: Accessibility	88/100	100/100
Google Lighthouse: Best Practices	75/100	92/100
Google Lighthouse: Mobile Speed	47/100	96/100
Google Lighthouse: Desktop Speed	64/100	99/100
Google Lighthouse: Search Engine Optimization	82/100	90/100
WebPageTest Speed Index	6.121	2.008
Homepage File Size	6.46 Mb (6.06 Mb Images + 205 Kb Scripts + 239 Kb CSS +100 Kb Fonts + Kb HTML)	484 Kb (302 Kb Images + 3 Kb Scripts + 33 Kb CSS + 149 Kb Fonts + 8 Kb HTML)
Web Server Requests	59 (16 Images + 17 Scripts + 19 CSS + 5 Fonts + 2 HTML)	18 (7 Images + 2 Scripts + 6 CSS + 2 Fonts + 1 HTML)
Homepage Load Time	~6.1 seconds	~2 seconds

WebPage Test Speed Index: median = ~3.591; top 10% = <1.388
In 2021, the average page size = ~2.4 Mb and median page size = ~2.1 Mb.
Database-driven websites, like WordPress, are more performance optimized when server requests are < 40 – 60.

Other site updates and improvements include:

More readable content with font sizes > 16 pixels and reduced line widths; keyboard-navigable menu with skip to content link for screen readers; custom-branded browser favicon; improved security, including bruteforce protection.

Project Enhance is a collaboration between Sound Generations, University of Washington and Group Health Cooperative (now Kaiser Permanente).

WordPress Happens Here

Posted on May 3, 2022May 6, 2022

A fresh new look and feel for the Federal Way Community Center website. This affordable site refresh includes a new brighter color palette with more accessible typography – presented in a playful, youth-inspired visual design.

Accelerated Rebranding for Nonprofit Consulting Firm

Posted on March 17, 2022April 14, 2022

A visual design refresh for Alford Group, a minority & woman owned firm that provides fundraising and strategy consulting to nonprofits.

Scope of work for the website refresh included:
a new logo, new typography, updated color palette with a bright orange accent; as well as other layout and style updates to coordinate with the updated brand identity (created by Advocate Creative).