“What a way to start the day! I was hoping we’d have this much by the end of the day… this is amazing” was overheard from one of the TAP volunteers collecting donations.

In September 2010 the Seacoast Family Food Pantry served 159 families; in September 2011 that # is up 71% to 272 families being served. Without federal or state funding the Seacoast Family Food Pantry depends on the generosity of its community.

Well done PixelMEDIA!

Top from left: Bryan, Brendan, Terence, Cris. Bottom: Matt, Erik, Josh. Not shown is Rachel.

On May 7^th, a group of PixelMEDIA employees as well as our CEO’s wife, Rachel, will be taking on the elements and obstacles setup on Mt. Snow in Vermont for the Tough Mudder competition.  Our team has pledged their support of The Friends Project by pledging $1 per a mile.  Show your support of The Friends Project as well as PixelMEDIA team “PixelMUDDIER” by pledging what you can.  Donations are accepted directly through The Friends Project via PayPal and credit card.

It was hard to keep a dry eye while watching the new video that Atlantic Media Productions produced for The Friends Project.  Listening to the parents talk about how isolated and depress their children were before The Friends Project to how their kids social lives are so busy that it’s hard to keep up was great to hear.

Once the video had ended, we raised our glasses and toasted in celebration for The Friends Project and unveiled the new website.  The project team consisting of myself, Erica, Luke, Andrew, and Erik gave the crowd a tour of the new site.  Make sure to visit! You’ll find lots of information about the different programs offered, photo galleries, calendar of events, sign up information, and so much more.  You can even donate directly on the website through PayPal.  The Friends Project relies on the generosity of friends, family, and the community.  You can even earn money for them by taking surveys on OP4G’s website.  Read more about it from the new Friends website.

PixelMEDIA joined the cause by sponsoring a team and setting up a donation page where all proceeds from the Tough Mudder competition will go towards The Friends Project.  Learn more and give what you can.

We’ve posted pictures from the party to our Facebook page.  See the fun we had!

The website project is done but the relationship continues!

I wanted to share with you some of my favorites that I’ve found as I build these galleries.  It makes me smile as I look at the fun these young adults are having as well as the bonds of friendship they are developing.   I feel good having been a part of this project team who is helping Heidi and the rest of the staff at the Friends Project.  They do so much for these kids that I’m glad we can do something for them.  Enjoy the pictures!

That’s what makes working on The Friends Project new website so interesting—and rewarding. The Friends Project is a non-profit organization in Portsmouth, NH, that organizes events and activities for people with disabilities. I met its tireless founder and president, Heidi Chase, as well as Nathaniel, a participant, and his parents, in our project kickoff meeting.

Our meeting agenda was basically the same as for a business client. Why not? The same questions and principles apply: Who is the audience? What are they looking for? What do you have to offer? What do you want them to do? We hit the whiteboards and the Friends Project team dug right in.

Audiences

We listed the potential audiences, which included participants, parents, volunteers, staff, donors and supporters, the press, and the general public. We realized that the audience was divided into two main categories. Participants (including parents and volunteers) use the site to see schedules, event listings, locations, and pictures of past activities. The General Public comes to donate, volunteer, read news, and get more background on the project. Nathaniel gave us great information about the things that participants care about. The resulting organization model pushed participant-focused content to the foreground. Public-focused content was featured in the utility navigation.

Goals

Next, we began to think more strategically about how the new site could help the Friends Project achieve its goals. There was the business side: Attract more donations. Raise awareness about the program and about people with disabilities. Make it easier to publish new content and update event listings. And there was the fun side: build a site that participants could call their own and that had lots of pictures of their friends.

Key tasks

Tasks were organized by the two main audience segments. Donating was at the top of the list for the general public—especially if there was an easy way to make donations on a regular basis through a service like PayPal. For participants, the most important tasks were learning about programs, checking the calendar for updates, and seeing pictures and videos of past events. Key documents were also identified: an emergency contact form and a volunteer information form for download.

Feature List

Finally, we went around the table to brainstorm the features of the new website. Ideas included a monthly calendar that showed upcoming events. A page for comments from parents and participants. A place on the home page for last-minute listings or cancellations. And, most important, an interactive gallery for photos and videos. Nathaniel and his parents focused on features that made it easy to find information about programs and events. For Heidi and her team, it was important that the features be easy to update and maintain.

What we discovered

For every project, success in the end is largely determined by the quality of the information in the beginning. We took a businesslike approach to the Friends Project website. And it worked due to the great insight from Heidi, Nathaniel, and Nathaniel’s parents. Soon, the Friends Project will have a new website that has been designed with the needs of its audience squarely in mind. For us at PixelMEDIA, the opportunity to work with people with disabilities has shown us that audience needs are pretty universal. In fact, the business community might learn a thing or two from the Friends Team.

You can click on the org model image below to see it better.

Organization Model for The Friends Project

From that first meeting, we learned from Heidi that the Friends Project wants the website to: help increase revenue, educate viewers, make it easier to give donations, create awareness, improve services, and improve user experience (make the website easier to use).  Additionally, we learned that the primary website audience consists of participants, parents, and college students (strong connection to UNH).  The secondary audience consists of donors/supporters of the Friends Project like parents, relatives, and friends. And lastly, the Press.  Each has their own interests and information needs that Luke constantly keeps in mind while drafting up an organizational model for the website.

Here are some pictures of the team during a whiteboard session after the kickoff meeting.

Erik, Erica, and myself attended last Friday’s social to meet the kids and see what “it’s” all about.

We had heard about their events from Heidi and Nancy during our initial project workshop but it was great to see firsthand.  I had no idea what to expect upon my arrival.

I was greeted at the door by Heidi who greets each and every person who arrives.  The social event started at 6:30 pm and gets into full swing after everyone fill their bellies with pizza.  The whole event lasts about 2 hours.  They found over the years that a two hour block is just the right amount of time.

Friday’s amazing turn out of roughly 70 people was evident in the flurry of activity as people moved between rooms and activities.

There was something for everyone, which is what this organization is all about.  The Friends Project is about getting children to socialize in a variety of activities.  Its about belonging and not excluding. We saw activities like: basketball, dancing, board games, and arts and crafts.  There was lots of laughter, hugs, and friendship forming.

Many parents drop their children off for this event. Because who wants their parent cramping their style, right?  Several parents stay and interact with other parents while keeping an eye on their child while other parents take this as an opportunity for a little “me” time, knowing their child is safe and having fun.

The three of us walked around introducing ourselves to many of the young adults as we  watched them enjoy the different activities.  The big draw was watching several of them act out to the Thriller song by Michael Jackson.

A group was organized and led by “Michael Jackson” himself.  You can see from the pictures that he has the official red and black leather jacket and matching hair.

“Michael” took his job very serious and worked on their moves, timing, and rehearsed several times before requesting the “Thriller” song from the DJ.  Wow, they were great!  “Michael” lip synced the lyrics as he worked the dance floor.  With precision, “Michael” cued the zombies and they came walking in then broke out into full dance routine.

The Friends Project Friday Night Social was a great time for us and the participants.  Erik, Erica, and I were very happy to have had the opportunity to meet everyone and understand more of who we are helping.

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