ReadyNation aims to amplify the voice of business leaders in support of early childhood policies that strengthen the U.S. economy and workforce. Originally created by The Pew Charitable Trusts and called the Partnership for America's Economic Success (PAES), it transitioned to America's Promise Alliance and was rebranded as ReadyNation in 2012. The scope of this longstanding project included design and development of the original website in 2006, development of numerous functional upgrades, and regular maintenance support.
Client
America's Promise Alliance
Nonprofit Organization
Audience & Topics
Business Leaders, Advocates, Policymakers, Researchers
Early Childhood Education | Pre-K | Workforce and Economic Development
Launched
2006 and rebranded in 2012
Roles, Deliverables and Methods
Interface Designer (UI/UX)
Design Comps, Brand Supplements
Lead Developer
Production Website with Content Management and Event Registration System
Webmaster
Functional Enhancements and Major Content Additions
Technology & Tools
Features
Email Outreach
ReadyNation keeps in touch with its audience through regular email updates using custom templates that were developed using HTML, CSS, and MailChimp markup. Visitors to the site can sign up for the list directly, or subscribe while completing another transaction, such as taking the ReadyNation pledge or ordering a publication. The site's subscription functionality is built on top of the MailChimp API using PHP.
Campaign Building
In the summer of 2012, ReadyNation began using its site to build a national list of signatories who support early childhood policies. Hundreds of business leaders, organizations and individuals have already taken the ReadyNation Pledge. Pledgers are added to the site's signatory list and receive personalized emails encouraging them to spread the word. The site's content managers can easily approve signatories, revise submitted information, and export reports directly to Excel.
Geocoding and Congressional Location
The ReadyNation Pledge system automatically geocodes and identifies the congressional district of user-provided addresses with the help of an Ajax-based plugin. This allows ReadyNation to target and tailor outreach efforts at specific regions and policymakers, as well as support the interest of users who want to take action in their local communities.
Localized Content
The Business Networks section highlights state-based organizations and events. Maps are used as both a means of navigation and as a way to add visual interest to the site. Content managers can control the information provided on a state-by-state basis through the site's content management system.
Publication Orders
The website allows visitors to place orders for ReadyNation publications. As orders are placed, confirmation emails are sent to customers and notifications are sent to staff so that the fulfillment process can begin. The site's content managers can easily add or remove publications as their inventory changes.
Multimedia Console
The site uses a custom media console to feature video, audio and photographic content from ReadyNation conferences and other events. The console is built on top of the jQuery Colorbox plugin. Many of the videos are served from Vimeo, while other media is streamed using FlowPlayer.
Responsive = Mobile-Friendly
The site's layout is responsive. The layout and content adapts automatically to smaller screen sizes, including those on narrow mobile devices and smart phones. Many of the core graphics are also optimized for high-resolution ("retina") screens and displays.
Fast Page Loads
The site's code is optimized — minified, combined and compressed — to provide fast page loads. The end result is a fast loading site that earns an "A" grade and 96 out of 100 on Yahoo's YSlow performance analyzer.
Event Registration
Since its inception, ReadyNation has hosted more than 50 conferences, webinars and working meetings. The majority of those events, including National Economic Summits, have used the site's built-in event registration system. The organization has managed nearly 4,000 participant registrations with this system. Features include dynamic registration forms, open and closed (invitation-only) events, wait lists, customized email confirmations, and registrant report/export capability.