255 south champlain street, suite 11 • burlington, vermont...

255SouthChamplainStreet,Suite11•Burlington,Vermont05401•Phone:802-862-8347

Prepared by Marketing Partners, Inc. of 13

RequestforProposal:WebsiteRedesignandBuildThisRequestforProposal(RFP)seeksproposalsfromfirmsqualifiedtoredesignanddevelopaCMS

websiteforVermontBusinessesforSocialResponsibility(VBSR).PleasesubmitproposalstoJane

Campbell,[email protected],2016.Questionsmaybesubmittedpriorto

April8,2016.

ContentsI.AboutVBSR.....................................................................................................................................................2II.ProjectGoals.................................................................................................................................................2III.Audiences.....................................................................................................................................................2IV.CurrentCMSEnvironment......................................................................................................................2V.Timeline.........................................................................................................................................................3VI.ExamplesofWebsiteFeatureorDesignPreferences....................................................................3VII.WebsiteFunctionalityRequirements...............................................................................................5VIII.ProjectScopeofWork...........................................................................................................................6IX.Objectivesand[MetricsofSuccess].....................................................................................................7X.ProposalFormat..........................................................................................................................................8

AttachmentA:Detailsoncurrentsoftware,email,usersandvolumes.............................9

AttachmentB:GoogleAnalyticsOverview................................................................................10

AttachmentC:WeightedlistofappealingfeaturesinWildApricot.................................11

AttachmentE:PreliminarySiteMap...........................................................................................13



I.AboutVBSRVBSRisastatewide,membership-basednonprofitbusinessassociationwhosemissionis“tofostera

businessethicinVermontthatrecognizestheopportunityandresponsibilityofthebusinesscommunity

tosetahighstandardforprotectingthenatural,human,andeconomicenvironmentsofourcitizens.”

Foundedin1990,withacurrentmembershipofalmost1,000members,VBSRistheoldestandlargest

regionalbusinessassociationorganizedaroundprinciplesofsocialresponsibility.

II.ProjectGoalsOuroverallpurposeistoreplacetheexistingwebsite,whichhasbecomeantiquatedinlook,feeland

functionality—withanewCMSwebsite.Specificgoalsforthenewsiteinclude:

1. BetterserveVBSRmembers(renewalprocess,eventsignups,jobpostings,news,casestudies/reference,policies)

2. Reducestafftimenecessaryformembership,eventandcontentupdates

3. EmpowerVBSRstafftodomoreonthesiteindependently

4. Getmoretargetedtraffic(newmemberprospectsandSRbusinesseducation),and

5. BuildanengagedcommunityaroundVBSRissuesandmission.

III.Audiences

• Currentmembersandsponsors

• Potentialmembers(VTbusinesses)

• Policymakersandinfluentials

• Generalpublic(Vermonters),includingcollegestudentsandrecentgraduatesforthe

InternshipProgram

IV.CurrentCMSEnvironmentKeyelementsofVBSR’scurrentCMSenvironmentandassociatedpointsofintegrationarelistedhere.

Formoredetailandvolumecounts,pleaseseeAttachmentA.

• Website(vbsr.org)developedin/around2006usingExpressionEngine(EE)CMS(websitecurrentlyhostedbyEngineHosting.com)



• CreditCardprocessingprovidedbyBurlingtonBankCardwithAuthorize.netonlinepaymentgatewayservice.

• WebsitecontainsVBSRmemberdirectory,whichismanuallyupdatedbyuploading.csvfilesgeneratedfromamulti-userFileMakerProdatabase(referredtointernallyassyncing)

• WebsiteactivelyusesacombinationofEE’sFreeFormmoduleandintegratedthirdpartyformsfromGoogle

• Memberlog-inareaprovidesVBSRmembersabilitytosubmitjobsandevents,andupdatecompanydirectorylisting

• OtheronlineservicesactivelyusedbyVBSR(butnotcoordinatedwiththewebsite)areConstantContact,Eventbrite,andSurveyMonkey.

• AccountingishandledinQuickBooks,alsonotintegratedwiththewebsite.• Therearecurrentlytworelateddomainnamesthatredirecttosubdirectoriesofthe

vbsr.orgwebsite.BothusecustomizedWuFooformsfore-commerce(Internvt.organdLocalFirstVermont.org).

V.TimelineProvideascheduleforwhendifferentstepsintheprocesswilltakeplace.

Forexample:

• RFPsentMarch16

• LetterofInterestdueMarch31

• QuestionsregardingRFPmaybeaskedpriortoApril8

• ResponsetoQuestionsreturnedbyApril22

• RFPdueMay6,2016

• RFPreviewswithvendorsMay16-27

• FinalDecisionMay31

• WebsiteLaunchAugust31,2016

VI.ExamplesofWebsiteFeatureorDesignPreferencesExamplesofafewbusinessmembershipwebsitesthathavedesignelementstheVBSRstafflike(anda

fewtheydon’t)—andwhy.



AmericanInstituteofArchitectsVermont(http://www.aiavt.org/)

• Noneedtoscroll;informationyouwantisimmediatelyvisible.

AmericanSustainableBusinessCouncil(http://asbcouncil.org/)

• Like:changingimagesonhomepage,clearnavigation,integratedblog,calls-to-

action,deepfooterwithsitemap/navigation.“Bright,clean,easytouse,interacts

nicelywithsocialmedia,feelsmodern.”

BALLE(https://bealocalist.org/about-us)

• Like:Buttons/CTAsforfourcurrentpriorities/eventsthroughoutthesite(intheleft

sidebaronAboutpage,butintheupperrightofhomepage);changingimageson

homepage(althoughchangestooslowlyandnotobvioustherearefourdifferent

slides);latestblogpostsandTwitterfeedonhomepage.

• Dislike:colorsanddesign

GreaterAkronChamber(http://greaterakronchamber.org/)

• Attractiveandmodernlooking,buttoomuchscrolling(up/downandsideways).

Deepfooterwithsitemap/navigationgood.

GreaterWestchesterChamber(http://greaterwestchester.com/)

• Like:BuyLocalapp(andtopnav);clearcall-to-actionareaunderneathchanging

images;memberdirectoryintopandfooternav.

NorthTorontoSkiClub,Canada(https://ntsc.ca/)

• Like:Large,full-widthbannerphotoonhomepage;Unobtrusivebutlegibletop

navigation;Call-outstohighlighteventsonhomepage



Portland(OR)BusinessAlliance(http://portlandalliance.com/)

• “Notsoaesthetically/visuallyappealing(alittlebland),butit'sclearwhereIneedto

gotogettheinformationIneed.Alsolikethatgreatestvisibilityisgiventoevents

andsectionsthatgetupdatedfrequently-keepsitfresh.”

StateChamber(http://www.vtchamber.com/)

• Dislike:Largebanneradattop;scrollingonhomepageannoying;mainnavigation

lostunderhorizontalimageslice;choppeduppages

VII.WebsiteFunctionalityRequirements

• ContentManagementSystem(CMS)-Thewebsitemustbebuiltonacontentmanagement

systemthatallowsforallareasofthesite(webpages,images,blogs,forms,etc.)tobeeasily

updated.WehaveidentifiedWildApricotasthetopall-in-onecontendertomeetthisandthe

followingfunctionalrequirements.

• ResponsiveDesign-Thewebsitemustberesponsive,sothatitseamlesslyadjusttofitdesktops,

laptops,tabletsandsmartphones.

• SearchEngineOptimization(SEO)-TheCMSmustincludetheabilitytoaltertitletags,meta

descriptions,alttags,andheaders.Thesitemustbebuilttoenableeasycrawlingbysearch

engines.

• SocialmediaIntegration-Thesiteshouldincludetheabilityforwebcontenttobesharedto

socialmedianetworks.Theorganization’ssocialmedianetworksmustbelinkedtothewebsite

toallowforeasy“follows.”

• Forms–Thewebsitemustincludecontactandlistingforms.Whenavisitorfillsouttheform,

themessagemustbesenttothecorrectstaffmember,oranewlistingcreated.Ideally,Local

Firstcouponformswillshowapreviewofthefinalcoupon.

• AssociationMembershipManagement—Thewebsitemustenablenewmemberenrollment,

providecompanypropertiesandcontactproperties,providealoginforareasrestrictedto

membersonly,aswellasenablingmemberstoresettheirpassword,updatetheirinformation,

openandclosejobpostings,postevents,andrenewtheirmembership.



• VBSRHostedPrograms—LocalFirstVermontmustbeabletomaintainitscurrentintegration

withthird-partyLocalFirstsoftware.BothLocalFirstVermontandtheVermontInternProgram

mustbeabletomaintaintheircurrentVBSRsiteintegrationandtheircurrentfunctionality

(usingWufooforms).

• NewsandBlog–Thewebsitemustincludearobust,built-innews/blogplatformwith

subscriptionoption(RSS/email).Thismustenableuserstocreate,editandpublishnewsarticles

and/orblogstothewebsite,withafeaturedimage.(Notetherearemultiplenewsrooms/blogs.)

• Hosting–Thewebsitecompanymustprovideorrecommendahostingservicewithautomated

backupsorequivalent.

• EmailMarketing–Thewebsitecompanymustprovideemailmarketingcapabilitiesthatare

seamlesswiththewebsiteandintegratewithCAN-SPAMcompliantemailmarketingsoftware.

Thewebsitecompanymustprovideoneemailtemplatethatisconsistentwithwebsitedesign.

• EventRegistrationandMarketing—Thewebsitecompanymustprovideeventregistrationand

marketingcapabilitiesthatareseamlesswiththewebsiteandhavetheabilitytointegratewith

existingsystems.

• Dynamicsitemap:Thesitemapshouldupdatedynamically.

• WebsiteAnalytics–GoogleAnalyticstrackingmustbeintegratedonthesitetoallowfor

websitevisitortracking,pagetracking,etc.

• Technicalrequirements–ThewebsitemustbuildwebpagesinHTMLandCSSthatmeetW3C

standards.NouseofFlash.InadditiontoSection508/ADAcompliance,thewebsitemustbe

compliantwithMacandPC,aswellaswiththelatesttwoversionsofInternetExplorer,Mozilla

Firefox,ChromeandSafari.

VIII.ProjectScopeofWorkAllcontent,includingimagesandmulti-mediafiles,willbesuppliedbyVBSR.

• Projectplanandmanagement

• Contentstrategy

• Visualdesign(desktop,tablet,mobile)



• Contentmigration,includingimageoptimizationfor50pages/posts,tobedetermined

• Searchengineoptimization

• Front-endcoding(HTML/CSS,animations)

• Back-endcoding(CMS,3rdpartyAPIs,customsoftware/features)

• Testing&qualityassurance

• Software&usertraining(6users)

• Warrantyperiod

• Ongoingsitemaintenance&security

IX.Objectivesand[MetricsofSuccess]

1. Stimulatevisitstonewwebsite[Metric:Increaseinnumberofwebsessionsand

numberofusersinwebsitetraffic.]track+/-VTinternprogram

2. StimulateRETURNvisitstowebsite[Metric:NumberofReturningVisitorwebsessions

andaveragepagespersessionforrepeatwebsitetrafficfromxxxperyeartoyyyper

year.]track+/-VTinternprogram

3. EncourageNewMembersignupsandRenewalMembershipsviawebsite[Metric:

Numberofnewmembersignupsandrenewalsignupsviaweb]

4. MakeiteasyforvisitorstounderstandandfindgeneralinformationonVBSRmission,

initiatives,benefitsofdoingSRbusinessinVT[Metric:pageviewse.g.,aboutus,news,

policypage,resourcelinks/pages]

5. Engagevisitors,i.e.,stickinessofVBSRwebsite.[Metric:IncreaseinAverageSession

DurationandAveragePagesPerSession]

6. IncreasenumberandpercentofmemberspostingorengagingwithVBSRviathe

websiteandsocialmedia,i.e.,#jobsposted,#eventsposted,#[Metric:Establish

baseline&thenmeasureincrease]



7. Reducewebsite-to-database-to-accounting-to-emaillistetc.maintenanceandsync

timenecessarybystaff[Metric:Stafftimereports.]

X.ProposalFormatVendorsshouldprovidethefollowinginformationintheirproposals:

1) CompanyContactInformation(website,mailingaddress)

2) IndividualContactInformation(name,email,phonenumberofpersonsubmittingproposal)

3) VBSRwebsiteprojectteam(detailwhetheroneormorefirms,namesandroleforeachteam

member,specifyemployeeversuscontractor,worklocationbycity/stateforeach)

4) Planforaccomplishingprojectgoals,includingyourabilitytoproviderequiredwebsite

functionalityandyourapproachforthedesign.

5) RecommendedCMSandrationaleforitsselection.(WeareattractedtoWildApricotasanall-

in-onesolutionformembershipassociationsandweknowofspecificmembershipsiteswelike

thatareonDrupalandWordPressCMSplatforms.)

6) Pricing,bydevelopmentstage,fordeliveringthespecifiedwebsitefunctionality

7) Examplesofpastworkthatissimilartothisproject

8) References(3ormore,fromsimilarcompanies/organizations)

9) Developmenttimelineandmilestones

10) SignedLivableWageStatementofCompliance

11) SignedindicationastowhethercompanyisacurrentVBSRmember

12) Signedstatementofcommitmenttosociallyresponsiblebusinesspracticesandvalues



AttachmentA:Detailsoncurrentsoftware,email,usersandvolumes

Item Numbers Notes

Databaserecords 7,000 Includesindividualcontactsin3,210businesses,organizations,agencies

Mailingsamonth 1toentiredatabase+2-3emails/weektovarioussegments,forexamplecurrentmembers,publicpolicycommittee,boardmembersandsoforth

Currentmembers 763 March2016

Othersoftwareused: ConstantContactEventbriteQuickBooksProFilemakerPro11AZLocalFirstsoftwarew/couponsWufoo(5users,unlimitedforms)SurveyMonkey(unlimited)Sched

Nonprofitrate,$120/monthPertransactionfees?8licenses1-timepurchase$259/year$250/yr$200/yr



AttachmentB:GoogleAnalyticsOverview



AttachmentC:WeightedlistofappealingfeaturesinWildApricot



AttachmentE:PreliminarySiteMap

255 south champlain street, suite 11 • burlington, vermont...

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