Webby Award Winner – Non-Profit
Every year, the Webby Awards gives recognition to “The Best of the Internet. There are many different categories for these awards. I was most drawn to the “Charity/Non-Profit” category because I wanted to see the best webpages for non-profit organizations. This category had several winners and honorable mentions. I found The Rainforest Trust drew my eye.
I chose this website, www.rainforesttrust.org because it is clearly used to raise money for climate causes. The environment has always been something that I liked to support, so I wanted to see how The Rainforest Trust’s website was working to save our planet.
Above is the main page for The Rainforest Trust. It is obvious what they are looking for… your donation. The “Donate Now” button is a bright orange and is displayed on two areas of the screen. With the key being on the menu bar, it will also appear on every page that the user will navigate to on this site. Therefore, no matter what page you visit on the website, you will be able to find the place to donate easily.
What I love most about this homepage is the aesthetic that is has. The page shows the rainforest as a beautiful place, which makes me want to donate to their cause. The full screen photo makes it clear that the objective of the site is to highlight our planet’s rainforests.
I also enjoy how their founding year and number of acres they’ve saved is front and center on their website.When you first arrive at the site, the number of acres counts up to that point. I like that because it makes the site appear well managed. The number is very specific.
I decided to hit “Donate Now.” I figured that this page was the most important to the creator of the page, so I went there first. When I clicked “Donate Now,” it took me to the page above and on the left. It is clear how easy it is to donate to The Rainforest Trust. I love how it is written on the top what my donation will go to. I then chose to click the Australian Flag key, just to see if that made any difference. That screenshot is above on the right. Depending on what country you are donating to, the gift is going towards a different cause.
This page has a good user experience and is very easy to understand. The pages are clearly marked and all of the clickable items on the page are obvious.
The “Our Work” tab also caught my attention. I went to the “Climate Action” page (shown above right). This page has a lot of great information on how The Rainforest Trust has worked and is still working to impact our world’s rainforests. All of the article-type pages on this site are infinite scroll. There is nothing to download on any part of this site, which I love. It makes it easy to navigate.
The next page I visited was the “How Much of My Donation Goes to Real Action” under “Our Work.” I’m sure a lot of people who consider donating to The Rainforest Trust would visit this page. The only thing is that this page was a bit harder to find. I wish it was with the donation page. There is a graphic below (the pie charts) that I wish was on the donation page. I think it would be more impactful there than it is near the bottom of an infinite scroll page.
However, I do like how this blog-type entry is laid out. There are a lot of different colors that fit their theme, which keeps the reader engaged.
Based on the screenshot above, it is clear who the site is geared towards. This site wants donations. Therefore, I can gather that this site is mostly intended for companies and wealthy individuals who are looking to give to The Rainforest Trust on a regular basis.
The above page is the “Urgent Appeals” page. I like this page because it shows what the organization is actively working on. The percent funded banner on each thumbnail gives the user incentive to donate to raise the percentage.
The use of photographs on this site is very important. Without these photos, I think that the use would be confused on some aspects of the website. Most pages have a background image. Without this, I think that it would make the site a lot less engaging.
The above screenshot is from the “Get Involved” tab and “Corporate Sponsors.” I like this page because it shows that there are real people sponsoring The Rainforest Trust. I was not familiar with a lot of these brands, but I like how each logo is a hyperlink to that company’s website. It makes it easy to find out what each company is about.
Overall, I like The Rainforest Trust’s website. It is easily accessible to anyone and offers a clear message. The use of photographs makes the website powerful to the user. Even if the user is not planning to donate, this webpage offers a lot of information that may help the user better understand the problem of climate change and how they can help. I think that The Rainforest Trust is a cause I would 100% recommend donating to.
