The Ford Family Foundation
The Ford Family Foundation believes in the power of rural communities. They support people in Oregon and Siskiyou County, California with grants, scholarships, rural community-building tools, free books, and deep research.
Challenge
The Ford Family Foundation has a passionate team and a wide network of collaborators — graphic and web designers, copywriters, marketing agencies, and photographers — with invaluable perspectives and historical knowledge. But who should build the new site? Enter Ruby Slipper! Team players at heart, we gladly took on shepherding the project from start to finish. Our assignment: create a fresh new site, stay true to the organization’s values, and embrace all collaborators.
“The Ruby Slipper team excels at clear communication with a community building spirit! The design and clarity of this website is transforming the way we’re able to reach the people and organizations The Ford Family Foundation serves.”
– Anne Kubisch, President and CEO
Approach
The Discovery process included the dream team at The Ford Family Foundation and key collaborators: Anvil Northwest, Seven13, Narrative Marcom, and Megan Monson — the Foundation’s trusted copywriter. We outlined goals, audiences, content, and key messages. We created a site architecture map and then got to work on the next stage — overseeing designs and copy writing.
Immersion
The home page is the heart of a website. We offered The Foundation six designs to choose from — one from each collaborator. With their thoughtful feedback, we crafted a beautiful design co-created by Anvil Northwest and Ruby Slipper.
As we created the other 200+ pages of this site, we focused on The Foundation’s core offerings: grants, scholarships, community building resources, and the Visual Arts program for Oregon artists.
“Not only did we create an accessible, beautiful website that we’re all proud of, but we learned in the process — from project management to design to strategy and more. The Ruby Slipper team’s ability to collaborate and build community is simply exceptional.”
– Mandy Elder, Learning Officer – Research and Communication
LAUNCHED: MAY 2023
Services
- Website Strategy and Plan
- Project Management
- Site Architecture
- Copy Management
- Web and Graphic Design
- Responsive Website Development
- WordPress Content Management System
- Search Engine Optimization
- Analytics
Results
This is THE most collaborative website we have ever constructed. Every word, every custom photo, every design decision was made strategically, thoughtfully, artistically, and with input from all stakeholders.
This Foundation sprang from Kenneth and Hallie Ford, the entrepreneurs behind Roseburg Forest Products. It is imbued with values of integrity, stewardship, respect, independence, and community. And true to those values, this Foundation gives back to rural communities via grants, scholarships, and the commitment to support rural Oregon.
Ruby Slipper is honored to partner with this generous Foundation. Thank you for giving so much back to Oregon, the place we call home.
“It is extremely rare to work with people of this caliber — who possess such multifaceted talent and heart for bringing vision to reality. With every challenge we raised, Erin and the Ruby Slipper team would simply smile and say, ‘What an opportunity to problem solve!’ And they did – with grace and ingenuity.”
– Sarah Pytalski, Learning Officer – Policy and Communications
Collaborators
The Ford Family Foundation
Anne Kubisch, Kasi Allen, Aden Bliss, Mandy Elder, Sarah Pytalski
Ruby Slipper Designs
Erin O’Kelley Muck, Rachel Koning, Dena Bahar, Ashley Nunes, Fiew Gerk, Caleb Arkie, Michael Barnhart
Megan Monson Copywriting
Megan Monson
Anvil Northwest
Cam Campman, Nathan Wojtach, Kathy Heidt
Narrative Marcom + Design
Suzanne Gorham, Jacqueline Bell
Seven13 Design Co.
Glen Simpson
Photographers
Lauren Reber Photography
Keri Blue Photography
Anvil Northwest