Giants of Africa
Digital Strategy & Flagship Website Build
Planning, strategy and execution of a total website rebuild + writing and managing digital for a unique Canadian non-profit.
digital Strategy
Founded by President of the Toronto Raptors: Masai Ujiri - the GOA team conducts yearly basketball camps throughout Africa providing quality facilities, gear and coaches. The goal was to increase awareness and support for underprivileged children and young adults, while growing the game in Africa.
The Insight
The current site was dated, ineffective and difficult to navigate for both users on web and content managers.
​The Vision
A total overhaul of the site, shifting to a Wordpress platform, applying content strategy to give their content structure, while ensuring the site could be easily updated and manipulated.
Research & Strategic Methods
Social Listening
Sentiment Analysis
Market Research & Positioning
Research & Planning
Kickoff included assembling and leading a tactical team comprised of myself, a back-end developer, creative director and designer through a 12-week timeline.
The current site was audited with research and analysis conducted on a selection of competitive and comparative organizations allowing us to identify challenges, efficiencies and opportunity. Interviews and workshops were also conducted with Ujiri, team members and focus groups to identify categorization of content and a basic site framework.
PLATFORM SETUP, CREATIVE & COpy
After setting up our Wordpress platform - we built out our wireframe, user journey and worked with our developer to differentiate site through custom code.
Writing, editing and proofing of all copy was conducted and added to each page alongside design assets. The result was a functioning beta site with navigation, imagery and copy, SEO optimization and analytics setup.
PLATFORM SETUP, CREATIVE & COpy
After setting up our Wordpress platform - we built out our wireframe, user journey and worked with our developer to differentiate site through custom code.
Writing, editing and proofing of all copy was conducted and added to each page alongside design assets. The result was a functioning beta site with navigation, imagery and copy, SEO optimization and analytics setup.
CONTENT UPLOAD & TESTING
Once each page was built, content upload began. This task was of high importance to our founder and it involved sifting through and categorizing hundreds of physical photographs spanning over two decades to create archival galleries of the organizations history​
The final step was testing and fixing any bugs, glitches, broken links or other possible issues. Once cleared, we migrated the new site onto the existing domain for a flawless transformation, just one day before GOA's most important annual event.
Results
A complete visual and messaging overhaul of the organization's website pushed live directly before the annual Giant of Africa event - hosted each year by the organization and supported by the Toronto Raptors. As well as, a consistent identity and voice driven through all branded communications, marketing, fundraising, awareness and advertising programs.
My Journey with Giants of Africa
After launching the site in 2015 I continued to work with GOA as lead digital manager and writer for just over 5 years. Through this position, I worked closely with the team, managed all digital content and served as their primary copywriter handling the following areas:Social Copy Website Page Copy Organization Values & Identity News Articles & Updates Events and Outreach Articles, Invitations, Notices, Thank You Letters etc., Reporting, Editing & ProofreadingIn 2016 I travelled with the team to Africa during their camps and helped launch our feature-length documentary film Giants of Africa, which premiered at TIFF.