Member Article

RAF Benevolent Fund’s new website takes flight

The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund has launched a new web platform https://www.rafbf.org/ to drive more online donations and provide a comprehensive audience-focused resource that can better support those who need the charity’s services. The new platform has been designed and developed by digital experience agency Access.

The RAF Benevolent Fund assists veterans and serving Royal Air Force personnel with welfare support. This also extends to their families.

The new website introduces innovative technical features including a support finder tool, which provides faster access to relevant pages; a new online beneficiary form to replace a PDF process and a Progressive Web App to enable quick app installation to devices.

Site editors can also easily create and update microsite pages using the new platform. Microsites include RAF Widows’ Association, the RAF Disabled Holiday Trust and the Alexander Duckham Memorial Schools Trust. These microsites contain alternative brand colours and content. The build process included utilising a colour palette option in a settings area for the content types, and setting up a series of pages and content related to one site, where site editors can alter the colour palette for each page.

Ruth Patterson, Digital Engagement Manager, from the RAF Benevolent Fund said: “Through in-depth audience research and user feedback we have created a web platform that will better meet the needs of all of our audiences. Our website serves two core functions, and we’ve facilitated the best user journeys for each.

“For those wanting to support us, the means to donate or get involved in fundraising is a much simpler, audience-focused journey. We’ve developed a suite of features that will help us to build stronger ongoing relationships with supporters, and promote advocacy to get involved with us.

“For those that need support, we’ve expanded our services to beneficiaries and improved accessibility to our resources so that they are clear and easy to find. Our new site also hosts an array of content so being able to access this in a more intuitive way is a huge step forward.”

Patrick Hamilton, Operations Director at Access, said: “Central to the new platform is that different user’s needs have been considered at all stages of the journey, alongside a fresh and inspiring design. Our development process began with in-depth audience research, creating personas and holding interviews, before moving on to prototyping and validation.

“Using our Drupal experience we’ve created a best-in-class experience that is both user friendly and easy to manage, to meet all of the charity’s objectives including a need for greater efficiency and measurability. Accessibility and the user journey is front and centre at all stages, alongside a fresh and inspiring design.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Kirsty Hunt .