Web Company Donates to Charity by Design

Company: Sierra Bravo, a Web-development company in Bloomington, Minn., with 70 employees.

How it gives: In March, the company held its first “F1 Overnight Web Site Challenge.” (The F1 key on the computer signals a need for help.)

For 24 hours straight, Web developers at Sierra Bravo and other local Web-design businesses provided free design work for the Web sites of local charities that were selected in a competition.

Sierra Bravo publicized the event in local newspapers and on radio stations, generating applications from 50 charities. Four judges, including experts in nonprofit organizations and online media, selected 11 charities to participate.

Molly Kennedy Lageson, office manager and volunteer coordinator at Metro Meals on Wheels, says her charity’s Web site wasn’t effectively communicating the work of the nearly 40 local chapters that her group represents. The eight Web developers she worked with created two Web sites — one for a general audience and one for member charities — and helped make the sites more appealing and easier to use.

“We still get random compliments from people saying, ‘You have a really nice Web site,’” she says. “We never would have been able to afford this level of quality.”

How much it gave: Eighty-eight volunteer Web developers and designers donated a combined 2,112 hours, or approximately $200,000 worth of time.

How the business benefited: Sierra Bravo was able to attract more Web developers to its staff because of the publicity from the contest. It also strengthened its relationships with other companies, such as New Horizons Computer Learning Centers of Minnesota, which offered free computer classes to charity officials who participated in the event.

Why it worked: Sierra Bravo held a meeting between charity staff members and Web developers about 10 days before the event. Mark Malmberg, the company’s communications manager, says next year charity leaders from the 2008 contest will share their experiences with charities participating for the first time. Even with the company’s planning, one charity ended up not using its new Web site because it was not compatible with the group’s Internet-technology system.

Ms. Kennedy Lageson also recommends preparation: “Find examples of Web sites you like and don’t like. Bring in information about your organization and share your mission and your culture.”

She also says to get lots of sleep beforehand. “I took a long nap afterward,” she says.