St. Paul's Foundation
2021
Purpose built, people first
Making donors the heroes, and lifting donations by 25%.
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Overview
Making donors the heroes.
St. Paulâs Foundation, a non-profit supporting St. Paulâs Hospital and Vancouverâs healthcare community, needed a modern, values-driven digital experience. Their existing website was outdated, difficult to navigate, and failing to engage donors. I led the redefinition of their brand and user experience to put peopleâespecially donorsâfront and center.
Through community storytelling, strategic UX design, and a refreshed brand direction, we created a platform that not only increased donations but also built lasting trust and credibility with their users.
Problem
Why give to St. Paulâs Foundation?
"The donor wears the cape, not the foundation."
With the new St. Paulâs Hospital launching in late 2023, the foundation needed to modernize their website, elevate their identity, and make donating simple, meaningful, and transparent. The previous site was outdated, difficult to navigate, and failing to communicate the foundationâs mission and impactâresulting in missed engagement and donations.
Our strategy focused on answering the critical question: Why give to St. Paulâs? while building long-term trust with their key users.
UX Strategy
Designing for impact and trust.
We approached this project through a combination of competitive analysis, analytics review, and direct user research. By understanding user pain points and behaviour patterns, we designed an experience that was intuitive, accessible, and community-focused.
4 key opportunities discovered:
Purpose-built, people first: highlighting their founding mission of compassionate care.
âGive Nowâ page: empowering donors with choiceâtime, money, or other contributionsâwhile expressing genuine gratitude.
âWhy Giveâ page: showcasing diverse, real stories from the healthcare community.
Transparency tools: featuring annual reports, leadership profiles, and the tangible impact of donations received.
Our design centred on human stories and donor recognition, creating an intersectional, trustworthy, and accessible brand experience.
Community Stories
People-first, accessible, intersectional, & trustworthy.
The redesign delivered measurable impact:
25% increase in overall donations
35% increase in monthly recurring donations
Strong positive user feedback: the site was visually appealing, easy to navigate, and informative
Our digital strategy emphasized:
Highlighting authentic, human stories from the foundationâs community
Sharing both qualitative and quantitative impact data
Creating a frictionless donation experience
Reinforcing the mission of âPurpose built, people first"
Design
Final website design & architecture.
The final product is a platform that elevates the foundationâs community, drives engagement and donations, and allows every user to see themselves represented.
This inclusive, human-centered experience not only expanded the foundationâs reach and credibility but also established long-term trust, ensuring donors feel recognized, valued, and connected for years to come.
Summary
Community stories defining the brand's future.
By appealing to the hearts and minds of donors from all walks of life, we successfully answered why give to St. Paulâs Foundation â driving donations forward while building a lasting, mission-driven digital presence.
