St. Paul's Foundation
2021
Purpose built, people first
Purpose built, people first
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Overview
St. Paul’s Foundation, a non-profit supporting St. Paul’s Hospital and Vancouver’s 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 Their existing website was outdated, difficult to navigate, and failing to engage donors.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 people—especially donors—front 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. Paul’s Foundation?
"The donor wears the cape, not the foundation."
With the new St. Paul’s 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 The previous site was outdated, difficult to navigate, and failing to communicate the foundation’s mission and impact—resulting in missed engagement and donations.
Our strategy focused on answering the critical question: Why give to St. Paul’s? 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.
Key opportunities discovered
Purpose-built, people first: highlighting their founding mission of compassionate care.
‘Give Now’ page: empowering donors with choice—time, money, or other contributions—while expressing genuine gratitude.
‘Why Give’ 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 centered on human stories and donor recognition, creating an intersectional, trustworthy, and accessible brand experience.
Community Stories
A focus on community stories
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 foundation’s community
Sharing both qualitative and quantitative impact data
Creating a frictionless donation experience
Reinforcing the mission of “Purpose built, people first
Designs
The final product is a platform that elevates the foundation’s community, drives engagement and donations, and allows every user to see themselves represented.
This inclusive, human-centered experience not only expanded the foundation’s reach and credibility but also established long-term trust, ensuring donors feel recognized, valued, and connected for years to come.
Summary
By appealing to the hearts and minds of donors from all walks of life, we successfully answered why give to St. Paul’s Foundation — driving donations forward while building a lasting, mission-driven digital presence.
