The Canadian Red Cross’ website does a few things right but needs 3 things to make it competitive with it’s competitors.
What they are doing right
The Canadian Red Cross does a good job of documenting their wide variety of activities. They recognize the work of everyday volunteers and employees. There are significant numbers of profiles and interviews.
There are significant, detailed sections for each type of activity undertaken. Previous disaster relief campaigns are well documented. Training and certification course pages are designed logically. Descriptions are easy to read and enrollment is a simple process.
Technically, a variety of content types are present, including video, infographics, blogs and apps available to view and use. Photos are generally well composed and the videos are easy to follow and understand.
Improvements
The overall strategy seems unclear. The Canadian Red Cross is different than the Red Cross in other countries, in that they do not collect and distribute blood products. This is a major difference and a likely contributor to the confused strategy.
The Canadian charity has chosen to focus more on disaster relief, both domestic and abroad, to compensate. While training and certifications are staples in all Red Cross organizations, Canada has chosen to develop training in social responsibility. These types of activities are not well explained in the overall structure.
The website is cluttered and somewhat unorganized. The style seems oudated and could use some refreshing. However, it is similar to Red Cross sites in other countries, so it is possible the Canadian Red Cross does not have much control over the elements of style.
The organization of posts is divided by activity type AND geography. It’s unclear as to why, but it’s not done by the American Red Cross. Are Canadians more focused on their province?
A major focus, if not the primary raison d’etre of any charity is to solicit donations. There are a myriad of ways to donate and this area in particular could be simplified and easier to use. There are over 20 ways to donate on the Other Donations page alone!
Compare Canadian Red Cross with Sick Kids Foundation.
Sick Kids style is much more modern and up to date. While there are fewer words and images, the ones that are used are larger and more impactful. Donations are front and centre. Other stories are present but are secondary to the primary goal of raising funds.
Recommendations:
- Refine social strategy and redesign website around it.
- Update webpage style to increase impact of visuals. Simplify user journey.
- Reduce content quantity, increase content quality.