Website redesign earns Department of Ohio an award

The American Legion Department of Ohio earned first place for the Mary B. Howard Award for best website in the 2016 National American Legion Press Association contest. Jason Graven, the department’s director of marketing and membership, explains the motivation for updating the website.

Several years ago the Department of Ohio recognized a glaring need – its website (www.ohiolegion.com) had not foregone any relevant updates for a decade. With postage rising, dues revenue decreasing and paperwork taking more staff time than ever, the department set out to modernize with the intent of addressing these issues. The result was a department website redesign.

Aside from the standard membership reports and general information, the department recognized it could utilize new technological advances incorporated into the website’s features. These included an advanced calendar that automatically generates updates without manual input, a forms page that allows members a one-stop shop to access all forms related to department programs, and a shopping page for Emblem Sales purchases similar to those used on retail sites.

The changes also included fillable forms in effort to reduce the need for paper forms. Once submitted, these emails are sent directly to the director in charge of the information.

Members also now have the ability to pay fees and make deposits through a secure system without compromising personal information, which reduces the risk of identity theft or postal service misplacement.

The Department of Ohio is proud of its website that was built and designed by VividPoint Interactive; the website’s use has far exceeded the estimates presented before launch. Department staff, districts and posts have saved countless time and postage, making the cost of the website well worth the investment.