AAUW Branch Site Resources
Is your website effectively communicating your AAUW story?
Do you have great content, but your website still isn’t updated? Can new members easily find your next meeting? Is your community excited to join your activities?
AAUW Site Resources opens doors for your website! States and branches can boost communications, grow membership, and drive fundraising with ease.
Using the WordPress publishing platform, AAUW Site Resources:
- simplifies state and branch websites;
- is low maintenance and user-friendly;
- delivers a consistent, professional experience;
- completes content updates via a ticketing system;
- incorporates advanced functionality such as newsletters and events management to have a dynamic web presence;
- provides a centralized infrastructure and updates, and offers dedicated customer service.
Discover how AAUW Site Resources can lighten your workload and spark your branch’s online presence! Reach out to site-resources@aauw.org or sign up for a free, zero-obligation website review today.
How to Launch Your Branch's Website
Launching a dynamic branch website involves two phases: the framework and the content. Here’s your roadmap to building an online home from start to finish.
1. Fill out the service agreement.
We launch your site and guide you through setup. After launch, you manage content updates using tips from the Site Resources page. If you need extra help, troubleshooting, or have questions down the line, ongoing support is available from Site Resources so you are never on your own.
After you fill out the agreement, we will create a URL for your site and schedule a call with the branch’s webmaster. You should meet with the people responsible for determining the website’s content before the call.
2. The structure and planning phone call takes place.
During the call, we will decide together on the best website structure. Site Resources will do our best to provide you with best practices, but you will need a solid idea of your website goals before the call.
Mapping your site structure early sets you up for success! Picture building a house: a strong foundation and frame come first, then you add the details.
A good site will typically have five or six main-menu options or “parent pages.” Each parent page may have “child pages” or sub-menu options. For example, your main menu might include: About Us, Membership, Events, Programs, Newsletters, and Contact. Under “About Us,” you might have sub-pages such as History, Mission, and Leadership. Under “Events,” you could add Upcoming Events and Past Events. Organizing your site this way makes it easy for visitors to find what they need. Remember that keeping your site as concise as possible will prevent the reader from being overwhelmed by information. Also, keep in mind that each page you create must contain content.
3. Site Resources builds the site based on the call results.
After our planning call, Site Resources brings your vision to life with a fresh website framework. Next, send us your content — the wallpaper for your digital house! To help speed up the process, please have materials ready, such as branch history, leadership contacts, event information, how to join as a member details, and photos or logos. The build can move quickly, wrapping up in one or two weeks, depending on your site’s complexity and how fast you supply content.
4. We will review the build with you.
As we near the completion of the build, we will email you a final checklist of any missing items. If needed, a second call may be scheduled. Once all content and pages have been populated, we will be ready to launch.
5. The website will launch to the public.
After the site has been reviewed, and we agree that it is complete, you can share it with others.
Ready to launch your site and connect with your community? Fill in the service agreement to start your journey!
FAQ
WordPress is a publishing platform for websites. Although WordPress initially began as an open-source blogging tool, its user-friendly interface and ability to serve as a content management system have contributed to its increasing popularity.
The look and feel of a WordPress site is facilitated by a template. AAUW Site-Resources has already built in a customized template for you. Your activity will center on the Dashboard, where you or Site-Resources can add pages, content, images, links, and widgets, and use helpful plug-ins to build an events calendar, newsletter, and more to suit your needs.
Your new URL will differ slightly depending on whether you are a state or a local branch. Here are two examples:
California State URL: aauw-ca.aauw.net
Sonora, CA Local Branch URL: sonora-ca.aauw.net
No, provided that you use the .NET URL listed above. All the aauw.net domains will be maintained as a benefit to the AAUW community.
No, Site Resources will provide free hosting on our servers as a benefit to the AAUW community. Please note that hosting does not include web content creation. Site-Resources can update the content on your website, but does not create the content for you.
Not to worry! If it is completely out of the question for you to change your URL at this time, you can purchase or continue using a commercial domain registrar (such as GoDaddy.com or Network Solutions) on your own. Please note that costs will apply as the URL is maintained outside of AAUW. Site Resources will help you redirect traffic from your current URL to the new website.
Think of redirecting on the web like using a forwarding address in real life. It can give you more flexibility, but it inevitably slows things down. When a user visits your independently maintained URL, there is really only one page there (index.html or default.html, depending on your host). For a redirect to work, your page needs a script that tells the browser to keep going to the next URL where your site actually resides, or where the files for your site are located on our server. Site Resources can provide this script. You will need to know how to log in with an FTP client (usually provided by your hosting site) and edit your index.html or default.html file. Once you have access, you can simply copy and paste the script and save it to your account. As this can be a complex process for those new to website management, you may need assistance. Site Resources can walk you through the process; just make sure you have the account number and password issued by your hosting site handy.
Keep in mind that redirecting slows down your entire website and will affect your search engine results. We strongly recommend moving toward using only the direct URL provided. Redirecting via more than one URL should be avoided entirely.
A Role defines the tasks a user is allowed to perform. WordPress uses roles to control and assign what users can and cannot do on the website. Your website must have at least one person assigned to the role of Editor, and you can assign up to five additional Contributors.
An Editor is someone who can publish and manage the posts and pages created by him/herself as well as by others. In other words, Editors have the ability to write, publish, and edit anything on the website. They are in charge of the entire publishing side of WordPress, which is why it is best to have only one Editor. Assign this role to someone who knows the “big picture” of what your website should be doing for your branch.
A Super Editor is someone who has all of the capabilities of the editor, with a few extra perks. The Super Editor can update sidebar widgets, the header image, and the navigation menu.
One good way to start is to divide your website into Static and Dynamic information. Static information is always the same, or at least stays the same for an extended period (ex, “Leadership” or “Membership”). Dynamic information is often changing and time-sensitive (ex, Events). Pages are for static information, and posts are for dynamic information.
