If you’ve never heard of Destination Imagination, you’re missing out on a whole lot of magic. 

In sixth grade, I participated in a program called Destination Imagination (DI) that changed my life. Though the memories stayed with me, I fell out of touch with the program for almost two decades—until I serendipitously reconnected with a friend from college who serves on the board for DI’s New York program. 

Destination Imagination New York (NYDI) was looking for help with their Google Ad Grants account, and perhaps some social media advertising. But as soon as I checked out their website, I told them something along the lines of, “Running digital ads right now would be like throwing money into a giant pit.” Their website wasn’t telling their story, and it wasn’t designed to convert new users coming from ads.

The proof was in the Analytics. NYDI’s website had an 87% sitewide bounce rate. This was a classic case of a volunteer team dedicating so much of their energy and time to a nonprofit while trying to manage the website while trying to fundraise and recruit at the same time. It was also a classic case of The “Curse of Knowledge” in action; NYDI’s board was so engrossed in the program, they couldn’t explain it in simple terms to someone who was brand new.

It can be very difficult to communicate a program as complex (and awesome) as DI. It’s not like a soccer club or a theatre program; DI brings all of the subject areas together and is completely student led, so no two projects or performances ever look the same.

When I proposed a full website redesign, including SEO and copywriting for NYDI’s most important web pages, they were fully on board. Their Board understood that a new and improved online presence would be invaluable for the future of their program.

We started with research.

I conducted interviews with people who represented the full spectrum of NYDI’s target audience: a seasoned Team Manager, a brand new Team Manager, and a New York parent with zero exposure to the program. Each person’s feedback was unique, but one common thread wove them together:

They all wanted the NYDI website to capture the fun and magic of the program.

Our task was to design a website that puts imagination on display—like catching a firefly in a glass jar. And I knew just the guy to help me do it: my good friend and go-to web design partner John Waterman of Waterman Web, who has a nonprofit marketing background and WordPress expertise.

Informed by our user research, I designed a sitemap that was both imaginative and informative.

To convey the magic, credibility, and life-long benefits of this program, we capitalized on every trusty marketing technique. Beautiful photos, videos, stories, examples, and testimonials were essential to demonstrate social proof and bring the program to life. 

Then, I wrote the 10 pages of the website that are most important for shaping first impressions.

The homepage. The About Us page. These are critical moments for someone exploring a website for the first time. When presenting a program as unique as Destination Imagination, getting this introductory language right is the difference between a prospective participant joining, or bouncing. 

In addition to those classic web pages for newcomers, what could we do differently to create a unique user journey and a more exciting first impression? By creating pages like A Look Inside the Magic, Is NYDI Right For My Kid? and Getting Started, we dialed up your traditional nonprofit website and answered the real questions people have when they’re vetting student activities. And we achieved a fun and casual, yet trustworthy tone that the NYDI team can carry across all of their communications.

When the new website launched, NYDI received an incredible response from the international Destination Imagination community. DI Headquarters even reached out to say this website is the gold standard for chapters around the world.

Next, it was time to breathe new life into NYDI’s Google Ad Grants account.

With a beautiful new website at the ready, it was time to turn NYDI’s Google Ad Grant account around. I conducted keyword research, rewrote and reorganized their ads, and added fresh text and photo extensions to make their Google Ads friendly and intriguing. 

And we needed one more thing to round out the user journey.

Because NYDI’s main goal is to grow their participation statewide, I knew they needed an email sign-up form and automated welcome series to support their outreach goals. A welcome series is an easy and affordable way to convince curious newcomers to take action.

NYDI is a team of volunteers who spend a lot of unpaid time answering people’s questions about the program, so I wanted to design a welcome series that would answer all of the most frequently asked questions right out the gate, ideally gifting the team back some more sleep!

Now, when you sign up for email updates on the NYDI website, you will be entered into a warm and welcoming three-part email series that showcases the program’s value and makes you (or your students) want to get in on the fun.