Non-profit Website Redesign: Permits Foundation’s Audience-First Digitals
There comes a moment in every organisation’s growth where you take stock of your website.
For Permits Foundation, that moment had arrived.
Their site had supported them for years – helping them communicate their advocacy goals, efforts, and progress with families, policymakers and employers.
However, as their organisation and content grew, they needed their website to keep pace, offering interactive features, reflecting the distinct needs of their audience, and accessible across all devices.
In short, three distinctly different groups were coming to the same place with very different questions.
So, our team at AGCS got to work to rebuild Permits Foundation’s digital platform into a modern, intuitive, and mobile-responsive platform.
We didn’t start with the design, though – we started with the people.
At a glance: What changed?
Instead of just refreshing the design, we treated this project as a digital reset: combining our expertise in WordPress website development, digital design, and bespoke code development into a clear project, delivering:
- Improved information architecture and navigation with 3 clear audience paths – Families, Employers, and Governments
- Clarified language so visitors can easily scan and understand Permit Foundation’s advocacy goals and activities
- Better integrated their interactive world map where visitors can explore country-specific information
- A unified visual identity for key materials, including presentation, brochures, and newsletter templates
The website isn’t just better looking – it’s now a digital platform that supports Permits Foundation’s critical work, day in and day out.
Creating 3 pathways from home
Early in the project, Permits Foundation asked that we focus the design on their core audiences.
After landing on the homepage, visitors immediately get clear routes to instinctively guide them to what they came there to do.
This means:
- Families can go straight to content written in plain, accessible language, focused on topics that directly affect them.
- Employers can check how the foundation has been working on their behalf, and how partner employment access can impact recruitment and retention.
- Government bodies and policymakers can quickly access policy information and evidence from one place.
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Reintegrating the interactive world map
One of the central points of this project was supporting their fantastic integrated world map on mobile spouse and partner work authorisation. This map is a core information hub and a critical tool in Permit Foundation’s work.
Working with the existing map functionality developed by Zolabo, we used integration techniques to create a smoother and more intuitive experience, whilst continuing to give visitors easy access to country-specific information, such as:
- Where accompanying partners can directly access work
- Where there is recognition of same-sex partnerships
- Countries that recognise non-married partners
- Self-employment opportunities for spouses and partners
Having this information spelled out clearly (both in words and visually) is vital for educating global mobility programmes.
Creating a dynamic News & Events hub
With clearer filters and navigation, visitors can go straight to the updates that matter most to them.
We refreshed the News, Media & Events section of the website into an easy-to-navigate hub, adding filters to help visitors quickly learn about upcoming events, recent policy surveys, and advocacy updates.
These filters allow visitors to:
- Sort by relevant categories, such as advocacy, event, webinar/podcast, and news updates
- Identify collaborative content (like articles that need input)
Unifying branding across touch points
Part of launching the new Permits Foundation website involved giving their organisational collateral a complete refresh for a more unified and modern brand experience – no matter where people were coming from.
Professional presentation slide decks
We created new digital designs for core presentation and briefing documents to:
- Use the new updated colour palette and modern typography
- Align with the website’s new graphic design
- Support a clear and professional brand look for sponsor presentations
Brochures
Sponsorship packets and policy summaries now have a fresh look. They’re:
- More visually engaging
- Easier to scan
- Better aligned with the new website’s structure
Responsive email templates
To round it off, we built responsive email templates in HTML, allowing the foundation to send:
- Event announcements
- Well-structured newsletters
- Consistent email communications that align with the branding on their site
These additional changes to their branding toolkit are helping Permits Foundation maintain their strong, professional presence to visitors and stakeholders, and ensure their content is noticeable at a glance – whether on screen or in print.
"AGCS was fantastic to work with from start to finish. Not only did they deliver a redesign of our website that is sleek, communicates directly to our three audiences, and is filled with custom made components, but they took the time to really learn about the work that our organisation does - that level of detail and care shows through."
Kathleen Travaille
Communications Manager
Why a good website matters
For advocacy organisations like Permits Foundation, a website is more than just an online brochure. It’s where people go to find complex, highstakes information. It connects families, employers, and policymakers, and supports campaigns, events, and longterm policy change.
Permits Foundation was looking for an impactful update. To do them justice, we combined our expertise in WordPress website development with digital design, assets, and structures driven by their core audiences. The result? Future-proof, audience-focused digital platform and branding that Permits Foundation can build upon in the years to come.
If you want a website that reflects the quality and impact of your work, an update can help re-align your digital presence with your goals.
If that sounds like something you’re interested in, get in touch with our team for a free consultation!
