Global network site

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Freshwater Action Network

The client

Freshwater Action Network (FAN) is a global network of people working on water and sanitation policy and practice. It has a secretariat in London, UK, and five regional hubs around the world.

The context

FAN allows members to share grassroots expertise and experience on water issues, and is an important resource for academics, policy workers, students and other stakeholders. FAN's members include organisations in Africa, Asia and South and Central America, often based in remote places where internet access may be poor.

The problem

FAN had an existing website and contacts database, but they were proving inflexible and frustrating to maintain. They needed a fresher-looking site, that would meet the needs of members across the globe, and allow them to share documentation and debate in their four operating languages (English, French, Portuguese and Spanish).

Our process

A full day workshop with the FAN team in their London office gave us all a chance to discover what their audience needed from their website. This energising meeting got everyone agreed on the project goals, and allowed us to define key audiences and user scenarios.

We identified that the primary objective of the site was knowledge sharing and transfer among their members, but also looked at other audience types, eg funders seeking evidence of impact. From here, we outlined key requirements and deliverables.

Our solution

Our visual redesign of the FAN website provided a user-friendly experience and fast download times. While we were at it, we gave their logo a complimentary refresh to bring it up to date.

We developed their website using the Drupal open source content management system to include content in 4 languages and a host of features including:

  • Ask an expert queries
  • Document library and search
  • Members' discussion forum
  • Blogs

We integrated the open source contact management solution CiviCRM to manage their growing list of members and constituents. This included:

  • Members sign up forms (for new member enquiries)
  • Members search for those looking to connect with members in other countries
  • CiviMail – broadcast email in 4 different languages
  • CiviMember – membership management

Website: http://www.freshwateraction.net

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“ 54 degrees did a brilliant job helping us to transform our website into a useful and inspiring resource that better reflects the nature of our work and the network.

Our members, who had never before contributed to the website, are now regularly sharing their knowledge and experience online. We're excited that the website will allow us to grow and enrich our online community even further in the future.”

Isabella Montgomery,
Freshwater Action Network