National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities

Wakefly, Inc. partnered with the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) to transform its online presence using the flexible and robust Umbraco platform. The project aimed to create a modern, user-friendly website that effectively communicates NAICU’s mission while providing value to its member institutions. The focus was on improving both the user experience and content management capabilities to better serve the needs of a diverse audience, including students, educators, and policymakers.

Key project objectives included enhancing usability through intuitive navigation and improved content organization, ensuring users could easily access relevant information. Wakefly also increased the visibility and frequency of calls to action, encouraging greater user interaction. To modernize the design, the website was given a clean, professional aesthetic that aligned with NAICU’s mission of supporting independent higher education institutions. Additionally, the content management process was streamlined using Umbraco’s customizable CMS, reorganizing and restructuring the content and website search to make it easier for users to find information. The Umbraco platform empowered NAICU’s internal team to manage and update the website with minimal technical expertise.

Key features implemented in the redesign included a responsive design optimized for mobile, tablet, and desktop devices, ensuring accessibility across all platforms. The integration of Umbraco’s robust CMS allowed for custom features tailored to NAICU’s specific needs, such as news-type management and resource sharing, while making it easy for content managers to update the site without requiring extensive development knowledge. Advanced search functionality was added to improve the user experience, and a secure member portal with encrypted Single Sign-On provided exclusive access to critical resources and collaboration tools.

The redesigned website achieved impressive results, including an 80% increase in users and a 70% increase in sessions year-over-year in the first three months after launch. Additionally, the website averaged 18,000 sessions per month during this period. These improvements led to a significant boost in user engagement and streamlined administrative workflows for NAICU. The new, scalable website has positioned NAICU for long-term success, reinforcing its leadership role in advocating for independent higher education.

This project highlights Wakefly’s expertise in leveraging the Umbraco platform to deliver tailored web solutions for non-profit organizations, helping them achieve their strategic goals and maximize their digital impact.