Challenging Racism
Challenging Racism is a nonprofit committed to building a more equitable world by helping individuals, schools, and organizations engage in hard, honest conversations about race and equity. Through education, dialogue, and community partnerships, they foster greater understanding and empathy, especially in diverse and underserved communities.
Tara Claeys, owner of Design TLC, was introduced to the organization through her participation in a DEI training cohort for Arlington nonprofits, organized by Challenging Racism in partnership with Arlington County. Representing Aspire Afterschool Learning as a board member, Tara engaged in a series of intensive workshops aimed at shaping more inclusive and empathetic nonprofit leadership. This experience deepened her connection to the mission and revealed the organization’s need for a new, more functional website
What the client had to say
The # of times I’ve said this is amazing in the past 10 minutes 😂😂
Objective
Challenging Racism needed:
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A professional website that demonstrates the organization’s mission, success and offerings
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Full control over their domain and website infrastructure
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A migration from Weebly to WordPress for easier updates and long-term flexibility
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A clearer and more compelling way to communicate their mission, programs, and impact
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A tool to drive engagement and action during Juneteenth
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A refreshed, mobile-friendly website launched quickly and efficiently
Approach
1. Discovery and Messaging Support
- Conducted a survey to understand mission, services, and goals
- Collaborated on crafting clear and compelling messaging
2. Website Architecture and Content Strategy
- Restructured navigation and content organization
- Streamlined user flow to improve access to key information
3. Website Migration and Redesign
- Created a modern, clean, and accessible design tailored specifically for Challenging Racism
- Used a black-and-white color palette with bold green accents to convey professionalism and align with the organization’s existing branding
4. Pledge Feature Development
- Added a “Racial Equity Pledge” form with a live counter
- Integrated with email confirmations, analytics, and data exports
- Implemented just before launch to support Juneteenth celebrations
5. Training and Empowerment
- Provided hands-on training to staff for independent updates
- Set up SEO and analytics tools for long-term tracking and growth
Outcome
Challenging Racism now has full control over its domain and hosting, ensuring long-term security and independence. The new WordPress website launched in just three weeks, offering a vastly improved user experience with clearer messaging, mobile responsiveness, and easy content updates. The pledge form and live counter were successfully introduced just in time for Juneteenth, sparking meaningful engagement with their community. The updated site structure now better reflects the organization’s mission and offerings. Most importantly, the staff is empowered with the tools and training to manage their website confidently moving forward.
New Website
