Doorstep Healthcare Service
Doorstep Healthcare Services and the Tabula Rasa
Visit Doorstep Healthcare Services
Nonprofit dental provider goes from no website to free website overnight
Nonprofit profile
Doorstep Healthcare Services’ mission is to provide caring, high-quality and comprehensive oral healthcare services to underserved populations, such as the elderly, mentally and/or physically disabled and economically disadvantaged by providing dental care and education with a mobile dental unit and team. With no existing website as they entered the Overnight Website Challenge, Doorstep Healthcare Services is the oldest provider of mobile dentistry in Minnesota to residents of nursing homes and assisted living settings.
The nonprofit’s team of volunteer web developers, Twin Cities Open Circuit, had a clean slate on which to build.
Objectives
New website wish list: a professional looking website so that facility administrators can quickly understand how the organization functions and can contribute to the health of their residents; a site that positively represents the organization to grant makers; the ability to collect online donations; a site that clearly and effectively communicates their mission and helps cultivate new programs.
“We did not have a website before due to a very tight budget,” said Shira Goldetsky of Doorstep. “We were very interested in the Overnight Website Challenge when we first heard about it because we wanted a website to better communicate with potential employees, donors, grant makers and the public.”
Solutions
“During the first of 24 hours we sat down in a quiet area to discuss Doorstep Healthcare’s mission, how we function, and how I hoped the site could contribute to the organization’s mission,” said Goldetsky of the getting-to-know-you phase with her team. “They asked a lot of questions so that we were all on the same page before the work part began. Since we did not need complex technical features on the website, I thought we might get down relatively quickly — but it took us the entire time. Everyone worked on separate parts of the site together and separately, including me. At times I know everyone got tired, and a bit frustrated, but overall we were able to work cohesively and have fun.”
Results
Doorstep’s team was the first to finish and actually lunch a website — where none had even existed previously. “After I had completed everything I could be involved with, in the early a.m. I took a 30 minute nap on the floor and I think I was filmed by a news crew,” said Goldetsky.
“Since my team spent a lot of time on search engine optimization, the website can now help us find interested employees – this is no easy feat since the type of dentistry Doorstep Healthcare provides is very challenging and hard on the body, and it has been a challenge to find enough dedicated staff members,” said Goldetsky.
“We can now represent ourselves well to potential grant makers. Also, the website can educate donors and the public on who we are and what we do. All of these things contribute to our organizations’ mission by helping to keep us up and running: with great staff and enough money to function well, and to provide care to those who need it most.
“We have had potential employees and clients find us through the web,” said Goldetsky. “Also, in the process of trying to grow our board it has been very helpful to direct potential board members to the website — this site has helped them quickly understand who Doorstep Healthcare is. As a new non-profit, we are still in the process of cultivating individual donors and applying for grants funds — I believe the website will ultimately be very helpful in those tasks.”
“I thought my team was particularly bright and talented! If we hadn’t been selected, eventually someone (probably me) would have done one of the do-it-yourself websites and it wouldn’t have looked very professional or included any of the fancy technical features that are now a part of the site,” said Goldetsky.
“The same people who thought I was nuts for applying for the Challenge were also impressed by the creativity of the concept and Sierra Bravo’s interest in giving back to the community. Everyone loves the site and can’t believe we completed it in 24 hours.”
Goldetsky’s advice to future applicants and participants: “Make it clear how the site will further the mission of your organization. Also, if you are selected, come as prepared as possible, with an outline of what you want on the site and as much content as possible, including testimonials and quotes. For nonprofits that are selected, it helps to have a bit more time to plan and put materials and content together, and take photos if necessary.”
“Sierra Bravo is hopefully a pioneer of a new trend in business!” said Goldetsky. “Organizing this event was no small feat, and they have really contributed to the community through all their work.”
