CASE STUDY: New Website & Messaging Build Momentum for Growing Nonprofit

THE CHALLENGE

The Rising Stars Program, a nonprofit that aims to close the skilled labor gap by connecting young adults with meaningful careers in the construction industry, reached a pivotal moment in its evolution when it officially became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. With this transition, it needed to distinguish itself from its corporate origins while continuing to grow awareness and support for its mission.

To support this transition to organizational independence, Rising Stars needed a way to tell its story more effectively, reach its diverse audiences, and build trust with both existing stakeholders and new supporters. At the heart of this need was the creation of a standalone website.

The site would serve as the primary platform to introduce the nonprofit transition, communicate the program’s vision, and provide important information for key audiences like students and their parents, educators, employers in the skilled trades, sponsors and community partners.

In addition to launching the site, Rising Stars also needed to raise awareness about the transition through supplemental communications, including updated marketing materials, media outreach and a virtual event. The challenge was not only to design and build a digital presence—but to do so in a way that would unify messaging, expand reach and lay the groundwork for long-term growth.

THE SOLUTION

At the core of this project was a new website that would clearly present Rising Stars as an independent, mission-driven nonprofit. It would serve as the program’s primary communications platform, enabling Rising Stars to engage key stakeholders while setting the stage for future growth.

• Strategic Planning: We began by exploring audience segmentation, defining the program’s primary and secondary user groups and identifying their unique informational needs. This process informed the development of a clear, intuitive site architecture designed to guide each visitor toward meaningful actions—whether learning about program benefits, exploring leadership bios, or getting involved as a program sponsor or partner.
• Content Creation: With the site structure in place, our team developed fresh, audience-specific messaging tailored to the Rising Stars mission. We wrote engaging and accessible copy that spoke directly to the aspirations of students, the needs of educators, and the interests of employers in the skilled trades. The content emphasized the program’s impact, success stories, leadership credibility and bold vision for closing the skilled labor gap.
• Design & Development: Roopco designed and built a clean, modern website optimized for both desktop and mobile use. The site was crafted with an easy-to-navigate layout, clear calls to action, and a scalable backend that allows for future content updates. SEO best practices and performance analytics were implemented to ensure visibility in search engines and track user engagement over time. After testing, the site launched smoothly on a newly secured domain, marking a major milestone in Rising Stars’ transition to a standalone nonprofit.

In addition to the new website, Roopco led a series of supporting communications tactics to expand awareness and unify messaging. This included press releases to announce the nonprofit transition, social media posts to drive traffic and engagement, and a virtual town hall event that brought together more than 50 stakeholders. Our team also refreshed key collateral like brochures, one-pagers and presentation decks to ensure consistency across all touchpoints.

THE RESULTS

The new website delivered immediate and meaningful impact—establishing Rising Stars as a credible, independent nonprofit and providing a centralized platform for ongoing outreach and engagement.

Since the launch of this new website, Rising Stars has enjoyed the following results:

• Increased Visibility: Since its launch, the site has consistently ranked in the top 2-5 search results for target keywords and increased new site visitors by 92%. This has boosted Rising Stars’ online presence, making it easier for new users to find the program organically.
• High Engagement Across Key Pages: Users spend an average of 4.5 minutes per session, with most visitors navigating multiple pages. The homepage, About section, Leadership bios, FAQs and News updates consistently draw the most traffic—showing clear interest in the program.
• Ongoing Lead Generation: The new website has generated a steady stream of form submissions and inquiries from students, parents, potential supporters and community members—indicating strong interest and trust in the newly established nonprofit.
• Scalable Infrastructure for Growth: Built on a flexible, user-friendly platform, the site positions Rising Stars to expand its digital presence over time, with the ability to easily update content, highlight new initiatives and track visitor behavior via integrated analytics.

In addition, the broader communications campaign helped to drive engagement and visibility for the program and its new website. A virtual town hall drew more than 50 participants, while social media and email campaigns boosted traffic to the site. Media outreach also secured placements in targeted trade publications such as Coatings World, Roofers Coffee Shop and Building Enclosure—enhancing Rising Stars’ credibility and reinforcing its new nonprofit identity across key audiences.

To check out Rising Stars’s new website, visit www.risingstarsprogram.org.