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Do You Know a Chicago Cause In Need of a New Website or better Marketing?

At EDUCO, one of our core values is prosperity. It's also Chris Mickens' and my own personal belief that success means nothing if it isn’t shared. Our commitment to shared prosperity drives us to give back to the communities that have helped us and others thrive.

As part of this commitment, we actively seek out nonprofit organizations in need of professional, custom web design services. Each year, we donate a website or design services to an organization who could not otherwise afford it. Sometimes our donation amount covers the whole website; other times, our donation enables nonprofits to expand the scope of an upcoming rebranding or story telling project.

While our work and clients are global in scope, we focus our donations close to home, helping organizations in Chicago and the near suburbs. That’s because our giving extends beyond a website — every organization that receives a website donation becomes part of the EDUCO family, and we take an active role in supporting their development.

Since 2010, EDUCO has donated over $200,000 in web design and development services. Here’s a look at some of our recent website donations to Chicago-area nonprofits.

Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN) & Positively Aware

The mission of the Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN) is to save lives and empower people affected by HIV/AIDS. Founded in 1987 at the height of the AIDS epidemic, they established a safe space for HIV-positive clients at a time when the disease still carried a tremendous stigma. Today they offer clinics, support groups, and treatment for thousands of HIV-positive individuals in Chicago.

Positively Aware is the HIV treatment publication from TPAN. This bi-monthly magazine — now available online and in print — includes reporting, interviews, and editorials, along with their annual HIV Drug Guide.

When TPAN came to EDUCO, they had an outdated website that they struggled to update. And while Positively Aware had national readership and distribution, the online version of the magazine was a decade behind. Today, they publish their magazine digitally thanks to the website we built. To learn more about this project, check out the TPAN and Positively Aware website case studies.

Launch Date: 5/4/2017
Donation Amount: $40,046

Midwest Independent Film Festival (MIFF)

The Midwest Independent Film Festival (MIFF) is the nation's only film festival solely dedicated to the Midwest filmmaker, presenting audiences with regionally produced independent cinema every month. In addition to film screenings, they present regular workshops and Q&A sessions with leading industry professionals, creating a community of learning and sharing to advance the creative arts.

At EDUCO, we know and love the world of the independent filmmaker — some of our passion projects include film and video work — and we had been attending the Midwest Film Fest for years. That’s why we were excited by the opportunity to help them improve their online presence and grow their reach.

When MIFF approached EDUCO, they had been using their website actively for over 10 years. The site was great for the time in which it had been built, but it was time for a refresh. By creating a database of both films and events, we empowered the MIFF team to build an evergreen content library and increase visibility for their monthly screenings. To learn more about this website, check out the Midwest Independent Film Festival website case study.

Launch Date: 2/2/2017
Donation Amount: $32,050

Housing Forward

The mission of Housing Forward is to transition people from housing crisis to housing stability. Housing Forward is the only social service agency in west Cook County with a comprehensive "housing + services" solution for transitioning individuals and families out of homelessness.

EDUCO co-founder Chris Mickens has been a long time volunteer and was on the Housing Forward board for 6 years and the Secretary for 4 years. Our team has been creating web, video, and print collateral for their organization for nearly a decade.

In 2014, we redesigned their website. Shortly after they went through a rebranding, changing their name from West Suburban PADS to Housing Forward. As part of this rebranding, they needed to update the website with the new brand. While they had some funds allocated to a web project, most of the functional improvements they needed were out of scope for their budget. Specifically, they needed a dynamic, real-time calendar to show which locations were offering food shelter for the day.

We saw an opportunity to help by giving Housing Forward an extra boost — we donated the time and materials needed to make the calendar a reality, along with a host of additional features and an ongoing annual support agreement. To learn more, visit housingforward.org

Launch Date: May 15, 2014
Donation Amount: $15,522

Would your Chicago Cause like EDUCO to donate a website or marketing services?

If you work for a Chicago-area nonprofit, you may be eligible to apply for EDUCO’s community website donation. This program is designed for:

  • Established Chicago area Not For Profit organizations that have been operating for at least 10 years
  • Special consideration will be given to organizations serving
    • homeless or underprivileged individuals/communities
    • the film or video community

If you’re interested in applying for a website donation, we'd love to hear about how you're helping to make Chicago the kind of place we're proud to call home.

Is your nonprofit looking for website design or marketing help?

We’d love to hear from you.

Contact Our Team