Case Studies
PGC was established in 1972 as the Playwrights Co-op. The main purpose was to publish and distribute scripts to encourage more productions of Canadian plays. Since then, it has grown and now provides programs and services for playwrights across the country.
The Playwrights Guild of Canada required a completely new site with an integrated database of all their plays and playwrights, and the ability for the public to purchase plays through the site - an integrated store.
With a design provided by Able Creates, we implemented a clean and attractive site that provided a much better medium for showing off all the Canadian playwrights and their creative works.
Oxfam Canada is a member of Oxfam, a confederation of 15 national Oxfams around the world. Oxfam works in response to humanitarian needs, regardless of race or creed, in 98 countries.
As part of an international campaign around hunger and sustainability, Oxfam Canada launched the GROW site. Freeform provided graphic design assistance, working within a style guide provided by the organization, and implemented a subsite through their main Drupal site.
The GROW site is focused on providing an engaging interface where users can easily take action, and where content is dynamic with events and online activities.
The Deaf Literacy Initiative is a provincial umbrella organization that provides accessible and culturally relevant training, research, networking and resources to the Deaf and Deafblind literacy community in Ontario.
The Essential Skills website provides learning modules for deaf individuals looking to upgrade their English-language literacy. The site makes extensive use of videos to provide information in American Sign Language (ASL).
The site required side-by-side ASL and English text for all content to make the site accessible to visitors with varying levels of English proficiency.
The site was implemented in Drupal with extensive use of Drupal's video and quiz modules.
Actua is a registered charity with over 20 years of success in bringing science, engineering and technology to life for more than 3 million youth across the country. Each year, through our growing network of member organizations (hosted by universities and colleges), and our Outreach Team, we deliver summer camps, school workshops, clubs and community outreach activities to over 225,000 youth in over 450 communities nationwide!
Exchange is an online community for Actua members built with the Drupal content management system and Formulize data reporting tool. The created website allows community members to exchange ideas and documents, which supports delivering better and better services to kids participating in the science camps. Online reports submissions saves time and allows Actua staff have access to instant reports on the progress of submission.
Since 1962, Youth Science Canada has played a vital role in nurturing the scientific impulse amongst our youth - encouraging them to get their hands dirty and develop scientific and technological knowledge and skills through project-based science. Fired by the energy of over 8,000 volunteers – educators, scientists, engineers and parents across a network of over 100 regional organizations - Youth Science Canada works to capture the imaginations of young Canadians and broaden their access to science. Today's youth are the next generation of researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs. We want to ensure that all young Canadians have the chance to peer through a microscope and be mesmerized by what they see. We want a country where teachers look forward to teaching science, where parents are thrilled to be "science parents," and kids can't wait to play science.
Youth Science Canada SMARTS is a community for young scientists to meet and discuss science related activities, based on Acquia Drupal Commons content management system. SMARTS is a login based site, where young scientists can be part of different groups and where they can post a variety of content: blogs, events, photos and videos. It borrows some ideas of social networking sites such as Facebook, such as a individually-controlled dashboard, a user "wall", user points and the ability to follow friends and their activity.
Since 1962, Youth Science Canada (YSC) has played a vital role in nurturing the scientific impulse amongst our youth - encouraging them to get their hands dirty and develop scientific and technological knowledge and skills through project-based science. Fired by the energy of over 8,000 volunteers — educators, scientists, engineers and parents across a network of over 100 regional organizations — Youth Science Canada works to capture the imaginations of young Canadians and broaden their access to science. Today's youth are the next generation of researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs. We want to ensure that all young Canadians have the chance to peer through a microscope and be mesmerized by what they see. We want a country where teachers look forward to teaching science, where parents are thrilled to be "science parents," and kids can't wait to play science.
Youth Science Canada (YSC) had a proprietary content management system, which was constraining their ability to manage their family of sites geared towards youth interested in science. Freeform Solutions transitioned their site and content to the Drupal Content Management System and leveraged the domain module which allows it to manage multiple sites through the same CMS and database.
Update: YSC was recognized, at the latest international science fair in Bratislava, for having the Best Website. This award -- for a "very intuitive and complete website" -- comes from the International Movement for Leisure Activities in Science and Technology (MILSET).
Women's Worlds 2011 is a global convergence to advance women's equality through research, exchange, leadership, and action, which attracted about 2000 participants from around the world.
Women's Worlds required an online Event Registration system in three languages, integrated with their event website. We rescued their implementation just a few months before the event, and transitioned them from the Ubercart shopping cart module which was ill-suited to the complex event registration needs to CiviCRM, which provides excellent event registration out of the box.
Frontline Partners with Youth Network (FPYN) is a group of bold and dedicated people who work directly with youth in the Greater Toronto Area. FPYN represents people working in every part of the city and in every sector including: Arts, Child Protection, Community Development, Education, Employment, Harm Reduction, Homelessness, Housing, Mental Health, Mentoring, Public Health, Recreation, Social services, Youth justice, Youth-led. We work in programs funded by every level of government, by the United Way, by foundations and by private donors. Our positions include: Child and Youth Workers, Child Welfare Workers, Community Workers, Employment Counsellors, Nurses, Probation Officers, Recreation Workers, Settlement Workers, Sexual Health Educators, Social Service Workers, Social Workers, Teachers, Therapists and Youth Outreach Workers.
Frontline Partners with Youth Network (FPYN) was looking for ways to improve their public website look and the newsletter management system. The website is a community site where youth workers post content that is accessible to other youth workers. The new graphic design was implemented, as well as advanced newsletter creation system based on the site content so that there is no need to re-type the information to be send to newsletter recipients.
Each month, more than 15,000 people receive hampers from Edmonton's Food Bank or one of the over 190 agencies, churches or food depots with which we are affiliated. The Food Bank also distributes food to more than 300,000 meals and snacks each month.
The Edmonton's Food Bank (EFB) manages regular hampers to its clients and needs to have an online system to organize the contacts, hampers and dropoff points. EFB's client system is built with the constituent relationship management application, CiviCRM and heavy customization of their reports and searches to allow it be used for the specialized needs of a food bank.
The Ecology Action Center (EAC) has acted as a voice for Nova Scotia's environment for almost 40 years. The EAC has been voted #1 Activist Organization by readers of Halifax's The Coast magazine for seven years running. In 2000 we were named one of the Globe and Mail's 10 best-run charities in Canada and in 2009, won the national Arthur Kroeger Awards for Public Affairs in the category of Citizenship and Community Affairs. In 2003 and 2010, we were named one of Tides Canada's Top 10. Since 1971, the EAC has been working to build a healthier, more sustainable Nova Scotia. Today we have over 1000 members, 400 volunteers and staff, and seven active teams and committees.
We inherited a public website and members database that required a cleanup and various bug fixes. One of the first goals of the project were small bug fixes to the website as well as online volunteer intake form, that would replace current, faxed version. Following those fixed, re-configured members management system and new newsletter system is in progress.
