Sammy's Senior Sanctuary — Non-Profit Website Redesign

Background

A heartfelt cause that needed a digital home worthy of it.

Sammy’s Senior Sanctuary is a non-profit organisation dedicated to senior dogs. The redesign focused on improving user experience, modernising the look and feel, and emphasising the sanctuary’s mission.

This project was a rewarding journey to create an impactful digital presence for a heartfelt cause.

Before the Redesign

Functional, but missing the heart.

The original website, while functional, lacked a user-friendly interface and failed to communicate the sanctuary’s mission effectively. The story of the dogs — the whole reason people would want to donate, volunteer, or sponsor — wasn’t coming through.

Sammy’s Senior Sanctuary The original site, before redesign

Generic Wix template No emotional hook Buried mission Unclear donation path

A non-profit website should make you feel something before it asks for anything.

Approach

Audit first. Story second. Donation flow third.

Before changing a single pixel, I audited what the old site was asking the visitor to do, what it made them feel, and where it lost them. The redesign came out of three commitments:

Lead with the dogs. Real photos and names — the emotional anchor that turns a visitor into a supporter.
Plain-language navigation. "Who we are," "Ways we care," "Sanctuary Stories," "Help make a difference" — instead of generic "Our Mission / Team / Services."
One clear donation path. Donate is the primary CTA, surfaced where the mission emotionally lands — not buried behind a marketing button.

The Redesign

A digital home worthy of the cause.

Warm photography, an editorial voice, and a layout that introduces the dogs by name before asking anything of the visitor. Built on Squarespace for client-friendly maintenance.

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Dogs, by name

Real photography and individual stories — visitors meet the dogs before being asked for anything.

❤

An editorial voice

Warm, human copywriting that carries the sanctuary’s mission in every line.

☞

One clear path to give

A single, prominent donation flow surfaced exactly where the story lands emotionally.

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Client-friendly build

Built on Squarespace so the team can update content and dogs themselves, no developer needed.

Before & After

The same heart, finally shown.

Before

Default template with placeholder copy — “Blog Post Title Four”, “It all begins with an idea…”
Walls of small, centered text with no rhythm or hierarchy
Dogs not shown — the mission stayed abstract
Generic footer links, no clear next step
Nothing to make a visitor feel the cause

After

Real, original copy in the sanctuary’s warm voice
Clear hierarchy — headings, breathing room, intentional layout
Each dog introduced by name with photo & story
One clear, emotionally-placed path to donate
A site that makes you feel something before it asks

Placeholder template text

→

Story-driven, human copywriting

No dogs on the page

→

Fizzie, Shatsy, Tabitha — by name

Flat, centered text blocks

→

Warm photography & clear hierarchy

No emotional call to give

→

A donation path that lands with feeling

Process

From audit to launch.

01

UX Audit

Reviewed the original Wix site for usability gaps, brand inconsistencies, and donation-flow friction.

02

Research & Strategy

Spoke with the founder about the sanctuary’s voice and mission. Studied other non-profit sites for what works.

03

Design

Wireframes, content hierarchy, photography direction, and a warm palette that matched the mission.

04

Build & Handover

Implemented on Squarespace so the client can update content independently. Trained the team on edits.

Outcome

A site that tells the story.

The redesigned website is live — modernised UX, a clearer donation flow, and a tone of voice that matches the warmth of the sanctuary itself. Mission-first, dog-first, donor-friendly.

The bond Every interface decision came back to this

View the live redesign sammysseniorsanctuary.org ↗

Sammy’s SeniorSanctuary