Executive Summary

The Watervliet Civic Center ("the Civ") serves families and youth in Watervliet, NY through after‑school care, recreational programs, summer camps and community fund‑raisers.  The existing website is difficult to manage, contains broken links, and fails to reflect the professionalism and community spirit of the organization.  This proposal outlines a comprehensive redesign built on Webflow CMS, a modern, secure, hosted content‑management platform.  By re‑imagining the structure, design and functionality of the site, the new website will provide residents with clear program information, intuitive registration forms and integrated donations while giving staff an easy‑to‑use editing experience.  Webflow’s CMS plan includes up to 2,000 CMS items, 50 GB of bandwidth, 3 content editors and site‑search for ~$23 per month when billed annually, which is ideal for a community‑focused non‑profit.

A modern Webflow site combined with our design/development expertise will deliver better performance, improved security and a superior user experience at a lower total cost than a WordPress site built by Mannix.

Assessment of the Current Site

Navigation & Content Structure

• Fragmented navigation – The current homepage lists many menu items such as "Before & After School," "Food is Fuel," "Summer Day Camp," "Youth Recreation Program," "Make a Donation," "Make a Program Payment," "Fundraisers," "About," "Photos" and "Book Online".  The breadth of options leads to clutter and makes it hard for visitors to find key information quickly.
• Manual registration & payment – Many program pages instruct parents to download PDFs and return paper forms.  For example, the School Age Child Care (SACC) page displays fee tables and asks families to download a registration form. The lack of online registration and payment increases administrative workload and deters potential participants.

Design & User Experience

• Outdated look and inconsistent layouts – The visual design feels dated and inconsistent across pages.  The "Food is Fuel" page describes the weekend meal program in plain text , while the "Youth Recreation Program" page uses a mix of images and bulleted lists. A cohesive design system is lacking.
• Unresponsive on some devices – Although the site is built on WordPress, pages use static images and tables that do not adapt well to small screens.  For instance, the SACC fee table is displayed as a plain table which becomes hard to read on mobile devices.
• Limited accessibility & SEO – Images lack descriptive alt text, headings are inconsistently structured, and there is no search functionality.  These factors reduce accessibility for screen‑reader users and make it harder for residents to find information via search engines.

Why Webflow CMS

Security & Reliability

Webflow’s hosted infrastructure eliminates many of the security issues that plague WordPress sites. A recent comparison of Webflow and WordPress highlights that WordPress users must constantly manage updates, plugin vulnerabilities and potential breaches, whereas Webflow runs all sites in a secure sandbox and provides built‑in SSL, automatic security updates and no third‑party plugins to maintain. By removing the need for plugins and self‑managed hosting, Webflow provides peace of mind and reduces maintenance costs.

Ease of Use & Editorial Control

The same comparison notes that Webflow’s visual editor allows marketing teams to update content, swap images and build landing pages without developer intervention. The Civic Center staff will be able to add program schedules, announcements and photos directly from an intuitive interface. Webflow’s CMS plan supports 3 content editors, sufficient for staff and volunteers.

Performance & SEO

With Webflow, pages are statically hosted on a globally distributed network, resulting in faster load times. The platform offers built‑in SEO tools (clean HTML, automatic sitemap, meta tags, structured data) and site‑search so visitors can quickly find programs. The CMS plan includes up to 50 GB/month bandwidth and 150 static pages—ample capacity for the Civic Center’s site.

Cost Effectiveness

Webflow’s CMS plan costs $23/month when billed annually, far less than the multi‑thousand‑dollar custom WordPress sites typical of Mannix Marketing (which blog posts note often start at around $7,000). The hosted plan includes security, SSL and backups, eliminating the need for separate hosting fees (~$500/year with Mannix). Over several years, the cost savings become significant.

Proposed Solution

Goals

1. Streamlined Information Architecture – Consolidate program details into logical sections (After‑School Care, Summer Camps, Youth Recreation, Food Programs, Fundraisers & Donations, About Us, Contact). Use intuitive drop‑down menus and internal search to help visitors find information quickly.
   
   
2. Modern Responsive Design – Develop a cohesive visual identity using the Civic Center’s colors and images of children and families. Implement responsive layouts that look great on phones, tablets and desktops. Provide high‑contrast colours and accessible typography.
   
   
3. Online Registration & Payment – Replace PDF downloads and 404 pages with Webflow forms integrated with payment processors (e.g., Stripe). Parents will be able to register children for programs and securely pay fees online. Donation forms will accept one‑time or recurring gifts.
   
   
4. Dynamic CMS Collections – Use Webflow collections for Programs, Events, Staff/Board profiles, Testimonials and Blog posts. Staff can add or update items without technical knowledge. The site can show dynamic lists (e.g., upcoming events, latest news) automatically.
   
   
5. Photo & Video Galleries – Integrate Webflow’s lightbox gallery to replace the current photo page. Each image will have alt text for accessibility. Videos can be hosted on YouTube/Vimeo and embedded responsively.
   
   
6. Accessibility & Compliance – Follow WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines (semantic HTML, keyboard navigation, color contrast, alt tags). Provide downloadable PDFs for forms when necessary but ensure all forms are also accessible online.
   
   
7. Analytics & SEO – Configure Google Analytics and Search Console; implement SEO best practices (meta titles, descriptions, open‑graph tags). Use structured data for events and programs.
   
   
8. Training & Support – Provide training sessions for staff editors to manage content in Webflow. Offer post‑launch support for 60 days and optional maintenance thereafter.
   
   

Scope of Work

1. Discovery & Strategy (Week 1)
   
   
   
   • Meet with Civic Center stakeholders to define goals, target audiences and branding.
     
     
   • Audit existing content and gather assets (logos, photos, program information). Identify content gaps and outdated materials.
     
     
   • Create a site map and user‑journey flows.
     
     
2. Design (Weeks 2–3)
   
   
   • Develop wireframes and high‑fidelity mockups for key pages (Home, Program pages, Donations, About, Contact). Ensure consistent navigation and visual hierarchy.
     
     
   • Present design options for feedback and iterate until approved.
     
     
3. Webflow Development (Weeks 3–5)
   
   
   • Build the approved designs in Webflow, utilising CMS collections for programs, events and board members.
     
     
   • Implement responsive design and test across devices. Configure forms for registration, payments and donations.
     
     
   • Migrate existing content; rewrite or condense where necessary for clarity and SEO.
     
     
4. Testing & Launch (Week 6)
   
   
   
   • Conduct comprehensive testing (functional, responsive, accessibility, cross‑browser). Confirm integration of payment forms and secure SSL.
     
     
   • Set up domain connection and launch the site on Webflow’s servers. Ensure proper redirects from old URLs to preserve SEO.
     
     
5. Training & Post‑Launch Support (Weeks 6–8)
   
   
   
   • Train staff on the Webflow Editor and CMS; provide documentation.
     
     
   • Monitor the site for issues and perform final adjustments. After 60 days, transition to maintenance.
     

Why Choose Us

Expertise with Modern Tools – We specialise in Webflow and no‑code development, allowing us to build custom, secure sites quickly. Mannix largely relies on WordPress, which requires frequent plugin updates and exposes sites to security vulnerabilities. Our Webflow builds avoid these issues and provide automatic updates.

1. Lower Total Cost – Mannix charges New York–city–level agency rates and begins custom WordPress projects around $7,000. In contrast, Webflow’s CMS plan is $23/month and our lean development approach keeps build costs reasonable. Hosting, SSL and maintenance are included.
   
   
2. Better User Experience & Accessibility – We prioritize responsive design, accessible navigation and intuitive forms, ensuring a positive experience across devices. Current broken pages and manual forms on the Civic Center site will be replaced with modern, mobile‑friendly solutions.
   
   
3. Transparent & Collaborative Process – We will involve Civic Center stakeholders throughout discovery and design, providing prototypes and soliciting feedback. After launch, staff will have full control through the Webflow Editor, unlike some agencies that maintain “lock‑in” through proprietary processes.
   
   

Community‑Focused Design – Our team understands non‑profit and municipal clients. We will highlight the center’s mission, showcase local photos and stories, and make it easy for residents to engage, volunteer or donate.

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Project Deliverables

• Discovery & Strategy
  • Stakeholder kickoff + goals alignment
  • Review of current site performance, content, and user flow
  • Sitemap + page structure recommendations
  • CMS architecture planning (programs, events, updates, galleries)
• Custom Website Design
  • Fully custom, modern design (not a theme)
  • Mobile-first, responsive layouts for all screen sizes
  • Visual refresh aligned with community, youth, and nonprofit mission
  • Clear calls-to-action for programs, donations, and engagement
• Webflow CMS Development
  • Webflow CMS site build on the CMS Plan
  • Dynamic CMS collections for:
    • Programs & activities
    • Events & fundraisers
    • News / announcements
    • Photo galleries
  • Easy-to-use Editor for staff content updates
  • Clean, scalable CMS structure for future growth
• Content Migration & Cleanup
  • Migration of existing pages and content
  • Content organization and cleanup where needed
  • Improved readability, hierarchy, and accessibility
  • Optional light copy refinement for clarity and consistency
• SEO & Performance Optimization
  • On-page SEO setup (titles, meta descriptions, headings)
  • Optimized page structure for search engines
  • Fast-loading pages with Webflow’s native performance stack
  • Image optimization and clean semantic markup
• Accessibility & Best Practices
  • ADA-aware design and development
  • Proper heading structure, color contrast, and form labeling
  • Keyboard-friendly navigation and screen-reader considerations
• Integrations & Functionality
  • Embedded donation and payment links
  • Program registration / booking integrations
  • Contact and inquiry forms with notifications
  • Google Analytics + basic tracking setup
• Quality Assurance & Testing
  • Cross-browser testing (Chrome, Safari, Firefox)
  • Mobile and tablet testing
  • CMS testing to ensure staff-friendly editing
  • Final polish and launch readiness review
• Launch & Training
  • Domain connection and Webflow hosting setup
  • Live site launch support
  • CMS training walkthrough for staff
  • Post-launch support window for fixes and questions

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Total Investment:

 $6,500
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Payment Terms:

40% deposit to start
30% after design approval
30% upon site launch

Next Steps

1. Confirm this proposal and scope via signing of linked contract.
2. Submit initial deposit
3. Schedule kickoff once payment is recieved.

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