Junior Achievement

Balancing Donors And Users On the Junior Achievement Website

BACKGROUND

Junior Achievement Fast Facts

Industry: Nonprofit

Website: https://jawesternpa.org/

Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Case Study Date: 2024

The Challenge

When a Website Becomes a Liability

Junior Achievement of Western PA had been through the wringer with web partners—first an inattentive agency, then a disengaged developer. Both left behind a disjointed, outdated website that actively worked against the organization’s mission.

Here’s what they were facing:

• Outdated visuals and broken links across key pages
• A confusing navigation structure that buried key information
• A lack of user-focused content for students, educators, and families
• Missed opportunities to convert volunteers and donors

They needed more than a new site—they needed a strategic partner to rebuild user confidence and streamline the digital experience across all stakeholder groups.

THE SOLUTION

Data-Driven, Persona-Led Redesign with BLOSSOM

We began by digging into user behavior and audience intent, then mapped out six distinct user personas:
Students, Families, Teachers, Volunteers, Donors, and Partners.

Armed with this insight, we restructured the entire site to guide each audience toward relevant actions—simplifying navigation, modernizing the design, and ensuring every page served a clear purpose. As the project wrapped, we transitioned Junior Achievement into our BLOSSOM program, where they now receive ongoing support and optimization to prevent future tech debt.

THE Results

Engagement Up. Stress Down. Mission On Track.

Junior Achievement didn’t just get a cleaner site—they got real, measurable results:

• 98% increase in overall site engagement
• 150% increase in website sessions
• 250% increase in contact form submissions
• 333% increase in event sign-ups

The internal team was floored. They told us things like:

“No other agency has ever asked us questions like these before.”
“We never thought about it from a user’s perspective—this changed everything.”

THE Takaway

User-Centered Design Isn’t Just Nice—It Performs

By aligning content, design, and functionality with real user needs, we turned a liability into an asset. And we did it fast.

If your nonprofit or purpose-led organization is struggling to connect with the right audiences, we can help you build a site that’s not just beautiful—but brilliantly strategic.