The Special Olympics challenge
To coincide with its 50th anniversary celebrations and release of a “50 Game Changers” video series in partnership with ESPN, Special Olympics embarked on a full site redesign in 2018.
Driving this push for a digital transformation was the imperative to move off a legacy content management system (CMS) that was impeding the ability of the highly regarded global nonprofit to operate a flexible and dynamic digital operation.
Special Olympics, like many organizations tied to legacy CMS solutions, was experiencing challenges in maintaining an aging platform codebase and resulting concerns with publishing speed, SEO performance and accessibility.
Brightspot helps us fulfill the mission of Special Olympics by helping us tell our story and make deep and lasting connections with our donors, athletes, and fans from all over the world. Our vision for a more inclusive world is fully embraced by the Brightspot team and it’s evident in how they listen and engage with us as we expand our digital presence around the world on Brightspot CMS.
Brightspot helps us fulfill the mission of Special Olympics by helping us tell our story and make deep and lasting connections with our donors, athletes, and fans from all over the world. Our vision for a more inclusive world is fully embraced by the Brightspot team and it’s evident in how they listen and engage with us as we expand our digital presence around the world on Brightspot CMS.
The Brightspot solution for Special Olympics
After a decade of partnership on various initiatives, Special Olympics selected Brightspot’s modern CMS platform to empower its communications and fundraising teams with the tools required to increase website traffic, boost qualified leads for supporters and drive sustained SEO growth.
The ultimate measure of success was to improve the flexibility and agility of the Special Olympics’ website for a better online experience and to serve the organization’s overall communication needs. With this came faster load times, intuitive site architecture and mobile-friendly design to drive better audience engagement and results.
Whether responding to the threat of lost government funding in 2019 or sharing vital health resources with its athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic, Special Olympics now has the tools it needs to spread its message of empowerment and inclusivity.
The outcome for Special Olympics
Brightspot’s CMS enables Special Olympics to:
Connecting digitally with our athletes and their caregivers has never been more important and Brightspot is the engine that enables us to do so. Our most recent rollout puts the power in the hands of the people of our global movement so they can engage, experience, and learn across borders.
- Communicate the organization’s message more effectively and expand its brand storytelling efforts with a robust publishing platform supporting their digital transformation.
- Connect users with local programs through geolocation features that make it simpler to participate in local Special Olympics events.
- Integrate seamlessly with the Brightcove OVP, making it possible for the brand to manage, host and present compelling video content.
- Receive and publish stories from the field with customizable workflows that enhance collaboration and speed-to-publish without sacrificing content quality.
- Maximize partnership opportunities, such as the 50 Game Changers video series with partners like ESPN, Verizon, Coca-Cola and Disney.
To achieve its mission of creating an inclusive world for people of all abilities, Special Olympics now operates 14 sites on Brightspot ranging from its core property (SpecialOlympics.org) to its World Games (AbuDhabi2019.org) to its fundraising (AVerySpecialChristmas.org) and awareness (JoinTheRevolution.org) initiatives. Special Olympics continues to see increased fundraising efforts across multiple campaigns, while also deeply connecting and communicating with its global audience.
Brightspot has always been committed to ensuring that its customers won’t have to compromise, and that was exactly its goal for Special Olympics’ content management platform. With Brightspot, Special Olympics launched the revamped SpecialOlympics.org in under 90 days. The organization was also ranked ninth on the list of Top 200 non-profit websites in Elevation’s annual rankings in July 2020.
