EESI project - West Sussex Councils for Voluntary Service
About the EESI project
Based in West Sussex, EESI aims to work towards an Effective, Efficient, Supported and Independent voluntary sector by supporting local groups and caring services.
It is a partnership between the CVSs in the county and needed to represent their shared voice.
The brief
EESI wanted a site that would:
- Enable information and news to be shared across West Sussex
- Provide details of available training
- Contain up to date policies and procedures
- Connect project workers
- Promote upcoming events
In addition, the site would:
- Be cost effective
- Easy to navigate
- Be accessible
- Allow updating from staff based in separate offices
- Give the local community the opportunity to ask questions
SCIP’s solution
EESI Google-based mapSCIP arranged initial meetings with EESI to establish what they needed from the website. Peter Mason, Webdesign and Databases Project Manager discussed what type of website would suit the project's needs and between them they agreed on the layout.
The site has a number of features which mean content can be easily updated by staff in separate locations and the Google Custom Search signposts and brings together content from the websites of the Councils for Voluntary Service across the county
The content built upon exsiting reports which were being sent to funders but which otherwise weren't being seen by anyone else. The site was designed to highlight and re-present this as case study information, illustrating the range of service provided.
Training
EESI staff were trained in the general maintenance of the site and how to update news, training and events. These sessions helped the workers share their experience and address client needs.
What they said
“I like the accessibility of it. It is clear and functional and gives the community the opportunity to ask us questions. I feel it is such a useful tool as it is a countywide website.”
Sharon Westcott, EESI Project Co-ordinator
User feedback
The website received a very positive response from its users. Many people can now access details on available training programmes and find out about events. It also supports a growing network of partnerships across the county.
Future aims for the site
EESI’s efforts in promoting the website mean that more and more people are becoming aware of the projects existence. EESI would like to see the local CVSs using the website not as a replacement to their own websites but as a tool for communicating to each other.
