AKC Humane Fund

AKC Humane Fund

Brand Refresh • Website Redesign • UX Strategy • WordPress Build • Donor Optimization

Overview

The AKC Humane Fund provides scholarships, grants, and shelter support programs that strengthen the human–animal bond. Despite its meaningful mission, the Fund’s website had become outdated, difficult to navigate, and ineffective at engaging donors or guiding applicants. Several program application forms were broken or outdated, and the donation experience lacked clarity or emotional resonance.

HypeSmack was brought in to refresh the brand, modernize the website, and restructure the donor and application experience to better support the Fund’s mission.

Celebrating
pop
culture

The Challenge

The existing website did not fully communicate the Fund’s impact or inspire confidence in donors. Key issues included:

  • Outdated visual identity and limited emotional storytelling
  • Disorganized donation pages with unclear distinctions between giving types
  • Blackbaud embeds that felt disconnected from the surrounding content
  • Broken or outdated application forms across multiple programs
  • Inconsistent navigation and redundant content
  • Limited accessibility support
  • A unique hosting workflow through Pantheon requiring backend code commits

The goal was a refreshed, mission-driven digital experience that would attract donors, simplify applications, and reinforce the Fund’s credibility.

Brand Refresh & Visual System Alignment

We updated the AKC Humane Fund’s visual identity to feel warmer, clearer, and more contemporary while still respecting AKC brand requirements.
 This included:

  • Refining the logo for balance and digital clarity
  • Modernizing the color palette with more compassionate tones
  • Improving typography for readability
  • Establishing a cohesive visual system across web and print
  • Delivering an updated brand guide to ensure long-term consistency

UX Restructuring & Donor Experience Optimization

Improving donor engagement was a central goal. We redesigned the donation flow to make giving easier, clearer, and more emotionally meaningful.

Our UX improvements included:

  • Reorganizing donation pages into clear categories
  • Adding impact messaging to complement Blackbaud embeds
  • Creating cleaner program pages with consistent layouts
  • Simplifying navigation and removing duplicate paths

These changes strengthened donor clarity and reduced friction across the site.

Application Form Repair & Content Modernization

 

Many of the Fund’s program application forms (grants, scholarships, shelter support) were outdated, broken, or confusing.
 We:

  • Audited and updated all application pages
  • Repaired broken links and outdated instructions
  • Aligned descriptions with current program criteria
  • Simplified user flows for clarity and mobile responsiveness

This restored trust and usability for students, shelters, and applicants.

Custom WordPress Build on Pantheon

Because the site is hosted through Pantheon, all updates required backend code commits instead of standard CMS publishing.
 We adapted our build to match these requirements, including:

  • Configuring a WordPress build compatible with Pantheon
  • Committing changes through the staging and deployment pipeline
  • Collaborating with AKC’s internal technical team for launch
  • Improving page speed, structural SEO, and mobile performance

This ensured long-term reliability and smoother management for the internal team.

Accessibility, Compliance & SEO Enhancements

We strengthened accessibility and compliance to support the Fund’s public-facing mission.
 This included:

  • Assistance with integrating OneTrust for compliance management
  • Assistance with adding UserWay accessibility tools
  • Adding visual descriptions of images for screen readers
  • Improving heading structure and alt text
  • Enhancing color contrast and readable typography
  • Implementing foundational SEO to improve visibility

The Outcome

The AKC Humane Fund now has a modern, cohesive digital presence that elevates its mission and builds donor confidence. Application forms work reliably, donation pages are clearer and more compelling, and the brand feels warm, professional, and aligned with the organization’s values.

The new site supports stronger storytelling, easier navigation, and meaningful engagement across donors, applicants, and partner organizations. Leadership described the transformation as “even more than we expected,” marking a successful evolution of the Fund’s public-facing identity.