Name of your website?Hearts in Unity
Your name?
Sue and Roland
Your Location (city, etc)
Villages on the slopes of Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Our mission is to feed, clothe and educate the orphan and at-risk children of Tanzania. We share stories about these children and their life in Tanzania, and it is through this sharing that we connect people around the world to these Tanzanian children. With our "hearts in unity" we are accomplish amazing things...one precious child as a time.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
We have spent the last 2 years laying the groundwork for our many programs to provide support (food, clothing and education) for these children. In the last few months, many of our dreams have become reality and we have so much to share with our supporters. The launch of the website is a celebration of the culmination of the efforts of so many people with "hearts in unity".
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
The "Hearts in Unity" website is our first site and it was launched on January 1, 2009. Just as the new year starts, so our non-profit organzation embarks on the next phase of the journey to feed, clothe and educate the children of Tanzania.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
Choosing a name was easy....all that we do is only accomplished through the "unity" of people who find that they have a "heart" for the orphan and at-risk children of Tanzania.
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
Our website not only gives people information about our programs and projects to support with these Tanzanian children, but also describes and offers a variety of ways for people to assist and to make connections to these children.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
Our eventual goal is to make a significant and lasting impact on the lives of children who are struggling each day to have even the basic necessities of life. In supporting them, we are empowering these children with the tools they need to succeed in achieving their dreams.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
It's easy to succeed...the motivation comes from seeing the smiles of the children when we feed them a meal of rice, give them a new pair of shoes, or hand them a new textbook to use in their classroom.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
With an unlimited budget, I would incorporate the thousands of photos and hundreds of hours of video that we have of these children and their daily lives, into the site -- especially through the inclusion of production videos and slide shows. I would have interactive chat on the site. I would expand the number of pages to give separate pages to eash unique program and projects we have undertaken. I would expand the pen pal and tuition sponsorship program pages by featuring profiles of the many children who need help.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
There are many people who have supported our work in Tanzania who are much more technically qualified and creative to assist with the growth of the website as the reach of our organization expands.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
The site is brand new....costs have been reasonable so far. No headaches yet.
What has been your biggest challenge?
The learning curve for website building has been my biggest challange. Until a week ago, I had never been exposed to any sort of website building software.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Now that we have published the website for thr first time, we will start with mailing the URL to all of our supporters in our email mailing list. At that point, we are open to all suggestions.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
So far, in this short time, all expectations have been met.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
Site has been live 1 day now. Great start to a great new year!
What do you need most at this point?
I would love to hook up with other people who have non-profit organizations to learn from them and their website building and promotion successes and failures.
What is your website address?
Hearts in Unity
