Perennial

A digital transformation with a new website at its heart

Like many charities, Perennial has seen the importance of a strong digital presence grow. Perennial worked with Productle to develop a new digital strategy, and part of the findings identified that the existing website simply wasn’t providing the organisation with the control and flexibility it needed to support its beneficiaries effectively. Giant Digital was engaged to build a category leading site that would better serve the charity now and for many years ahead.

Building awareness, raising money, providing support

Perennial’s new strategy set out three clear goals for the charity, and a new website was key to delivering against these. Research highlighted the current site as being particularly challenging for the Perennial team to administer, and equally difficult to deliver relevant content to the many different audiences Perennial serves, including Horticultural Professionals and the Garden Loving Public.

The UK’s only charity dedicated to helping people in horticulture.

The Gardeners’ Benevolent Institution (now Perennial) was founded on 17 January 1839. Now 185 years old, Perennial is needed now more than ever. The financial and social pressures on those working in and retired from horticulture are acute. Perennial is a lifeline for many, providing free and confidential advice and financial assistance to over 1,600 people every year.

Diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility at the core

Because Perennial serves so many different audiences (9 in total), creating a site that felt both welcoming and accessible was key. An in-depth discovery phase unearthed lots of ideas for how the charity could streamline and modernise its digital presence, captured in a roadmap to inform future development. Some of the recommendations were implemented immediately, including;

• Revised imagery that was more representative of the diverse audiences Perennial serves – higher quality creative a more coherent user experience.
• Imbuing elements of Perennial’s brand identity into the site design, creating a more playful and modern look and feel.
• Greater storytelling elements to important content such as financial, making the content more engaging for users.
• Making the overall structuring of the content better, making the site easier and more engaging to navigate.