2026-05-06 — FSL + G&M Web Project Kickoff
Source: Granola — meeting share link Title: Family Service Lincoln + G&M web project kickoff Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2026 · 10:00 AM CDT
Attendees (7): - G&M: Eric Downs, Kristin DeKay, Brooke Ratliff, Mike DeKay - FSL: Crystal Holloway, Dennis Hoffman (CEO), Shayne Pearson (COO)
Decisions
- Site consolidation pattern locked. Three legacy sites (familyservicelincoln.org, communitycrops.org, fiftyonecommons.org) collapse into one. Community Crops becomes a program page on the main site, not a sub-brand.
- Phasing confirmed: Strategy → Wireframes → Design → Development. Strategy phase already in motion (discovery + content audit done, flowchart next).
- Wireframes are story-flow only — no design elements. Design phase carries full branding, type, color, final copy integration.
- Careers stay external. UKG hiring system keeps owning careers; site just links out. No careers module to build.
- Events handled as a simple upcoming-events list. Not a traditional calendar grid. ~10 public events/year worth promoting; volume may grow when 451 Commons opens fall 2026.
- Search functionality will be upgraded beyond default WordPress search.
- Post-launch package: training library, 30-day support window, optional quarterly maintenance.
Discussion Highlights
FSL programs & current pain
- Largest before/after-school care provider in Lincoln — 21 locations, 9 community learning centers.
- Youth Development enrollment dropped during the pandemic and has not recovered to pre-pandemic waitlists. Parents found alternatives; the website was too outdated to use as a recruitment channel.
Community Crops
- Independent nonprofit acquired January 2023. Stronger brand recognition than FSL despite smaller size.
- Programs: community gardening, urban farm incubator, education classes.
- Folds into main site as a program page — design needs to honor the brand equity without making it feel like a separate org.
Brand direction
- Current brand reads "clinical, old-school nonprofit." Target shift: lively, engaging, personal.
- CEO Dennis pushing for less formal, more interactive communication tone.
- Name confusion is a real, unsolved problem:
- Employees still get the name wrong months in.
- Confused with other "Family Service" orgs in Lincoln.
- Mistaken for a city government service.
- Rebrand was considered but postponed due to funding uncertainty. New site has to do the differentiation work the name change isn't going to.
Content strategy
- Youth Development marketing serves two distinct audiences: 1. Parents enrolling kids — needs school-specific enrollment paths. 2. College students looking for jobs — currently hired through Handshake/Indeed.
- Parents want transparency about daily activities/schedule to feel comfortable enrolling.
- Strong photo library, especially for YD and Community Crops.
- Video: background video on homepage being considered; program-specific video deferred to later phase.
Funding & development
- Historically financially secure without community fundraising.
- Landscape changed: federal funding uncertainty + Community Crops acquisition + housing program expansion.
- Leah is FSL's first-ever development hire. She's reintroducing the agency to donors "as if we're new."
- Board didn't have fundraising responsibilities historically. The new site has to support development efforts.
Technical consolidation rationale
- Three sites are currently competing against themselves in search results.
- Unified site = stronger combined SEO than three weaker sites.
Action Items
| Owner | Action | Due |
|---|---|---|
| G&M (Eric/Mike) | Deliver IA flowchart to client | Thu May 7 |
| FSL (Crystal + team) | Round 1 feedback on flowchart | Mon May 11 EOD |
| Kristin (G&M) | Organize photos by program in Google Drive folders | TBD |
| G&M | Scope brand asset package (templates/icons for ongoing marketing use) — potential add-on | TBD |
Open Questions / To Verify
- 451 Commons / FiftyOne Commons naming — are both names in active use? Brief uses "FiftyOne Commons"; transcript references "451 Commons opening fall 2026." Likely the same property; verify which name is primary for the program page.
- Brand asset add-on — does Crystal want a quote on this now, or after launch? Capture before drafting the change order.
- Background video on homepage — who's sourcing? FSL has photo strength but video wasn't established. Don't promise the deliverable until source content is confirmed.
- Search upgrade scope — "better than traditional WordPress search" is loose. SearchWP? Algolia? Native + faceting? Pin this down before WordPress CMS phase starts so it's in the 20-hour CMS budget.
- Two-audience YD marketing — confirm this becomes one page with two clear paths vs. two separate landing pages. Affects layout count against the 10-page design cap.
Related Context
- README.md — project hub
- KICKOFF-BRIEF-2026-05-06.html — pre-kickoff working doc
- notes.md — original proposal scope
- fsl-ia-flowchart.svg — current IA flowchart draft
