Case Study

ArcStone redesigned The Link’s website to create clear navigation for youth, families, and donors while empowering staff to manage content independently.

The Link's redesigned website on monitor screen.

The Link is a Minneapolis-based youth services organization that provides comprehensive support to young people through programming, resources, and advocacy. Serving youth who may be experiencing homelessness, aging out of foster care, or facing other challenges, The Link needed a digital platform that could effectively serve both young people seeking services and supporters wanting to contribute to youth empowerment.

Unleash the Good Grant Recipient: ArcStone selected The Link as a recipient of our Unleash the Good Grant program, which provides pro bono services to worthy nonprofits making exceptional community impact. This selection reflects The Link’s crucial role in addressing youth homelessness and supporting some of Minneapolis’s most vulnerable young people during critical life transitions.

Our Role

WordPress Redesign & Development
Multi-Audience User Experience Design
Self-Management System Implementation
Content Strategy & Organization
Staff Training & Capacity Building
Youth-Focused Navigation Development
Donor Engagement Optimization

The Challenge:

The Link faced challenges with outdated content, inconsistent navigation structure, and a complex revision process that made it difficult for staff to maintain current information. The website needed to serve multiple distinct audiences—youth seeking services, families looking for resources, and donors supporting the organization—while enabling internal teams to manage updates independently without extensive technical knowledge.

Grant Impact: Through the Unleash the Good Grant, ArcStone was able to provide comprehensive digital transformation services that might otherwise have been financially challenging for The Link to access, allowing them to direct more resources toward direct youth services while still achieving their digital goals.

Laptop screen displaying The Link’s website homepage, featuring a turquoise photo collage of diverse youth and families. Bold black text in the center reads, “The Link works with youth and families to overcome the impacts of poverty and social injustice.” A black "Donate Online" button is visible below the text. The top navigation bar includes links for About, Programs, Get Involved, Events, Happenings, and Resources, with purple and blue buttons labeled “Youth” and “Community.”

Our Approach

ArcStone implemented a comprehensive WordPress redesign focused on clarity and self-management capabilities. We created targeted navigation pathways for youth, families, and donors while developing a flexible backend system that enables staff to manage content updates independently. The design approach prioritizes accessibility and ease of use for young people while providing clear information for families and engaging experiences for supporters.

Understanding that The Link serves young people in crisis situations, our team prioritized trauma-informed design principles and ensured the website could serve as a safe, welcoming digital space. The interface needed to be immediately understandable to youth who might be accessing services during stressful circumstances. We focused on creating clear visual hierarchies, simple language, and intuitive navigation that wouldn’t add additional stress or confusion for vulnerable users seeking critical resources.

The technical foundation emphasized sustainable self-management, with comprehensive staff training and documentation that empowered The Link’s team to maintain and update content without ongoing technical dependencies. We implemented user-friendly content management tools, streamlined workflows for common updates, and created templates that maintain design consistency while allowing for flexible content creation across all audience types.

Screenshot of a donation page for The Link, a nonprofit organization. On the left, a young person in a gray hoodie and black headwrap smiles at the camera. In the center, a donation form offers options to donate once or monthly, with preset amounts ($50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, or other). A checkbox below allows dedications. On the right, a message reads “Together, we can change lives,” with text about providing safe spaces for youth, and an embedded video titled “Learn About The Link.” The background features orange and purple geometric triangle patterns. Social media icons and Neon CRM branding appear at the bottom.

Screenshot of the “Who We Are” page from The Link’s website. The top navigation includes links for “For Youth,” “Who We Are,” “What We Do,” “Get Involved,” and a green “Donate Now” button. A section header reads “Who We Are” with tabs below for “About The Link,” “History Timeline,” and “EDI.” The active tab is “About The Link.” Below is a photo of four young people sitting in front of a colorful mural showing a woman blowing a dandelion. To the right, text reads “ABOUT US – The Link partners with youth and young families as they transition from crisis into safety and healing.” Additional paragraph text explains how The Link empowers youth with housing, trauma healing, and job support. Bright orange and purple geometric triangles decorate the background, and a red “Emergency Exit” button is fixed to the bottom left.

Reviewing The Results

The Link now operates a user-friendly website that effectively serves all three primary audiences while empowering staff to maintain current, relevant content without ongoing technical support. The improved navigation helps youth find services quickly, provides families with clear information about programming, and creates meaningful engagement opportunities for donors. The self-managed approach has reduced administrative burden while ensuring that the website stays current with The Link’s evolving programs and services.

Long-term Partnership Impact: The pro bono nature of this work allowed The Link to establish a strong digital foundation that supports their mission to connect young people to resources and opportunities. This partnership demonstrates how ArcStone’s Unleash the Good Grant creates lasting value for organizations serving critical community needs.