The Robertson Trust

Working for a fair and compassionate Scotland

The Challenge

The Robertson Trust is the largest independent grant-making trust in Scotland. Through until 2030, it will provide around £200 million in funding to third sector organisations that help people and communities in Scotland living with poverty and trauma.

Storm ID was appointed as digital partner to design, develop and deliver a new website for The Robertson Trust. The new website was developed through close collaboration with different teams at The Robertson Trust and with prospective users of the funding and other services that The Robertson Trust makes available.

The website for The Robertson Trust needed to better reflect the mission, vision and strategy of the organisation, building on its legacy since it was established by the Robertson sisters in 1961. This would involve clearly setting out the types of activities that can be funded and which cannot. To add complexity to the delivery, the website project was delivered entirely remotely during the pandemic.

The Objectives

  • Reflect the new strategy

    With The Robertson Trust embarking on a bold ten-year strategy from 2020 through to 2030, the website would be required to reflect the renewed focus on helping to improve the lives of people and communities with experience of poverty, trauma or both. This was deemed particularly relevant given the launch would be taking place during the pandemic, with the impact that was having on society.
  • Improve funding applications

    Like many charitable trusts, well-meaning funding applications are often received from organisations or for projects that don’t align with the funding objectives of the charity. This can lead to disappointment for those seeking funding but also causes unnecessary work in processing funding applications. The website would need to provide a simple step-by-step Funding Checker service to assist applicants in determining whether their organisation or project would be eligible for funding to avoid unnecessary applications, reduce disappointment and improve processing.
  • Content Management System

    Implement a content management system to underpin The Robertson Trust’s infrastructure, providing a basis for ongoing development as new digital services are developed to support the mission and vision of The Robertson Trust during the years ahead.

The Insight

The website was launched to coincide with the public launch of The Robertson Trust’s new ten-year strategy. Since launch, the website has garnered positive feedback from service users as well as from The Robertson Trust team managing the website.

Key Features

Sharp copy writing

Use of sharp copy writing, reflecting the mission, vision and focus of The Robertson Trust. The copy also reflects the tone of voice and has been crafted to make the content as accessible as possible.

Powerful search and filtering

Development and implementation of powerful search and filtering tools across all website content, including publications, to help users get to the content they need.

Umbraco CMS

Selected to provide The Robertson Trust with full content management capabilities to scale the content and extend functionality as the website and digital services develop over time.

The Process

User Experience and Content Design

  • Understand user needs and definition of a content model
  • Definition and iteration of information architecture, taxonomy, content types, and target user journeys
  • Implementing user feedback recommendations
  • Integration of the user experience
  • Seeding of content in Umbraco CMS

CMS Development

  • Umbraco CMS development work  

Performance

  • Implementing SEO recommendations to establish search result rankings
  • Implementing analytics framework to measure website performance

Testing and Handover

  • Functional and non-functional testing
  • Testing the website with target end users of The Robertson Trust services
  • CMS training and set up for content governance procedures

Get in Touch

If you're ready to transform your digital services or require a new CMS, get in touch and we can discuss your requirements.