When you’re asked to modernize a website for a 120-year-old nonprofit, the best place to start is by listening. Tread lightly, think boldly. Remember that behind every digital decision is a human one.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC—the nation’s first and the city’s largest youth mentoring organization—came to us with a vision: make their impact felt online as strongly as it is across five boroughs, thousands of matches, and decades of life-changing mentorship.

Even with Antarctic’s 50+ combined years of nonprofit site experience, overhauling a site like BBBSNYC required intentional care and planning. The conundrum: how do you reimagine their visual storytelling and UX while preserving the values that made them iconic?

After collaborating with stakeholders, we consolidated multiple event websites into one cohesive, intuitive platform, doubling traffic since launch. More importantly, we created something that speaks to the people of Big Brothers Big Sisters.

But this isn’t just a case study rehash (we have that too—explore the BBBSNYC site launch here). We’re reflecting on what we learned about designing a nonprofit in 2025 without diluting integrity and historic legacy.

If you’re a nonprofit leader or mission builder involved in your digital presence, may these behind-the-scenes insights meet you where you are, and move you toward where you’re going.

When it comes to CMS, flexibility is better than beauty.

There’s a common pitfall in nonprofit site design: obsessing over the polish and ignoring the people. And the people should be able to easily donate, volunteer, and learn more within seconds of landing. 

With its soul knee-deep in mentorship, we had a feeling BBBS of NYC needed more than just a sleek look. The website had to do (and be) so much more… 

Their previous web experience was fragmented, weighed down by disconnected event microsites and static pages. So we built a Webflow-powered CMS that let their team consolidate, update, and expand their site without writing a line of code. 

What happened next? A big traffic boost (like, 2x almost overnight). Plus, clean donor paths and a flexible digital space designed to grow as fast as their traffic. 

In the long run, beauty without flexibility is a brittle thing. A living mission deserves a living system behind it.

There is no silver bullet for great design, but simplicity comes close.

Design doesn’t save the world, people do. The right design simply clears the way.

We grounded the BBBSNYC redesign in simplicity—not minimalism, but clarity and easy action. We’re talking intuitive navigation for donors, flows without friction for mentors, and layouts that could encompass rich, personal stories without overwhelming the reader.

Through wide-format visuals, bold color blocks, and clear hierarchies, we stripped away anything that distracted from the core mission. Because when someone considers taking a young person under their wing, they shouldn’t have to get lost in a screen.

To grow in any industry, some risks must be taken...

BBBSNYC is 120 years old. That’s a long time to settle into tradition.

So we recommended an injection of boldness. Stronger color palettes. Cleaner type. Clearer asks and impact metrics. Video-forward storytelling. 

Here, risk wasn’t recklessness. It was a design decision for a new generation that lives on their phones, with short attention spans but deep convictions.

What’s the only way to guarantee no more growth? No more risks.

But in the pursuit of growth, don’t forget where you started.

“Growth means nothing if it erases the reason people believed in you in the first place.”

What made BBBSNYC beloved isn’t flashy UX or modern layouts. It’s the enduring relationships between mentors and mentees, the ones that cultivate future leaders.

Our challenge was to design a digital platform that could scale and achieve without losing that intimacy. So every decision connected back to their authentic values: story-first layouts, full-width impact visuals, and spaces for real human experiences. Simpler back-end systems meant more time spent nurturing relationships, not wrestling tech.

Yes, digital fundraising metrics matter. But meaning matters more. And when your roots run deep, you luckily don’t need to trade heart for progress.

Stories are a direct route to genuine connection.

We know, it’s been said. And we’ll say it even louder: Stories are everything in nonprofit work. They get people energized and on board with your vision. They nurture lifelong supporters. It’s just a human thing—we struggle to care about causes that don’t stir us. 

That’s why we baked storytelling into every layer of the BBBSNYC site launch. From profile videos to testimonial blocks to interactive stats, the new platform puts people front and center. Donors will see the why behind the organization. Better yet, they’ll see the results for real individuals in the community.

If you lead a mission-driven org, let this be your takeaway: facts convince, but stories convert. Don’t just tell your audience what you do. Show them who it’s for.

Final Thoughts: Mission Over Metrics

Want to explore your options? Get in touch for a free consultation.

Want more inspiration? Check out our previous projects to see how we’ve helped other cultural organizations transform their digital ecosystems.