A labor union is an organization that acts as an intermediary between workers and the businesses that employ them. The main objective of a labor union is to build strong connections within the community and keep members informed about conditions affecting their work. With awareness and communication at the center of its mission, having a strong digital presence is becoming increasingly important for unions.
Labor unions operate similarly to nonprofit organizations and therefore require similar features for their website. Unions rarely have large budgets for IT and website maintenance so having a website that is easy to update is essential. This starts with choosing the right content management system (CMS). A user-friendly CMS allows union staff and volunteers to update the website content themselves and comes with built-in features to manage programs and initiatives.
Before designing (or redesigning) your union site, we’ll go through the most important features for effective union web design. Remember to keep these features in mind when choosing your union's CMS.
#1 Union Website Feature: Alert Banner
Spreading information and awareness are important objectives for labor unions. Your website should offer features to help you communicate urgent updates such as alert notices and breaking news. Look for a CMS with an easy-to-update alert bar. Pop-ups are another useful feature to help your organization highlight information.
#2 Union Website Feature: Blog
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Blogging is an essential function of your website. Your union needs to be able to post timely updates affecting members’ jobs, press releases, community updates, and more. Choosing a CMS with easy updating will allow your staff to create blog posts as needed. Post scheduling and categories are other important features to look out for.
#3 Union Website Feature: Online Forms
Online forms allow unions to collect member information through their website and grow their email list. Offering a membership registration form on your website will allow your staff to manage applications through your CMS and streamline the registration process. If your organization uses an email platform, integrating your website’s newsletter sign-up form will automatically add subscribers to your email list. When used correctly, online forms can streamline internal processes and help your staff keep member information organized.
#4 Union Website Feature: Membership Registration
Managing membership registrations automatically through your website will save your staff countless hours from having to manually enter member information, payments, and renewals. Look for a nonprofit CMS with built-in membership registration which allows your members to manage their own contact and payment information, and update membership renewals as needed.
#5 Union Website Feature: Members Portal
Union websites are an excellent way to bring members together. A members portal further enables communication and collaboration amongst union members. Choosing a CMS with private pages will allow your organization to share members-only content such as resource galleries, images, videos, and internal news. Making use of your website’s forms, your union organization can accept member applications and create user accounts to give new members access to your portal.
#6 Union Website Feature: Resource Library
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People join unions because they want to be part of a supporting network. Offering your members a resource library will allow them to sift through helpful PDF documents, blogs, videos, and templates. Add your online library to your members portal so that members have to log in to access it.
#7 Union Website Feature: Events
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Events management is a top CMS feature for nonprofit organizations. Unions can put this feature to good use by creating events for members to connect and discuss important issues. Built-in events features allow members to register or purchase tickets for an event directly through your website. By integrating payment processing through your union website, you don’t need to send users to a third-party platform like Eventbrite for ticket purchases.
#8 Union Website Feature: Social Media Integration
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Keeping members engaged is a challenge for many labor unions. Social media offers an organic way for organizations to connect with its members and it encourages members to connect with each other. Choosing a CMS with social media integration makes it easy to link your website to your social media channels and feature a live feed on your homepage.
The Gist
Unions need to cater to the needs of their members and staff. Choosing a CMS that easily allows you to include all of these web design tips into your union website is important for the longevity of your site. By keeping these key features in mind, your organization will be able to choose the right CMS to best serve your union’s stakeholders. Looking for some more web design inspiration? Check out Morweb’s list of best association websites.
