The problem
WomenCann is a nonprofit focused on women's cannabis education and advocacy in Ohio, and the existing site worked against everything the organization stood for. It ran on a black background that was hard on the eyes for what's fundamentally a blog-heavy, content-driven site. There was no systematic page structure. Adding or removing a team member meant editing code. There was no volunteer portal, no partner showcase, and a WooCommerce section that existed but sat completely empty and unused. All of this had to be rebuilt against a hard deadline, before November 15, 2022.
What I built
A full color and tone overhaul
I moved the site off its black background entirely, onto a pastel, light, feminine palette that actually matched the organization's mission, then rebuilt the homepage, header, and footer from scratch with a blog-focused, interactive design.
Eight-plus pages, built from nothing
About Us, Our Team, Resources, Contact Us, Donate, Events in the Community, Get Involved, Refund and Returns, and Partners, all built from scratch inside the deadline window.
A team post type staff can manage themselves
Adding a team member used to mean a code edit. I built a custom post type so staff can add members the same way they'd write a blog post, name, title, description, featured image, and a social-link dropdown, and each new entry appears on the team page automatically. Lydia's reaction after seeing it: "I love it! The About Us looks fantastic."
A volunteer portal and partner showcase
I added a dedicated volunteer section with an application block, a link into their Connecteam member portal, and an "about volunteering" block, plus a featured partner callout for Primo Gardens Inc. built from copy the client supplied. Social links now live in the footer and on individual team member profiles.
Navigation and content
I added Advocacy, Support, and Education tabs to the top navigation, and built out individual testimonial pages alongside interactive blog posts.
What actually changed
| What changed | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Site aesthetic | Dark, harsh, black background | Light, feminine, mission-aligned |
| Team management | Manual code edits | Self-service custom post type |
| Volunteer engagement | No portal | Dedicated section with Connecteam integration |
| Partner visibility | No showcase | Featured partner callout |
What the client said
"I love it! The About Us looks fantastic. Our team page looks great."
— Lydia Gall, WomenCann