The New York State Genetics Task Force is a not-for-profit professional organization comprised of any person engaged in the delivery of clinical genetics services in New York State. I was approached by a member of their leadership team to help envision and build a new website. Their previous website was a very simplistic WordPress.com site. But they were looking to expand their reach beyond New York City to reach geneticists and genetic counselors throughout the state of New York, with hopes of including features like a forum for frequently asked questions, a membership directory, and the ability to pay membership dues online.
We decided to stay on the WordPress platform, using the WP-Staging plugin to build the new site in a password-protected subdirectory while the old site was still live. The new site uses a child theme based off of the Thrive “Intranet and Community” theme from Dunhakdis – a great starting point since it came bundled with BuddyPress, Subway, Taskbreaker, and other perfect plugins for creating a community site. Coupled with Paid Memberships Pro and The Events Calendar, I’ve been able to provide all the functionality the leadership team requested. I also consulted regarding their new branding – logo and colors – and choosing photos for the site. Lastly, since NYSGTF was going to be taking membership dues through the site, it was very important that this site be secure. I did all the research and implementation to make sure the site was using SSL and that other malware and virus protection is in place.
This site has offered me many exciting challenges including configuring multiple registration types to have different capabilities and access levels throughout the site. I’m hopeful that NYS Genetics Task Force’s membership will enjoy the new site, and that the site will help their reach to grow.
I continue to consult with NYS Genetics Task Force regularly, modifying and customizing their site to accommodate changing membership, event and reporting needs. We’ve just launched a new RSVP feature complete with QR code check-in. Members can renew using special discount codes. Board members and leadership have custom roles to administer various aspects of their membership portal. I look forward to continuing to work with the NYS Genetics Task Force.