Project: Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue
Role: Web Design & Digital Strategy Focus: Non-Profit Fundraising, Event & Camp Registration, Emergency Triage, Eco-Tourism
Project Overview Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue is Durham Region’s only licensed wildlife rehabilitation hospital. Because they receive no government funding, the organization relies entirely on revenue from their educational programs and “glamping” experiences to pay for medical supplies. The website required a strategic duality: it needed to be a high-converting e-commerce engine for selling camps and tours, while simultaneously functioning as an urgent resource for members of the public who have found injured wildlife.
Key Deliverables & Features
- Revenue-Generating Camp Registration:
- High-Volume Booking Engine: The “WILD” summer camps and PA Day programs are the facility’s financial lifeblood. We built a robust registration system capable of handling the “rush” of seasonal sign-ups, allowing parents to easily filter by age group, week, and theme (e.g., “Junior Keepers”).
- Waitlist Automation: Popular weeks sell out instantly. An automated waitlist feature captures lost leads and notifies parents immediately if a spot opens up, maximizing occupancy and revenue.
- Emergency Triage Navigation (“I Found an Animal”):
- Crisis Logic: When someone finds an injured animal, they are often panicked. We designed a prominent “Wildlife Emergency?” pathway that triages users before they call. It uses simple logic (e.g., “Is the animal injured?” “Is it an orphan?”) to guide users to the correct action—whether that’s calling the hotline or leaving the animal alone—reducing unnecessary intake of healthy babies.
- Species Guide: A clear “Species We Accept” section prevents confusion, explaining that while they help foxes and owls, they cannot accept rabies vectors like raccoons without specific protocols.
- Eco-Tourism & Experience Sales:
- Soper Creek Wilderness Villas: To sell high-ticket “Glamping” stays, we created a visually immersive microsite experience. High-quality galleries of the luxury tents and “Animal Ambassador” tours position the rescue as a premium weekend getaway, not just a medical facility.
- Gift Shop Integration: A connected online store allows supporters to “Sponsor an Animal” or purchase merchandise, creating an additional passive revenue stream.
- Donation & Wishlist Optimization:
- Tangible Giving: Instead of just a “Donate” button, we integrated an “Amazon Wishlist” feed and specific giving tiers (e.g., “Feed a Fox for a Week”), helping donors understand exactly where their money goes.
The Outcome The new Soper Creek website is a self-sustaining ecosystem. By treating the educational programs with the same sleek, conversion-focused design as a for-profit business, the site successfully generates the funds required to keep the hospital running, while efficiently guiding the public during wildlife emergencies.
