End-to-end overhaul of Harvard Hillel's primary digital property, from vendor RFP through launch in January 2026.
Harvard Hillel's existing website lived on Harvard's OpenScholar platform, which was being sunsetted. The default path was to port content onto Harvard's new institutional Drupal platform and maintain status quo. Instead, I suggested, pitched, and led a complete overhaul of the site on a third-party platform, necessitating full vendor RFP, contract negotiation, content architecture, integrations, and Harvard Web Publishing compliance review.
Three phases: vendor selection, project management, and post-launch governance. I ran a competitive RFP across multiple firms, sent a proposal comparison memo to the board, and recommended a firm that the board approved. The selection saved the organization meaningfully against the higher-priced alternative.
From kickoff through launch, I project-managed every constituency the organization serves: content development, sitemap, photography, calendar integration, donation page integration, brand alignment, and Harvard Web Publishing compliance review. Several features I added beyond the initial scope (the photo gallery, the blog, the In the News page tracking media coverage) have become central to how the organization tells its story externally. Ongoing site governance and feature requests now run through a continuing maintenance relationship I manage with Digital Ink.
Photo-tile grid in place of the traditional hero block. Tiles route by audience and topic; the top row rotates timely features; the top-left carries the brand statement, "The Center of Jewish Life at Harvard."
One of my personal highest priorities, a feature I suggested and shepherded through to fruition. Showcases event photography across the academic year and powers most of the site's visual storytelling.
Houses long-form essays from the Executive Director, alumni writers, and community voices.
Catalogs media coverage of Harvard Hillel and serves as an externally-facing record of the organization's public moments.
Public-facing events calendar with category filtering, export-to-calendar functionality, and easy usability on both front and back ends.
Donation flow integrated with the org's stewardship system, giving potential donors easy options for supporting the organization.
Modal flow for stocks, donor advised funds, legacy giving, and financial advisor information.
Launched in January 2026. Vendor selection saved the organization meaningfully against the higher-priced alternative. Features added that weren't in Harvard Hillel's initial scope (the photo gallery, the blog, and the In the News page) have become central to how the organization tells its story externally.
The site continues to host every major campaign, event, and storytelling effort the organization produces, including HGGW 2026 and ongoing publication of long-form pieces from the Executive Director.