These are the kinds of projects I really love.
Directory-based websites. Membership-based websites. Small organizations and networking groups who do so much good with so few resources.
The Burland Homeowners Association is a perfect example. Here's how we took them from an outdated website to a complete custom website and member portal.
The Problem: A Website That Didn't Survive the Handoff
The Burland Homeowners Association serves the Burland Ranchettes community in Park County, Colorado, near Bailey. Like most HOAs, it's run by a volunteer board.
And that's the catch. Board members come and go, and the website responsibilities get passed along to whoever is next. Most of them aren't website designers, and they shouldn't have to be.
The association's old website was built on Wix. It was outdated, and it was hard to manage and maintain. Over time, it had turned into:
- A mismatch of information and content
- Programs and resources that were hard to find
- Limited abilities for board members to add or update anything
What We Built
We didn't just give them a prettier website. We built them a custom website and a back-end HOA portal, designed for three different groups of people:
- Members, who want information and neighborhood perks
- Board members, who run the association
- Admins, who keep track of everything behind the scenes
The public side of the site shares the essentials with anyone who needs them: how to join or renew, the meeting calendar, neighborhood events, the park, programs like Firewise, the covenants, homeowner guidance, and news. Some content is open to the public, and some is just for members.
Designed for Every Generation
HOAs serve neighbors of all ages, including many who didn't grow up with smartphones. So this website was built to be friendly to everyone.
That means large, easy-to-read fonts, high-contrast colors, and super simple navigation. The homepage even asks one simple question: "What can we help you with?" Then it gives big, clear buttons for the things people actually come to do.
Whether you're 25 or 85, you can find what you need.
The Member Portal
Members now have their own portal, and it's genuinely helpful. They can:
- Reserve the neighborhood park pavilion. Members submit a request online, and the board approves it
- Browse the neighbor directory. Members choose whether to be listed and what contact info to share
- Get news and updates about what's happening in the neighborhood
- Find documents like governing documents, in one organized place
- Use homeowner guidance and resources specific to living in the Colorado foothills
- Apply for the fire mitigation reimbursement program and see their membership status
A Back End for the People Running It
This is where the board and admins feel the biggest difference. They have one simple place to keep everything organized:
- Track HOA members and their dues
- Manage reservations for the neighborhood park
- Post news and updates to keep neighbors informed
- Keep all of the association's documents organized and easy for members to find
- Manage neighborhood events and registrations
- Run the fire mitigation reimbursement program
- See simple traffic stats for the website
Built to Be Passed On
This is the part I care about most.
The people running an HOA change every few years. So the website needs to work for whoever is next, not just whoever is on the board today.
Now it does. The website is simple, organized, and easy to pass to the next stewards of the association. It was built so a new board member can pick it up without a tech background.
I've Got Their Backs
I also stay involved. I host the website and support it on an ongoing basis, so the board never has to worry about things breaking or about whether the site is safe and secure for their members.
If they need a tweak, whether that's a page update or a small change to the design, they simply submit a request through their admin dashboard and I handle it for them. They don't have to learn how to edit pages, and they never have to call a tech support line and try to explain a problem they don't understand.
It's one less thing for a volunteer board to worry about, and that's exactly the point.
Is Your Organization Due for a Better Website?
If you run an HOA, a nonprofit, a networking group, or any organization where leadership changes over time, your website shouldn't depend on one person who knows how it works.
Take a look at the finished site at burlandhoa.org, then learn more about my AI website design services.
When you're ready to talk about what's possible for your organization, book a free consultation. I'd love to help.
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