Spark Media

Case Study: Empowering 122 University Societies with Custom Websites

Client: University College Cork (UCC) Societies Guild
Project Scope: Development of 122 custom websites for UCC societies, paired with comprehensive training and support.

Overview

In collaboration with the UCC Societies Guild, our team embarked on an ambitious project to create individual websites for each of the 122 societies at University College Cork. The goal was to equip each society with a unique online platform to engage their communities, promote events, and showcase their initiatives.

Challenge

Managing 122 websites, each with different content, goals, and user needs, presented a complex logistical challenge. Additionally, many of the society leaders had limited experience with website management, making training and ongoing support critical to the project’s success. The project also needed to be completed within the summer break, a tight timeline given the scale of the work.

Approach

To tackle these challenges, we designed a streamlined, repeatable process for building the websites, while ensuring customisation for each society’s specific needs.

• Collaborative Design Process: Our team worked closely with the UCC Societies Guild and individual chairpersons to capture the unique identity of each society. This resulted in personalised designs that reflected each society’s goals, activities, and branding.
• Comprehensive Training Programme: Recognising that many society leaders were new to website management, we developed a robust training programme:
  • In-Person Workshops: We conducted training sessions with leadership teams, including society chairpersons and administrators, to provide hands-on guidance.
  • Video Tutorials: For ease of reference and future leadership transitions, we created a series of step-by-step video tutorials tailored to the platform’s functionalities, ensuring long-term self-sufficiency.
• Ongoing Support Structure: Understanding that many societies would elect a Social/Marketing Officer responsible for maintaining the site, we offered continued access to technical support and periodic check-ins to address any emerging issues.

Results

Within a single summer, we successfully delivered 122 custom websites, each uniquely designed to fit the society’s needs. Key outcomes included:

• Improved Engagement: Societies reported higher engagement from their members due to having a dedicated online space for event promotion and community interaction.
• Long-Term Sustainability: With the training and resources provided, newly elected officers each year were able to seamlessly transition into managing their society’s website.
• Centralised Support: The UCC Societies Guild now has a unified online presence for all its societies, simplifying communication and collaboration between societies and their members.

Testimonial

“Working with the team was an absolute pleasure. They delivered not just 122 websites, but a complete solution with ongoing support and training that ensures each society can manage its own space independently. Their attention to detail and understanding of our needs was exceptional.”
— UCC Societies Guild Representative