Orange County Outdoors Ministry (OCOM), a small local nonprofit organization, is devoted to combating hunger in the community and bringing together outdoors enthusiasts in an environment that fosters spiritual growth and fellowship.
When founder Rob Gray needed a website to help the organization grow its outreach, I was honored that he called on me. I created a beautiful, user-friendly WordPress site that he is able to easily keep updated on his own. After the new site was completed, I trained him on how to use it.
In addition to designing the website, I also created a new logo for OCOM.
New logo
Rob previously had the OCOM site and domain name hosted with Squarespace, but found this platform limiting and sometimes difficult to use.
So the first thing we did is set up a hosting account on SiteGround (a hosting company I use and highly recommend, especially for self-hosted WordPress sites), and we transferred his domain name to to this new account. I have found SiteGround to be fast and highly reliable, and with excellent tech support. By hosting with SiteGround, Rob is also able to set up email accounts that use his domain name, at no additional charge.
Then, after meeting with him to learn what wanted in his new site, I got to work building it. The new website contains his wish list of features, including:
Mobile responsive design
Created and integrated an email list system, so people can easily subscribe on the website
Photo galleries
A new blog, to post news updates
Information on how to partner with the organization
A “Donate” button in the sidebar
Links to social media accounts
Testimonials
Attractive new graphics that draw the reader in, and help tell the OCOM story
Here is what Rob had to say about his new website and branding:
“I knew what I wanted in a website but I also had to accept the fact that I did not have the knowledge and time to make it happen. Doing this on my own would have taken energy away from the other work I needed to do and the results would not have been nearly as good. Working with Michelle was so easy. I provided a vision and a few examples, and in a few weeks I was presented with a website design that exceeded my expectations. I would trust Michelle with any of my marketing and communication needs.”
Features of the website include information on how to partner with the organization, a “Donate” button in the sidebar, and a form to subscribe to the mailing list.
A blog on the website enables Rob to post news updates regularly. These posts are then shared on social media and in the newsletter.
Could your organization benefit from a new, easy-to-use WordPress website or a branding makeover? Please contact me today and let’s talk!
I use and highly recommend SiteGround for web hosting.
With Jennifer Hambric, Digital Producer at ABC11, in the TV studio on Jan. 16 for our Facebook Live chat
I’m honored to be collaborating with ABC11 as the health and fitness contributor to abc11.com, as part of their new community influencers initiative called ABC11 Together.
I’ll be contributing articles and video content to their site. Here are my first two:
Recently, I did a 10-minute Facebook Live chat on ABC11’s Facebook page on the topic of fitness and weight loss. We did this in their TV studio in downtown Durham.
The Facebook chat was a lot of fun, and I appreciate ABC11 giving me the opportunity to spread a positive message of health, fitness, and living your best life at every age.
I was honored to be an invited speaker at a continuing education business event, on Sept. 29 in the Panthers Den at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
First of all, what a great location for a conference! The Den overlooks the football field, and as a Carolina Panthers fan it was certainly exciting to be there. I’ve been to many conferences in my career, and this was a nice change from the typical hotel venue. It definitely added a “fun” element to the day.
There were over 200 people in attendance for this 5th annual event, hosted by CliftonLarsonAllen’s Custom Accounting Solutions Team. The attendees were Certified Public Accountants there to receive continuing education credit hours.
The theme of the conference was “To Feed Your Soul and Re-energize Your Mind.” While many of the presentations were related to accounting, the agenda also included a personal development section and it was within this context that I presented. The organizers asked me to talk about fitness and nutrition to a group that is typically sedentary.
As someone who personally spent most of my career in sedentary office-based work, and lost weight and became healthy and fit while doing so, I am especially well-suited to speak on this subject and was happy to do it. In addition to my personal experience, the content I provided was sound advice informed by my professional fitness credentials.
My motivational presentation was entitled, “Small Steps for Big Changes: How to Succeed in Fitness and Weight Loss Even if You’ve Failed 100 Times Before.”
Areas covered included the eight major mindset changes that propelled me to success after years of failure, and specific strategies for healthier eating and sticking with exercise. And because this was a business group, I also included tips on how to move more at work and ways to fit exercise into the workday.
Then, I debuted my new 5-Minute Office Workout program and led the audience in doing the routine. It was a blast! They really enjoyed the interactivity of this part of the presentation and the opportunity to get up and actively stretch.
Leading the audience in my 5-Minute Office Workout stretching routine
Afterwards, there was time for a brief question-and-answer session with the audience.
Postcard/handout promoting the Center’s new website
Powerpoint presentation using the Symposium template I created
Powerpoint presentation using the Symposium template I created
When Sarah Verbiest, DrPH, executive director of the UNC Center for Maternal and Infant Health, and her team were launching a new medical conference, they knew the value of branding a high-profile event like this. They also knew who to entrust with such an important, time-sensitive task — yours truly!
I created a special logo for the Symposium, an 8-page 8.5″x 11″ full-color program booklet, a banner, and a Powerpoint template that speakers could use for their individual presentations. The new branding was carried throughout all of the conference materials. I also designed a 5.5″ x 8.5″ full-color postcard promoting their new website, to be handed out at this event and others.
Dr. Verbiest said this of my work on the project:
“The team at the Center for Maternal and Infant Health highly recommends working with Michelle Rogers. Not only did Michelle quickly understand our message and what we were trying to achieve with our materials, she executed all the designs and edits quickly and professionally. We were under considerable pressure and tight timelines and Michelle’s quality work allowed us to meet all our conference design goals. It was also truly a pleasure to work with her. Her creative work was the icing on the cake for our Symposium! It is without question that hers will be the first number we dial the next time we need design and creative services!”
Logo created for the Symposium. The client requested that their existing circle icon be incorporated in a graphic of the state of North Carolina, so that they have the option of using the state/circle graphic without the symposium wording for other Center uses.Postcard/handout promoting the Center’s new website.Powerpoint presentation using the Symposium template I created.
The past year was filled with a lot of work, and was particularly focused on expanding my knowledge in the health and fitness field. Here are a few highlights from 2015.
Becoming a Certified Fitness Professional. My biggest accomplishment last year was finishing the very challenging Certified Personal Trainer course I’d been working on for two years, and passing my exam. I’m now Michelle Rogers, CPT!
Rebranding. Last year I rebranded my blog, changing the name from Healthy Beauty to Michelle Rogers Healthy Living. I created a new website design and logo, and also updated my social media handles to reflect the new name. The new site not only looks great, on the back end it features the latest technology and is mobile responsive.
Continued social media growth. Last year I topped 40,000 followers on Twitter, and doubled the number of followers on Instagram. I also joined video-broadcasting platform Periscope soon after it launched, experiencing quick growth there to 1,200 followers.
Welcoming new clients. I worked with a professor from the University of Kentucky on a new website for her group’s research project, creating a user-friendly WordPress site that they are able to easily keep updated on their own.
Collaborating with brands. My healthy living blog regularly attracts brands interested in partnering with me on promotions such as reviews, giveaways and advertising. For example, last year I was invited by upscale weight loss resort Hilton Head Health to stay for a week to experience their program so I could feature it on my blog. I had a wonderful time that included gourmet food, workshops, yoga on the beach, stand up paddleboarding, and even a spa massage. It was definitely the highlight of my summer, and one of the most enjoyable stories I’ve written in my career. Read it here.
Presenting. I was asked again last year to be a guest lecturer in a master’s level nonprofit marketing class at UNC. I spoke on using social media and blogs strategically to promote your organization. I was also asked to present at the Charlotte Fitness and Health Expo in January ’15, where I spoke on, “Five Simple Secrets for Starting–and Sticking to–a Workout Program,” a very timely topic for those whose New Year’s resolution is to lose weight and get in shape.
Radio interviews. I was a guest on two radio shows last year. First I did a recorded interview for It’s Your Health, a syndicated program carried on various stations nationwide, where we discussed how to reach your weight loss goals; and then a live interview on Naturally Savvy, a show on the RadioMD network. I’ve posted the audio here. The media training I’ve had with my communications and public relations background came in very handy for these experiences. I enjoy working with the media and would like to do more.
What’s to come in 2016?
This year I’ll be continuing my education in the health and fitness field. I am enrolled in Group Fitness Instructor Certification with the American Council on Exercise (ACE). I also plan to become certified as a Senior Fitness Specialist and to work with the Silver Sneakers program.
Also, I plan to do more videos and have invested in a new camera and lighting equipment. In addition to using this in my blog, I’m especially interested in incorporating video in my clients’ marketing and communications projects.
I was honored to be an invited speaker at a continuing education business event, on Sept. 29 in the Panthers Den at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
