Mangrove Web Development

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the popular education manager for Take On Wall Street, a project of the Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund. Our campaign works with grassroots activists, labor unions, community organizers, and others to highlight the role that Wall Street plays in shaping and creating financial inequities.

What challenge were you trying to address with Mangrove Web Development?

Popular educators relied on in-person interaction and engagement. When that became impossible due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we wanted to create an engaging experience via Zoom. One part of our curriculum was the viewing of history through some images and texts on gallery walls — it was one of the most visually vibrant parts of our training module — and we wanted Mangrove to help us convert 14 posters and images into a microsite that would be interactive and visually compelling so that people would stick to the program. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mangrove worked with another firm that was also our design partner. Initially, I gave them a few sample websites that I found compelling and visually engaging. In return, they gave us an array of mood boards, and we selected the one that we thought was the most beautiful. Mangrove then worked with our design partner to see which of our visions could turn into reality. From there, they developed the website. 

What is the team composition?

The team composition varied over the course of the project, but we always worked with Megan (Managing Partner) and one other person. They were our main points of contact. We also worked with a couple of their partners from the other design firm during the design phase. When we moved on to the actual development of the website, a couple of other teammates also came on board. There were as many as eight people from the Mangrove team working on tasks. 

How did you come to work with Mangrove Web Development?

Our campaigns weren’t super flush with cash, so we had a small operating budget. Given that, we talked to many of our allies about the service providers they used. We also did a bit of research by ourselves. In the end, a state foundation recommended Mangrove to us and put us in contact with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from September 2020–May 2021. 

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The microsite generated three times the web traffic our home site had, and everyone described it as phenomenal. They didn’t have this kind of response when we were doing the program in person. In other words, this project helped us elevate our profile. On top of that, the site also had gravity — people felt like they were truly moving through a gallery online.

Overall, the value that we gained out of this project was astounding. The website was gorgeous, and we achieved a level of complexity and sophistication that was phenomenal for the budget we had. 

How did Mangrove Web Development perform from a project management standpoint?

Mangrove’s project management was great. The project took longer than we imagined because it kept growing in complexity, and we kept getting more ambitious about what we wanted to roll out. However, Mangrove made easy adjustments. If anything, the delays were driven by our end. 

For project management tools, the team used Asana. The software was initially a little daunting for me, but it ended up being easy to use. Apart from that, their design team gave me graphics guidance since I wasn’t a visual person. 

Further, the Mangrove team was always there for us not only during our scheduled calls but also when we sent quick questions via email. They moved things quickly especially when we were at the post-launch period. The team even gave me a checklist that I could use to provide feedback on other people’s comments on the website. Overall, the process was great every step of the way. Their resources were decent human beings, and interacting with them was pleasant.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Mangrove was among the most flexible and accommodating partners I’d worked with in decades. This was a complex project, but they made our interactions easy. More importantly, their resources were creative, patient, and collaborative. We wanted to do certain things that were tricky in terms of navigation, but the team accommodated our vision. They always provided good options and never told me that what I wanted was impossible.

Overall, Mangrove served like a true partner. They had the expertise, but they weren’t overly dictating or unwilling to provide suggestions. There was a nice balance between our teams, and we were engaged in what felt like an actual group partnership. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any. I’d happily replicate our experience since it was a truly positive relationship.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Bring whatever ideas, visions, or dreams you have, and see what’s possible to do; the Mangrove team can do a lot of things. Apart from that, don’t be afraid to suggest changes and adjustments. Be transparent and don’t hold back. Expect them to deliver good quality — hire them. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the managing director of communications for a startup accelerator program. We fund later-stage startups to do projects in Hawaii, California, and the Asia Pacific region. We take on 15-20 companies, usually in areas that have a positive environmental impact, and we help them find new investments and customers.

What challenge were you trying to address with Mangrove Web Development?

We were about to redo our website, and we needed a design and development partner to help us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we worked with them, they partnered with a design firm. It was a nice pairing, and it highlighted both of their strengths really well. They did all the development. The site is our front door to our organization and is primarily designed for startups and entrepreneurs. They helped us communicate with our key audience to help them take the actions we wanted them to take.

We provided simple mockups to the design team. That group did all the framing and design and then handed it over to Mangrove to develop.

What is the team composition?

We worked with around three people and one main point of contact. They have account managers who take in inbound requests from us and feed them to developers around the globe. I believe we worked with one developer, but if we needed to expedite a task, they sent it to one of their developers on call.

How did you come to work with Mangrove Web Development?

We had an open call for proposals on our website. Out of the handful of candidates, they were the strongest in terms of the team and their past work. They'd work with similar companies to ours in the past, and they could get a lot done quickly.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested somewhere between $25,000-$50,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November 2016–March 2017.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We only receive positive feedback from users and from our internal team.

How did Mangrove Web Development perform from a project management standpoint?

They turned things around within 48 hours, and they met all their deadlines. They're awesome project managers, and we communicated mostly through email. We used Basecamp for part of the project, but email was our main mode of communication with our main points of contact.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're well-organized, and their account management is really good. They value a quick response, and their fast turnarounds were really helpful and important for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have any criticism for them. I would encourage them to continue working with a design firm and focus on their strengths. We did one design project with them directly, but the outcomes weren't as good as they were with the support from the outside design team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Mirror their organization. Specifically, have one main point of contact on your side and be clear about your needs.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of Mighty Networks. We are a platform for entrepreneurs and creators to bring their community, online courses, content, and more together in their own branded experience.

What challenge were you trying to address with Mangrove Web Development?

We’ve relied on Mangrove Web Development to create our website and custom software tools that make it easier to market ourselves to our customers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

For all of our projects, we’ve worked with a design team that Mangrove Web Development initially recommended, so we only rely on the latter for development services. Together, they created our WordPress website and a marketing and lead generation tool—a business name generator. For that feature, the user enters a specific audience they want to serve—like women or rock climbers, for example—and a variety of descriptors about what members of that audience are or are not—such as feisty or beautiful. The name generator then produces different combinations of those things and how they interact. We’re very excited about that development.

Additionally, we’ve relied on Mangrove Web Development to build and launch a bespoke version of marketing automation software that is tailored to what we do. It allows potential clients to view what their app, brand, or content would look like on our platform.

What is the team composition?

Megan (Director of Operations, Mangrove Web Development) has managed the day-to-day activities of our account with support from Valerie and Ivana (Developers, Mangrove Web Development).

How did you come to work with Mangrove Web Development?

A colleague did a comprehensive search of web design and development firms and came back with the recommendation to work with Mangrove Web Development.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $100,000–$110,000 to this point.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in October 2018 and remains ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Since we introduced the new website, our traffic has been off the charts, and we see sales accelerate because of the marketing automation tool. The business name generator has been a nice boon to traffic, as well.

How did Mangrove Web Development perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate and remain organized through emails, Google Hangouts, and Asana.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their energy and attitude create an ambitious and lively working atmosphere.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not to this point. We’ve done a great job of dealing with any miscommunications or shifts as they come up.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t take advantage of their can-do attitude by having unrealistic deadlines or goals. Being a good client is pretty straightforward.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder and one of the three principals of an urban design and architecture firm providing services to public agencies and private developers. We are considered one of the top firms in the country for our niche of walkable neighborhood design.

For what projects/services did your company hire Mangrove Web Development?

We hired Mangrove Web Development to redesign and rebuild our website.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted our site to better reflect the caliber of our work and our national reputation for thought leadership. The website also had to be a key point of transition for potential clients who had heard of our work and wanted to learn more. The goal was to help convince these people to reach out and contact us, generating informed leads.

How did you select this vendor?

We found them through a community that certifies for-profit companies for social and environmental performance. After interviewing three potential vendors, we selected Mangrove Web Development based on the quality of design, level of service, and price.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Mangrove Web Development designed, developed, and launched our corporate website. They brought in the experts needed, including a communications specialist who ensured that the tone of the site reflected our values. We also worked with designers who created an easy-to-use frontend that reflected the quality of our services.

Based on interviews with our team and a few of our clients, Mangrove Web Development created personas for us to understand and decide who we were talking to. They then created a few designs for approval. They revised the selected design and content based on our feedback until it was just right. Once everything was decided, they built, tested, and launched the new website.

What was the team composition?

The project team had about six people, with one primary point of contact for most communications.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The site redesign tripled our leads, and the leads we received were more qualified and informed by the time they contacted us. This made them excited to talk to us and closer to being ready to hire us.

In addition, the website was so easy to use and informative that many visitors spent quite a bit of time on our site before they contacted us. They told us that they kept reading more on our site because it was so interesting and informative.

Finally, we had renewed confidence in making new relationships once the website was launched because we knew it would offer people a good experience. The website truly reflects who we are and what we do.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

They assigned a project manager who was our point person and helped us coordinate among their specialist team members.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were able to design and build a site that truly reflects who we are: a mission-driven for-profit business and a national leader in the services we provide. Our story is difficult to tell, and they got it just right.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at the Beneficial State Foundation as the program director of California’s Clean Vehicle Assistance Program (CVA Program), which provides lower-income individuals with grants and low-cost financing to purchase electric and hybrid vehicles.

What challenge were you trying to address with Mangrove Web Development?

We were launching CVA Program, and we hired Mangrove Web Development to create a brand and website for this new program. We needed the site to educate potential participants and the public generally about CVA Program and what it has to offer.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mangrove Web Development designed and developed our website. The team determined what pages to include and how to deliver a significant amount of content in an intuitive and helpful way. Potential program participants must fill out a Salesforce-backed application, and Mangrove Web Development integrated that with our site.  They created a logo and style guide, which they integrated into the site. Their team also created graphics and an interactive map feature. For content creation, they connected us with one of their partner organizations.

What is the team composition?

My team engaged with a project manager, a graphic designer, Maiya (Founder and CEO, Mangrove Web Development), and several other team members.

How did you come to work with Mangrove Web Development?

We became aware of Mangrove Web Development through their certification as a B Corp, a movement my company is very supportive of. We were excited to work with them after getting to know their team and receiving raving reviews from their references.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project spanned January–May 2018.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The website is our program’s most significant piece of collateral. The logo and style guide have carried our brand forward. We have received feedback that the site is a friendly, informative, and engaging resource that fosters a positive user experience. Users also report that going from the website to the application is simple and straightforward, which is what we wanted.

How did Mangrove Web Development perform from a project management standpoint?

Mangrove Web Development was flexible and adaptable. When we proposed new ideas, such as the map feature, they acted quickly and delivered. We communicated regularly over the phone and email. The team was very efficient in their communications; they got the information they needed in a friendly and efficient manner, without taking too much of our time.

Our project manager was responsive and helpful. Maiya was also very involved and provided critical support. They deployed monday.com and provided a clear outline of the timelines for my team to reference. They progressed quickly and adhered to deadlines. Overall, project management was smooth and successful.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Mangrove Web Development was dedicated not only to the project but also to maintaining a positive partnership with us. Each team member was passionate, personable, and talented. They provided holistic support and services that helped us get the program and its public presence off the ground.

They understood our end user and successfully created strong educational and awareness-building site components. The team provided critical guidance in making our content digestible, inviting, and friendly. They were receptive to understanding our needs, and they ultimately produced high-quality results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t.

Any advice for potential customers?

Having a kickoff meeting set the tone for our project and initiated a good working relationship, so invest time in this. If possible, have the meeting in-person.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I manage digital media and communications relating to the chronic homelessness initiative for Tipping Point Community.

For what projects/services did your company hire Mangrove Web Development?

We hired Mangrove Web Development to custom develop a microsite to house our annual report online.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to articulate the breadth and significance of our work and convey gratitude to the donors who make it possible. We also wanted to illustrate the impact we've had in our community over the preceding year. 

How did you select this vendor?

They were the preferred partner of our creative agency. They were selected for their web development expertise.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Based on stakeholders' creative vision, Mangrove designed and developed a custom microsite with 30 pages. Users can scroll through the site to learn about our business model, our impact, and our donor community. The team also supported the transition of the site onto our main WordPress platform.

What was the team composition?

The producer at our creative agency coordinated with a designer. The team also included two developers.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We received several remarks from major donors about the high quality of the report. This pleased stakeholders because the donors were one of our most important audiences.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The producer at our creative agency was the primary project manager, and they worked to coordinate with stakeholders across the three organizations.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team patiently executed stakeholder feedback. They worked diligently to troubleshoot unforeseen technical challenges.

Are there any areas for improvement?

In the course of troubleshooting, Mangrove was eager to get the bespoke solution just right. However, a less perfect, simpler solution ended up being more appropriate given time constraints. An area of improvement might be to better manage expectations and be willing to fall back on generic solutions when delays begin to mount.