Guide Dogs of Texas launches new website to better serve clients, volunteers and donors

After months of planning and gathering valuable feedback from staff, volunteers and clients, Guide Dogs of Texas (GDTX) has recently launched its newly-designed website to better serve its clients, volunteers and donors.

Larry Tuttle, GDTX president and CEO, explained that the new website was necessary as part of the nonprofit’s continued growth and expansion, which requires an updated brand and greater presence in the community. In addition, because much of the first contact between GDTX and a potential client is through their website, the organization wanted to ensure that the site was user friendly.

“High on our list of goals for this new website is to include stories and images that let the community know who our clients are and the challenges they face,” Tuttle said. “We want our clients to have a voice in our branding.”

The website, he added, will complement efforts to attract volunteers to let them know about available volunteer opportunities, and to attract donors who can give to GDTX through estate planning and legacy gifts. 

Blonde Creative, a local award-winning, advertising and multi-media agency, designed the website and was tasked with giving the former site a fresh new look and making it easier for visitors to navigate. Creative Director Louis Cardenas said working on the web development project was rewarding and allowed his team to learn about the organization which serves visually impaired Texans.

“It was a pleasure working with Guide Dogs of Texas and helping provide the organization with the tools necessary to effectively market Guide Dogs of Texas,” Cardenas said. “Increasing awareness about the organization and helping them grow their donor base through the website was our focus, and we could not have accomplished this without the tremendous help and support of their staff and board.”

Blonde Creative also programmed the website to be screen-reader friendly for visually impaired clients and potential clients visiting the site. “We felt it was important to accommodate the organization’s clients, so that they would have a much easier time navigating the site and searching for resources,” Cardenas said.

Tuttle invites the community to view the site at www.guidedogsoftexas.org. “We’ve received a lot of positive feedback about it,” he said.

Guide Dogs of Texas is dedicated to providing guide dogs to visually impaired Texans to increase their freedom, mobility and independence. It is the only guide dog school in Texas and is one of 11 accredited guide dogs schools in the country.