Paddles Up — Website Redesign for Paddle For Life
A WordPress redesign for a Vancouver, WA nonprofit dragon boat charity event — focused on improving the donation experience, simplifying navigation, and building a site worthy of the community it serves.
A nonprofit with a big heart — and a website that needed to match it.
Paddle For Life is a dragon boat racing charity event based out of Vancouver, WA, raising money for those in need through a fun, community-driven experience. The existing site wasn't telling that story well — it lacked the depth and clarity visitors needed to understand the event, register their teams, or make donations with confidence. This referral came through my own dragon boat racing team, and it's been one of the most rewarding ongoing client relationships I've had. The redesign started with the homepage and grew from there — new page layouts, donation forms connected to PayPal, registration forms tied to Google Forms, and a consistent visual language built around the mission. The site had to work as well on mobile as it did on desktop, for participants and sponsors alike.
The Problem
A site that undersold the event and made giving harder than it needed to be.
The previous site didn't explain the event well enough for first-time visitors, and the donation and registration experience left a lot to be desired. Users wanted flexibility in how they gave — fixed donation tiers weren't working — and the team signup process needed a complete rethink.
From wireframes to a fully functioning charitable giving experience.
The redesign started with low fidelity wireframes to establish the site structure and get board approval before moving into visual design. From there, the work focused on building a visually engaging site that kept the mission front and center — large photography, strategic typography, and a clean layout using white with deep orange and blue accents to emphasize key content.
Wireframes & Design Process
Adobe IllustratorStarting with low fidelity wireframes allowed the board to sign off on structure before any visual design decisions were made — keeping the project moving efficiently and avoiding late-stage redirects.
Homepage & Site Design
WordPress Adobe PhotoshopThe homepage led with bold, enticing hero imagery and clear calls to action for the three main user groups — participants, sponsors, and donors. Mobile parity was a non-negotiable throughout.
A referral from my dragon boat team that turned into one of my favorite clients.
Paddle For Life came to me through my own dragon boat racing community, and that personal connection made the work feel meaningful from day one. Getting to design for an organization whose mission I genuinely believe in — charitable giving through a sport I love — made every iteration feel worthwhile. The most satisfying outcome was seeing charitable donations increase after launch, a direct result of removing friction from the giving experience and letting users set their own donation amounts. The board was happy, the visitors responded well, and the site has continued to grow. It's the kind of long-term client relationship that reminds you why doing good work for good people matters.