I often get asked about union websites – and what makes a good website. There’s loads of general advice out there about how to get a fantastically designed website, and what goes into making them usable and interactive. Check out Smashing Magazine as a good place to start for general advice. 

• Read my 2012 post on well designed non-profit websites and my post on the best union and non-profit websites of 2013.

What I thought would be interesting and useful would be to track down some good union websites and highlight some of their best features.

The websites below aren’t the absolute word on “best” union websites, and by no means are any of them perfect. I’ve tried to find sites in Australia and internationally (and US sites feature prominently).

1. NUW

https://www.nuw.org.au/

What’s good:

• Very clear calls to action – Join, Get Active, Get Help
• Members are front and centre
• Option to sign up to the e-news letter

2. SEIU

https://www.seiu.org/

What’s good:

• Major news and campaign items are clearly highlighted.
• Lots of options for taking action and engaging with the site.
• Multimedia/featured video (YouTube) on home page.

3. Warehouse Workers United

https://www.warehouseworkersunited.org/

What’s good:

• You can join the campaign from the front page
• There’s a Spanish version of the website.
• Very clear and simple layout with lots of “white space” (i.e. not cluttered)

4. Walmart Workers for Change

[box border=”full”]UPDATE: This website has substantially changed since I originally posted this article.[/box]

https://www.walmartworkersforchange.org/

What’s good:

• Clear call to action – “Watch Video” – with other options to get involved.
• Email update signup and Spanish version of the site
• Campaign news is prominent

5. UNITE HERE

https://www.unitehere.org/

What’s good:

• Major union campaigns are easily accessible from front page
• Clean design and consistent colour palette
• Links to Facebook, Spanish site and e-newsletter on home page

6. MUA

https://www.mua.org.au/

What’s good:

• News and campaigns are separate
• A clear “About” secion is on the front page
• Slider puts most important content at the centre of the page without drowning out the other parts of the site

7. Blue Green Alliance

https://www.bluegreenalliance.org/

What’s good:

• Great colour combo that ties thematically with the purpose of the site
• Mission statement is made clear
• Calls to action are most prominent part of home page.

8. United Steel Workers

https://www.usw.org/

What’s good:

• Slider shows a thumbnail of the content, as well as makes important content prominent
• Media and blog are separate, both include RSS
• E-news signup form on home page

What do you think?

Have I missed some really good sites from other countries? Is your union’s site well designed or cutting edge?