Element Fusion Donates More Than a Dozen LightCMS Subscriptions to Non-Profit Organizations in 2010

OKLAHOMA CITY –  Element Fusion, developer of premier Web content management system LightCMS, introduces its Shine the Light! program, a philanthropic initiative to encourage Web designers to give back to their communities. When a LightCMS Web design reseller donates time to design a Web site for a non-profit organization of their choice, LightCMS steps in to provide the non-profit with its powerful, Web-based tools, hosting, and support for an entire calendar year, free of charge. LightCMS has donated 14 pro bono projects over the past year and plans to double that number in 2011.

Recent Shine the Light! recipient Sean Lukasik, freelance designer of CreAgent Marketing and adjunct professor at Corning Community College in Corning, New York, leveraged Shine the Light! to host a competition among students in his Web design classes. Under his guidance, Lukasik’s students utilized LightCMS to develop and launch an actual Web site for a pre-selected local non-profit, the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes. The Web site project helped students learn about Web design via the state-of-the-art LightCMS platform. Student winner Derek Slife gained hands-on experience, while giving back to local community arts initiatives.

“Through LightCMS’s Shine the Light! program, my students donated their time and expertise to a local non-profit, while working with a professional program that provided all of the design, hosting and management tools they needed to create a creative, functional site – completely free for the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes,” says Sean Lukasik.

Recognizing the need for Web design amongst non-profit organizations, LightCMS gives its resellers the ability to design a Web site for the non-profit of their choice. Once a non-profit is selected and a designer donates his or her time, LightCMS steps in to provide the non-profit with free access to its entire system and array of tools. Neither the non-profit nor the designer ever have to worry about hosting configurations or software upgrades, and the robust Web-based tools allow the organization to easily manage its site’s content.

“We’re excited to be able to create an outlet for designers to donate their design expertise and provide a service for non-profits,” says Tim Wall, Director of Product Marketing with LightCMS. “Using LightCMS, Web designers have a sophisticated Web design platform that gives them the necessary tools and hosting needed to create a high quality Web site for an organization that may not otherwise have the financial means.”

To participate in LightCMS’s Shine the Light! program, Web designers must be enrolled in the LightCMS Rewards programs. When designers reach a bronze level ($100 in recurring revenue using LightCMS), they become eligible to support one Shine the Light! project per calendar year. Click here more information on LightCMS’s Shine the Light! program.

Oklahoma City's NBC affiliate KFOR produced and aired a two minute feature on Element Fusion this week as a part of its "Is this a great State or what?" series. The segment highlights our company's history and gives a nice look inside the Element Fusion offices. We'd like to thank Galen Culver and the KFOR team for putting this together. You can check out the full feature below.

The Oklahoman published a story today about a website developed by an Oklahoma family for the purpose of sharing stories of kindness. The story, entitled "Edmond family launches site to encourage kindness," highlights the website AsWeDoLife.com, which offers users the opportunity to share their own stories about how the kindness of others has made an impact on their lives. These stories are then published on the site for others to read and comment on.

Element Fusion provided CMS integration services for this site, which now runs on our own CMS platform. The client already had their own design but needed the ability to better control and manage content, and our CMS now provides them that opportunity. We also assisted with the implementation of a shopping cart system through which they sell products to support their work on the website.

We wanted to say congratulations to the Benkendorf family on the vision and success of their new website, as well as the great press coverage they've achieved. We're honored to be a part of this project with them and look forward to their continued success.