Vialogix Launches Upgraded Web Site for The Duke Endowment

CHARLOTTE, NC – July 29, 2005 – Vialogix, a Charlotte-based web development firm, announces the launch of an enhanced web site for The Duke Endowment, www.dukeendowment.org.

The Duke Endowment was established as a charitable trust with a $40 million gift by industrialist James Buchanan Duke in 1924. Its founding indenture directed it to make grants in North Carolina and South Carolina in the areas of higher education, health care, children’s welfare, and spiritual life.

The overarching goal of the web site is to clearly explain the Endowment’s mission, its focus and the achievements of its grantees. Specific functionality includes:

• Dissemination of reports, assessments, evaluations, and other information relating to Duke Endowment grants and grant programs
• Greater and easier access to information for both grant seekers and grantees<
• Improved search tool that enables users to obtain more detailed results from their queries

Before designing the web site, Vialogix conducted extensive interviews with existing grant recipients to assess the most significant gaps in the current site and the most consistent needs expressed by those surveyed.

According to David Roberson, Director of Communications for the Duke Endowment, “The in-depth interviews were critical to the process. Vialogix was able to identify users’ information needs that were not being adequately met and to design a new site that streamlines their access to that information. The new site also highlights Great Grants and shows future grant seekers what we view as excellent uses for The Duke Endowment resources.”

Vialogix accomplished the Endowment’s objectives by organizing the core content into four main divisions; Education, Health Care, Child Care and Rural Church, with each containing grant examples, forms, FAQs, and contacts for each specific grant area. Added Mr. Roberson, “We now have an extremely user-friendly and information rich web site to meet the needs of all our audiences.”