Oakland Strong
Updated: 5 days ago
Client: Oakland Strong — Olympic weightlifting community gym, powered by Lift Us Foundation (501(c)(3) nonprofit)
Role: Full design + build (new site from scratch)
Platform: Wix
Deliverables: Full site — homepage, adult classes, youth training, Rite of Passage program, about, donate, schedule, contact
The Brief
Oakland Strong needed a site built from scratch to explain a business model most visitors have never seen before: a for-profit-feeling community gym where adults pay to train, and that revenue directly funds free strength training for local youth athletes. The site had to convert two very different actions — adults signing up for classes, and donors/supporters giving to the mission — while making a genuinely unusual concept easy to understand at a glance.
The Process
The core design challenge was explaining a hybrid model without losing anyone — a visitor could be a fitness-curious adult, a parent looking for youth training, or a donor who's never set foot in a gym. A few decisions worth calling out:
The tagline does the heavy lifting — "TRAIN HERE. SUPPORT YOUTH." compresses the entire business model into four words, right at the top, before anyone has to read a paragraph to understand what this place even is
Three parallel entry points, not one funnel — "Join the Strength Club," "Drop-In Visit," and "Donate" sit side-by-side as equal options, acknowledging that not every visitor wants the same relationship with the gym
Numbers used as proof, not decoration — 10K+ mentoring hours, 1,500+ youth impacted, 100% high school graduation, 100% college acceptance are placed right where skepticism about "does this actually work" would naturally arise, turning an emotional pitch into a credible one
"Why It Matters" reframes the ask before the sell — explaining that Oakland's youth are losing access to safe after-school programs happens before asking anyone to join or donate, so the transaction feels like joining a mission rather than just buying a gym membership
Real athlete faces over generic gym stock photography — national champions, Team USA members, and local kids are shown by name and story, which matters enormously for a donation-powered nonprofit where donors want to see exactly who their support reaches
"Living installation" framing elevates the visual identity — describing the gym as "a space where youth weightlifting is both sport and art" gives Oakland Strong a distinct creative identity instead of reading as a standard nonprofit gym site
A patchwork website can cost you more than time — it can cost you trust, members, and the momentum a mission this important deserves. Oakland Strong needed a site that could explain something genuinely new — adults training so kids can train free — clearly enough for anyone to say yes on the spot. I design polished, cohesive websites for causes and community organizations that make it easy for supporters to understand, believe, and act. If your mission deserves a site as strong as the work you're doing, let's build it.
