Legal Aid Society of Monmouth County

Website Rebuild & Online Application

Prepared for
The Board of Trustees
At the request of
Margaret (Peggy) Freeman, Executive Director
Meeting
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Prepared by
Joe Stevens

The Board has asked why more applicants aren't qualifying. The likeliest answer is that they never finish applying.

The Application for Assistance cannot be completed on a phone. Applicants download it, print it, fill it in by hand and mail it back — or they email their eligibility documents pasted into the body of a message, where staff cannot print them. Many simply stop partway. The website they land on first was written for attorneys rather than for the low-income, disabled and elderly residents the Society exists to serve.

This proposal covers two pieces of work: rebuilding the website around the people who need help, and putting the application online so it can be completed, submitted and tracked.

What this changes

1

More applicants reach the finish line

An application that works on a phone, saves its progress, and accepts documents directly is one that people in difficult circumstances can actually complete. That is the shortest path to qualifying more of the residents the Society is here for.

2

Staff can work from anywhere

Applications and documents currently exist only as paper in a filing cabinet, which means processing only happens in the office. Online, the Executive Assistant can review files, see who has stalled and follow up from home — allowing the Society to retain experienced staff through changing schedules rather than recruiting and training anew.

3

Grant obligations are met

The New Jersey State Bar Foundation requires acknowledgement of its grant on the Society's website. That acknowledgement is not currently there. It goes up as part of this work, along with a blog the staff can post to directly after fundraisers and outreach events.

Scope of work

Website rebuild

$2,500

All seven pages rebuilt and rewritten in plain language, with the first page answering the two questions applicants actually arrive with — what do you cover, and will you help me? Material for donors, sponsors and grant-makers moves to its own pages, where it serves those readers properly instead of standing between a client and the help they came for.

  • Works correctly on phones, which is how most applicants will reach it
  • Meets accessibility standards for visitors using screen readers or with low vision
  • Adds the New Jersey State Bar Foundation grant acknowledgement
  • Replaces the dead Amazon Smile links and repairs the expired map showing an error on every page
  • A real donations page — Venmo, event sponsorships, and card-giving options reviewed
  • A working blog, with a walkthrough so staff can post without waiting on anyone
  • Stays on WordPress, so day-to-day updates remain straightforward

Online application

$2,500

The Application for Assistance rebuilt as a secure online form that can be completed start to finish from a phone, with no printing, scanning or mailing.

  • Applicants upload their eligibility documents directly, so nothing arrives embedded in an email
  • Progress saves automatically — an applicant gathering six months of bank statements can return and pick up where they left off
  • A staff view showing every application in progress, how complete each one is, and which have gone quiet, so staff can reach out before an applicant gives up
  • Reachable securely from outside the office, so processing is no longer tied to the filing cabinet
  • Held on a platform built for confidential information, with encryption and a signed data agreement, since applications carry Social Security numbers, pay stubs and bank statements

Cost

Comparable proposals from web studios for this scope $12,000 – 15,000
My standard rate for this scope $7,000
Offered to the Society $5,000

The $2,000 difference is offered as a contribution to the Society's work. A two-person organization that keeps a county's indigent, disabled and elderly residents in front of a lawyer is worth supporting, and this is the form my support can usefully take.

Ongoing cost

The secure form platform is a separate subscription, paid by the Society directly to the provider. I have found the Society a nonprofit rate on it.

Zoho Forms, secure tier — list price $90 / month
Covered by Zoho's nonprofit program −$45 / month
Cost to the Society $45 / mo

Zoho grants registered 501(c)(3) organizations a one-time $5,000 credit that pays half of every invoice until it is exhausted — at this subscription, roughly nine years. It is the same kind of arrangement as the Society's existing TechSoup discount on QuickBooks, and the Society is already validated through that programme. The application is free, commits the Society to nothing, and takes seven to ten business days, so it is worth submitting ahead of any decision to proceed.

This tier is what holds the confidential material: encryption of stored data, an access log recording which staff member opened which file, and automatic deletion of applications once the Society's three-year retention period expires. No other recurring charge, and no obligation to a subscription the Society has not seen priced.

Terms

Timeline

Approximately six weeks from approval and account access. The website is delivered first, in about four weeks, so it is carrying event coverage and donation links well before year-end giving.

Payment

Half on commencement, half on completion.

Included

All copywriting, design, build, and a handover session with staff. No separate design or content fee.

Not included

The platform subscription above. No other recurring charge from me.

Required to begin

Administrator access to the Society's WordPress account. This currently sits with a trustee. Work cannot start without it, so it would help to assign that handover at the same meeting the work is approved.

Confirmation of which staff need their own login to view submitted applications, and whether any part of the site is needed in Spanish.