Background In order to strengthen our brand and communicate with potential new members and donors the Swedish Rheumatism Association 2010 decided to create a new website. The website will be integrated with the register of members, members can log on to his/her own page, an intranet is created and you can donate on-line. Visitors of the website will be able communicate actively with us through facebook etc.

Objectives Strengthen our brand name “The Swedish Rheumatism Association”. Increase the quality, perceived value of membership (make a zero measurement and follow up over time); through improved self-affirmation; relationship (multiple channels such as web, intranet, community, email, RSS and calendar); more dialogue; the best designed website in its category; integrate the membership directory and website. Increase the number of members with at least 1000 new members net/year; 55,000 members per 2016. Fundraising goal; increased collection/gifts; 30,000 active donors by 2016, increase the volume by 2 million SEK/year.

Methods We started 2010 by carrying out a Feasibility study for procurement and wrote a Requirements specification which was completed February 2011. Procurement was conducted in three stages; 1 for development of a new membership system and integration ofit; 2 forgraphic design, content structure and interface design; 3 for the publishing system i.e. development of templates and functionality of content managementand implementation of page templates and content management functionality. June 2011 we signed contracts with two suppliers, wrote a project plan, formed working groups and started to work. During the autumn we had numerous working group meetings with our suppliers and with colleagues. We discussed and confirmed our objectives, made targetgroup analysis of expected audiences, needs and MWR (Most Wanted Response) and prioritized. We entered the preproduction face in November, wrote new articles and uppdated existing, took pictures, procured pictograms and illustrationsand worked in a development website and tested. The production face began in January 2012 and during 3 intensive weeks we put al parts together and tested. Finally we published the new website on the 28 of January. Apart from some minor flaws everything worked and together with our suppliers we managed to fix them at once.

Results We now have a modern and user-friendly and communicative website. You can by logging on to my page and membership directory on the website work in the intranet, an intranet that support members in their daily association work. Major focus on what it is like to live with rheumatic diseases and of the importance of research with the aim of solving the riddle of rheumatism. The website is now an excellent new tool for sustaining fundraising and payment of fees etc. online. A user friendly web tool where employees and members easily can write articles, comment on news, enter appointments and events on the calendar, etc.

Conclusions It is premature to draw any conclusions today. We will monitor the content, functions and expected goals regularly. We will continue to develop the site in terms of content, features, forums, etc. One tool that we use from the start is Google Analytics, which provides many facts about the visitors, the pages they find interesting to visit and if they become members, give a gift, comment articles, etc. Itwill be an excellent opportunity to talk at EULAR 2012 in Berlin on the progress of the website.

1. www.reumatikerforbundet.org

Disclosure of Interest None Declared