The Michigan Fraternal Order of Police (MiFOP) is the United State’s largest police organization with a membership of 356,000. Founded in 1915, the MiFOP represents professional, full-time officers from all agencies of law enforcement.

The organization approached us last year to help them build a new mobile app because they weren’t happy with the way their current app looked and functioned, and wanted to move to something better.

After building their new mobile app, they approached us again and asked if we could also revamp their entire website because they were unable to properly maintain it, which is critical if you want to create a useful and engaging website. They were also unhappy with their website’s design and wanted a refreshed look.

Website Redesign

With our marching orders in hand, we got to work right away and redesigned their website to include a new members-only section and a cleaner layout that includes a full-width interface and a floating menu. 

We decided to use the WordPress theme builder Elementor, which fit nicely with their organization’s requirements to be able to modify the site on their own with little technical background.. We made sure that their members’ credentials worked on the organization’s website as well as their mobile app so that they could easily sign-in regardless of whether they were using the website or app.

We wanted them to be able to easily update the content on their website, which was one of their biggest concerns about their old website. Fortunately, at 14 Oranges most of the websites we build are powered by WordPress.  

Why WordPress

In fact, one of the biggest benefits, when we build a customized website for our customers, is that we use the WordPress platform, which is an open-source content management system written in PHP and paired with a MySQL or MariaDB database. 

Its features include a plugin architecture and a template system, referred to as themes, making it easy to create customized websites that are also mobile-friendly. WordPress also happens to be the world’s most popular website building platform accounting for more than 43 percent of all websites on the internet. 

Thanks to WordPress’s robust platform and effective communication from the Michigan Fraternal Order of Police we were able to redesign and launch their new website in less than four months. This type of turnaround isn’t unheard of; however, it often relies on how quickly our customers are able to make decisions and respond to our emails. The faster they can get back to us, the faster our website designers can get to work and build your website and MiFOP was extremely responsive to all our inquiries ensuring a quick website turn around. 

Next Steps

If you are an association or organization that needs to refresh or redesign your website or mobile app but aren’t sure where to start, give us a call and we would be happy to answer any questions you may have. We’ve got more than 20 years of experience building custom websites and mobile apps and would be more than willing to help you find the right solution to fit your budget and your organization’s needs.

Sylvain Marcotte is CEO and President of 14 Oranges.