The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research is an independent, non-profit think tank located in Washington, DC. Founded in 1943, AEI is dedicated to preserving and strengthening the foundations of freedom through scholarly research, open debate, and publications. The organization is home to some of the world’s foremost experts, who provide congressional testimony, consult with government agencies, and are frequently cited by the national media.
Challenge
As one of the nation’s premier think tanks, AEI required a scalable web solution to effectively distribute its research to policymakers, the media, and academics. The previous web site contained over 20,000 documents, but was difficult to navigate and lacked an adequate search engine. AEI also needed a visually appealing site that could highlight the work of their scholars, boost conference attendance, and increase revenues.Solutions
After assessing AEI’s goals and strategy, eResources set out to build a highly navigable, feature-rich web site. Utilizing the latest generation of their Content Management System (eRCMS), the eResources team created a customized solution to meet all of AEI’s needs. AEI can now efficiently disseminate their research to a larger constituency, especially outside the Beltway.
The robust site includes a searchable database that returns refined results, so visitors can quickly locate the information they need. eResources also developed a “My AEI” feature, which allows users to personalize the web site to reflect their interests.
eResources created other custom applications for AEI, including a Virtual Scholar feature, a News and Commentary section, and an Events Manager. Additionally, an eCommerce tool has helped AEI increase revenues through online donations, bookstore sales, and event registration. The site is also designed to provide AEI’s research projects with the ability to grow while maintaining a uniform look and feel.
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Monty Brown, Vice President for Publications
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"Working with eResources was the best decision we could have made for revamping our website. Dusty Gulleson and his colleagues focused on our needs, our mission, and our priorities from the start and were model collaborators for our project."
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American Enterprise Institute Case Study
