No Person Left Behind need your help to learn how to update our website with DW 21.7

Hi ​@MsLinda ,

Most of us, who built websites years ago with IDE like FrontPage, Dreamweaver, Expression are today often, facing the same questions.

In fact, the site itself is not the real problem. The content can still be actual and correct, most of the pages still work, and the structure may still somehow usable. What progressivly changed since this past time is mostly the web environment itself: HTTPS, mobile compatibility, HTML and CSS standards, accessibility and the growing complexity of choices.

That’s why a full rebuild is not always the only reasonable path. In quite a few cases, it makes more sense to first understand what already exists, secure it and stabilize it, improve things progressively, and only later decide whether a complete migration is truly necessary, or not.

Understanding the existing structure first, and what is wobbly, identifying critical parts to be revised, improving security and maintenance, modernizing layouts progressively, and only then deciding whether a larger migration is really needed.
We actually wrote an article around that idea recently:
https://www.puce-et-media.com/refondre-en-douceur-une-methode-pour-moderniser-efficacement/

It is less about the tool itself, what ever it is, Dreamweaver or any others, but more about how to approach an older web site without necessarily having to start all over again... not everything was necessarily bad.

In an other side, tools like WordPress, Squarespace or others can absolutely make sense depending on the final goals, the amount of content, your budget, and above all, time available and technical comfort level. 

As always, there is probably no single universal answer anymore, only different paths depending on the project and the people maintaining it.
And honestly, the fact that you are still willing to learn and evolve your workflow after all these years is already something quite admirable 🙂

​@MsLinda , 

I think ​@Ben M and ​@Nancy OShea both raise very valid points, especially regarding security, hosting maintenance and long term sustainability.

Before making a major decision about rebuilding or migrating everything, it may help to better understand what kind of help and new features you actually need:
• updating existing pages,
• donation or contact forms,
• mobile support,
• news/events,
• multiple editors,
• or more dynamic functionality.

The answer may help determine whether a gradual modernization of the current site is enough, or whether moving toward WordPress, Squarespace or another platform would make more sense long term.

Since your workflow evolved progressively from FrontPage to Expression Web and then Dreamweaver over many years, it may also help to approach this transition step by step rather than feeling forced to rebuild everything immediately.

Dreamweaver 21.7 can still work perfectly well as a code editor and site management tool for maintaining older static or semi static websites. In many cases, the real challenge today is less Dreamweaver itself and more the surrounding ecosystem:
• secure hosting,
• HTTPS/SSL,
• backups,
• spam protection,
• responsive layouts,
• and modern maintenance practices.

Regarding the HTTPS/security issue ​@Nancy OShea mentioned, this article may also help clarify some of the practical migration steps older websites often encounter: Migrating a website from HTTP to HTTPS 

Please don’t hesitate to let us know

I wouldn’t recommend wordpress in these instances. If you are not wanting to work in code or worry about hosting, I would look towards a hosted solution like Squarespace or Wix. They offer non-profit discounts and have templates that you could easily use. They would also take care of the SSL and security that has been brought up. Then you don’t need the current hosting you have, nor the subscription to Dreamweaver which should save you a lot of money in the long run. There would still be the migration piece to move your content, but looking at the age of the site and that many links are to PDFs or external sites, it looks like that would be a moderate lift, but easier than trying to learn Dreamweaver or updating the site with Wordpress.

Your site has problems, it’s not on a secure web server. 😣

Use WordPress. That’s the favorite choice among non-profits, charities & NGOs. 

Here’s an example: NoChildLeftBehind

WordPress Themes for Non-Profits

https://jetpack.com/resources/best-wordpress-themes-and-plugins-for-nonprofits/

Learn to Use WordPress

https://learn.wordpress.org/

Switching from stand-alone software to WordPress moves your site editing from a single computer to your online website. Your WP dashboard can be accessed from anywhere with any web device (mobile, tablet or laptop). In a natural disaster, this could be critically important. 

Hope that helps.