Homepage Management Guide¶

This guide covers how to manage your organization's homepage content through the Django admin interface, including setting up the homepage configuration and managing content blocks.

Legal Notice

Organizations using Coalition Builder for advocacy activities should consult legal counsel to ensure compliance with applicable laws, including campaign finance, lobbying, privacy, and accessibility requirements.

Overview¶

Coalition Builder provides a flexible homepage management system that allows you to:

Configure organization information and branding
Manage hero section content
Create and organize content blocks
Control visibility and ordering of sections
Customize call-to-action sections

Accessing Homepage Management¶

Log into Django Admin:
Navigate to http://your-domain.com/admin/
Log in with your administrator credentials
Navigate to Homepage Management:
Look for the "Core" section in the admin interface
Click on "Homepage configurations" to manage overall settings
Click on "Content blocks" to manage individual content sections

Homepage Configuration¶

Basic Organization Setup¶

In the Homepage Configuration section, you'll find fields for:

Organization Information:

Organization Name: Your organization's full name
Tagline: A brief, memorable slogan or mission statement
Contact Email: Primary contact email displayed on the homepage
Contact Phone: Primary phone number (optional)

Hero Section:

Hero Title: Main headline visitors see first
Hero Subtitle: Supporting text that elaborates on your mission
Hero Background Image: Large background image for the hero section

About Section:

About Section Title: Heading for your organization's description
About Section Content: Rich text content describing your organization

Call-to-Action (CTA):

CTA Title: Compelling headline to encourage action
CTA Content: Brief description of what users should do
CTA Button Text: Text for the action button (e.g., "Get Involved")
CTA Button URL: Where the button should link to

Social Media Links:

Facebook URL: Link to your Facebook page
Twitter URL: Link to your Twitter/X account
LinkedIn URL: Link to your LinkedIn page

Campaign Section Settings¶

Campaigns Display:

Campaigns Section Title: Heading for your campaigns section
Campaigns Section Subtitle: Brief description of your campaigns
Show Campaigns Section: Toggle to show/hide the entire campaigns section

Homepage Activation¶

Important: Only one homepage configuration can be active at a time.

Is Active: Check this box to make this configuration live
When you activate a new configuration, any previously active one is automatically deactivated

Content Blocks Management¶

Content blocks are flexible sections that appear on your homepage in addition to the standard sections.

Content Block Types¶

Coalition Builder supports several content block types:

Text: Rich text content with formatting
Image: Single image with optional caption
Text + Image: Combined text and image layout
Quote: Highlighted quotations or testimonials
Statistics: Numerical data with descriptions
Custom HTML: Advanced users can add custom HTML content

Creating Content Blocks¶

Navigate to Content Blocks:
In Django admin, go to "Content blocks" under the Core section
Add New Content Block:
Click "Add content block"
Choose your block type from the dropdown
Fill in Content:
Title: Heading for this section
Content: Main content (varies by block type)
Order: Numerical position (lower numbers appear first)
Is Visible: Toggle to show/hide this block
Save and Continue:
Click "Save" to create the block
Use "Save and add another" to create multiple blocks quickly

Organizing Content Blocks¶

Ordering: Content blocks are displayed in ascending order by their "Order" field:

Order 1 appears first
Order 2 appears second
And so on...

Best Practices:

Leave gaps between order numbers (1, 10, 20) to make reordering easier
Use consistent ordering increments
Review the homepage after reordering to ensure proper display

Content Block Examples¶

Text Block Example:

Title: "Why Coalition Building Matters"
Block Type: Text
Content: <p>Effective policy change requires bringing together diverse voices...</p>
Order: 10
Is Visible: ✓

Statistics Block Example:

Title: "Our Impact"
Block Type: Statistics
Content: "500+ Stakeholders Engaged, 12 Bills Passed, 3 States Active"
Order: 20
Is Visible: ✓

Managing Images¶

Image Upload¶

When adding images to content blocks or hero sections:

File Requirements:
Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP
Recommended maximum size: 2MB
Optimal dimensions vary by use case
Hero Images:
Recommended size: 1920x1080 pixels or similar wide aspect ratio
Should work well with text overlay
Content Block Images:
Recommended size: 800x600 pixels or similar
Should be optimized for web display

Image Best Practices¶

Use descriptive filenames before uploading
Optimize images for web before uploading to improve page load speed
Consider accessibility - ensure sufficient contrast for text overlays
Test on mobile - verify images display well on small screens

Preview and Publishing¶

Previewing Changes¶

Save your changes in the Django admin
Visit your homepage in a new browser tab
Review the display and ensure content appears as expected
Check mobile responsiveness by resizing your browser window

Publishing Workflow¶

Changes take effect immediately when you save them. For important updates:

Make changes during low-traffic periods when possible
Test thoroughly before publishing major updates
Have a backup plan - know how to quickly revert changes if needed

Content Guidelines¶

Writing Effective Content¶

Homepage Content Should Be:

Clear and concise - visitors should quickly understand your mission
Action-oriented - encourage visitors to get involved
Regularly updated - keep campaigns and information current
Mobile-friendly - readable on all device sizes

Avoid:

Overly technical language that might confuse visitors
Too much text in any single section
Outdated information that could mislead visitors
Broken links in CTAs or content blocks

SEO Considerations¶

Use descriptive titles that include relevant keywords
Write compelling meta descriptions (handled in hero subtitle)
Ensure fast loading by optimizing images
Include relevant keywords naturally in your content

Troubleshooting¶

Common Issues¶

Content not appearing:

Check that "Is Visible" is checked for content blocks
Verify that homepage configuration "Is Active" is checked
Clear browser cache and refresh

Images not displaying:

Ensure image file size is under 2MB
Check that file format is supported (JPEG, PNG, WebP)
Verify file permissions if hosting images separately

Layout problems:

Check content block ordering
Ensure HTML content is properly formatted
Test on different screen sizes

Getting Help¶

If you encounter issues with homepage management:

Check this documentation first
Review Django admin error messages carefully
Test with simple content to isolate problems
Contact your system administrator for technical issues

Advanced Features¶

Custom HTML Blocks¶

For users comfortable with HTML:

Choose "Custom HTML" block type
Write clean, semantic HTML
Test thoroughly across different devices
Avoid inline styles when possible - use CSS classes instead

Integration with Campaigns¶

The homepage automatically displays your active campaigns when:

"Show Campaigns Section" is enabled in homepage configuration
You have active campaigns in your system
The campaigns section will update automatically as you add/remove campaigns

This guide covers the essential aspects of homepage management. For more advanced customization or technical questions, consult your system administrator or developer.