Request for Proposals · Response
A proposal to the Sharon Community Development Corporation for the redesign, development, and ongoing care of SharonPA.com. Structured section by section against your RFP, so your committee can score it directly against what you asked for.
Angie,
SharonPA.com should be the front door to the city's quality of life. The place where residents find what is happening this weekend, where visitors discover downtown, where businesses gain real visibility, and where investors see a community on the move.
EVM builds websites as complete ranking and marketing systems, engineered from the first day to be found on Google, to showcase Sharon's businesses and events, and to be maintained continuously so the site never falls behind. Just as important for this project: the community directory and events engine your RFP asks for is not something I would build from scratch. I already operate that platform technology in production today, which means Sharon gets a proven system on an accelerated timeline, not an experiment.
This proposal follows the structure of your RFP so the committee can evaluate it against your stated requirements directly. I would also welcome the chance to show you a live preview of a redesigned homepage, so you can see the direction before making any commitment. A first draft of that preview is already linked in this package.
EVM (Effective Visibility Marketing) is a full-stack web development and AI marketing firm. Unlike a traditional design shop, EVM builds, ranks, and manages web properties as living marketing systems. The work is led by Jesse Anema, drawing on 23 years of experience working with businesses to build, rank, and scale their digital presence.
The core of what SCDC is requesting, a community directory, an events engine, SEO-driven discovery, and ongoing management, is already live in EVM's production platform. Sharon would receive a proven system, deployed and branded for the community, rather than a first attempt.
EVM operates a directory platform of 10,000+ indexed pages that actively drives organic search traffic and is built to promote local businesses, attractions, services, and events. It provides the exact capabilities named in Section 4: business listings, attractions, services, search and filtering, event listings and submission, category filtering, and calendar and list views.
EVM designs and builds custom, mobile-first, accessible websites engineered to rank. Recent work includes multi-page SEO architectures in production. Every build ships with WCAG accessibility, structured data, XML sitemaps, Google Analytics and Search Console, and performance optimization as standard, not as add-ons.
With $17.5M+ in managed ad spend, EVM can unlock the Google Ad Grants program for a qualifying 501(c)(3): up to $10,000 per month, roughly $120,000 per year, in free Google advertising. Most nonprofits never claim it because it requires a compliant website and expert management. If SCDC qualifies, EVM sets it up and runs it at zero media cost.
References. A named client reference is provided below. Additional references relevant to community, directory, and local-business web work will be provided on request, alongside live access to EVM's directory platform so the committee can evaluate the directory and events technology directly, rather than from screenshots. The redesign preview in this package is the same idea applied to Sharon: see the work before you commit.
Client reference
EVM follows the exact scope structure in Section 3 of the RFP. Each phase ends in a defined deliverable and an SCDC sign-off, so the committee is never guessing about status.
Kickoff meeting, audit of existing content, information architecture and sitemap, UX recommendations, wireframes for key pages, and a technical specification document.
Custom brand-aligned design, homepage plus up to twelve unique page templates, mobile-first responsive layouts, and a minimum of two design review cycles.
CMS build, responsive front end, site search, contact and event submission forms, newsletter and social integration, analytics, SEO best practices, WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility, and performance optimization. The community directory and events engine are deployed here.
Migration of approved content, formatting and image optimization, and SEO metadata implementation so nothing valuable is lost in the move.
Accessibility, browser, device, and performance testing, launch support, and post-launch monitoring against the metrics that matter.
Live staff training sessions and full administrative documentation, so SCDC staff can add events, manage listings, and publish content without a developer.
EVM recommends a modern, widely supported content management system chosen so non-technical SCDC staff can add events, manage business listings, and update content after launch with no developer required. The recommendation balances ease of maintenance, accessibility, performance, and the directory and events functionality central to this project. Full documentation and live training are included.
SCDC receives a single point of contact in Jesse Anema, a shared project timeline with milestone visibility, and scheduled check-ins at each phase gate. Between milestones, progress and preview links are shared so the committee always knows where the project stands.
Section 4 of the RFP names six feature areas. Here is how each is delivered. The directory and events capabilities are already running in EVM's platform today.
Business listings, attractions, services, and full search and filtering. This is EVM's live platform technology, branded for Sharon.
Community event listings, resident event submission, category filtering, and both calendar and list views.
A blog and news platform with categories, tagging, and featured content for downtown storytelling.
Commercial property resources, development opportunities, incentives and grant information, and business assistance programs.
Relocation and neighborhood information, community amenities, and tourism content for visitors and new residents.
Business mapping, event calendars, interactive community guides, and third-party integrations, offered as optional add-ons per Section 7.
Targeted to SCDC's stated 10 to 14 week launch window, aligned to content readiness and review cycles.
Presented as Section 7 requests: a fixed project cost, itemized inclusions, and optional service pricing priced separately.
Fixed project cost · everything in Sections 3 & 6
| Item | Included | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery & planning | Kickoff, content audit, information architecture, sitemap, UX recommendations, wireframes, tech spec | |
| Custom design | Homepage, up to 12 unique templates, mobile-first responsive, minimum 2 review cycles | |
| Development | CMS, site search, contact & event forms, newsletter & social, analytics, SEO, accessibility, performance | |
| Community directory & events | Listings, attractions, services, search/filter, calendar & list views, category filter, submission | |
| Content migration | Migration, formatting and image optimization, SEO metadata | |
| Testing, launch & training | Accessibility/browser/device/performance testing, launch support, monitoring, staff training, docs, warranty | |
| Total fixed project cost | Within SCDC's stated $10,000 to $15,000 budget | $14,000 |
Optional service pricing · priced separately per RFP §7
| Optional service | Pricing | Cadence |
|---|---|---|
| Ongoing website maintenance & management | Hosting, security, updates, SEO, content care | $750 / mo |
| Google Ad Grant setup & management | Up to $10K/mo in free ad spend, if 501(c)(3) | Included w/ mgmt |
| Interactive business mapping solution | Map-driven directory experience | $1,500 one-time |
| Business directory enhancements | Premium listings, lead capture | Quoted on scope |
| Additional content migration | Beyond approved scope | $95 / hr |
| Photography / videography coordination | Sourcing and direction | Quoted on scope |
Post-launch support: the first 30 days after launch are covered under warranty at no additional cost. Ongoing management thereafter is billed monthly and is entirely optional. SCDC may also self-manage using the trained-staff documentation provided.
The community directory and events engine you are asking for is already live and indexing in EVM's platform, deployed and branded for Sharon on an accelerated timeline.
$355M+ generated for clients, $17.5M+ in managed ad spend, 235K+ leads, 1M+ tasks automated, across 23 years of building and scaling for businesses.
Sites are engineered to be found: WCAG 2.1 AA, structured data, XML sitemaps, Analytics and Search Console, and performance-first delivery, all standard.
Up to $120K per year in free Google advertising for a qualifying nonprofit, set up and managed by EVM at zero media cost, driving visitors straight to the new SharonPA.com.