SAGE
Making community more accessible: Unifying SAGE’s digital ecosystem for LGBTQ+ elders
Overview
Unifying six SAGE websites into a single, intuitive ecosystem for users and SAGE team members
SAGE is the world’s largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ older adults. Their services span housing, advocacy, health resources, and community programming, delivered through a complex digital footprint.
SAGE came to demandDrive with a challenge: unify six disparate websites into a single, intuitive, ADA-compliant ecosystem that could serve a diverse, older adult user base. They needed a platform that balanced accessibility with sophistication, and could house thousands of resources while remaining easy to navigate.
Within a year, demandDrive delivered a cohesive, multi-site ecosystem: six interconnected sites unified under an intuitive user experience, powered by a custom WordPress backend. The result is a robust, accessible, and future-proof digital platform that SAGE can scale as their mission grows.hed partnership, requiring the consolidation of legacy content, new product offerings, and a unified brand identity.
The Challenge
Fragmented sites created UX, accessibility, and management hurdles
SAGE’s digital presence had grown organically over time, resulting in six separate websites that served different purposes but lacked consistency and cohesion. This fragmentation created major hurdles:
- User experience barriers: navigation differed across sites, creating friction for an older audience.
- Accessibility gaps: the sites were not uniformly ADA-compliant, limiting usability for people with visual, auditory, or cognitive differences.
- Content overload: thousands of PDFs, videos, and resources were siloed, making discovery difficult.
- Backend inefficiencies: SAGE’s staff needed to manage multiple CMS instances, wasting valuable time and creating opportunities for error.
With limited budget flexibility and a tight timeline driven by grant restrictions, SAGE needed a novel solution—one that addressed UX, accessibility, and technical complexity in a single build.
The Solution: IA & UX
Building on intuitive IA, UX, content navigation
demandDrive led with deep research, prioritizing accessibility and ease of navigation for an older audience. Teams designed a persistent navigation framework across all sites, ensuring users could seamlessly move between properties without losing context.
To handle the massive content library, demandDrive implemented a robust taxonomy system that made it easy for users to filter, search, and access resources by type, topic, or format. Every interaction was designed for minimal friction, from sign-up flows to browsing community programs.
The Solution: Design
ADA compliance baked into exceptional design
Accessibility was essential. Serving LGBTQ+ older adults—many with age-related changes in vision, hearing, mobility, or cognition—the digital experience had to be inclusive by design.
demandDrive’s Design and UX teams relied on extensive research into color contrast, font sizing, and UI patterns that worked for users with varying abilities. This ensured the ecosystem met ADA standards, from color contrast and font sizing to keyboard navigation and screen reader compatibility.
One of the more nuanced challenges came from working across multiple SAGE sub-brands whose established color palettes weren’t always compliant when used in digital environments. To resolve this, the Design team introduced new tints, shades, and complementary colors that honored each brand’s identity while achieving proper contrast ratios. This thoughtful color recalibration preserved brand recognition across the ecosystem without sacrificing accessibility.
The team also minimized friction for users with limited technical familiarity by simplifying sign-ups, streamlining navigation, and making thousands of resources easy to find and consume in video, PDF, or text formats. The end product is visually cohesive, ADA-compliant, and intuitive—an ecosystem that feels approachable and modern while respecting the needs of SAGE’s audience.
The Solution: Technology
Delivering novel development solutions for a scalable suite of sites
The multi-site WordPress build structure allowed for streamlined management & global navigation connecting all SAGE sites. The technical complexity of the build was significant. demandDrive delivered:
- A customized WordPress backend with tiered user access for SAGE’s staff and content partners.
- Single sign-on (SSO) integration via Mini Orange, reducing barriers for users navigating across sites.
- Advanced taxonomy and tagging to support thousands of resources.
- Flexible CMS modules that allow SAGE to update content quickly without development support.
The team successfully migrated thousands of pieces of content, overcame interconnection challenges across six sites, and delivered a backend that earned strong praise from SAGE staff for its usability and stability.
The Results
Six sites, one unified experience
SAGEUSA: The flagship site of the organization, SAGEUSA serves as the central hub for SAGE’s mission, programs, advocacy initiatives, and organizational news. It provides visitors with a clear understanding of SAGE’s nationwide impact, key services, and opportunities to get involved or support the organization.
SAGEServes: Focused on community engagement and volunteerism, SAGEServes connects users with opportunities to contribute to local programs and initiatives. It emphasizes the “resource-to-people” model, helping SAGE extend its impact through coordinated community action.
SAGECare: This site focuses on training and resources for professionals and caregivers working with LGBTQ+ older adults. It features educational materials, certification programs, and guidance for creating inclusive, affirming environments for aging LGBTQ+adults.
SAGEYou: A first-of-its-kind desktop and mobile social platform designed specifically for LGBTQ+ older adults. It provides a safe, accessible space to connect, share experiences, participate in events, and access resources tailored to their unique needs.
SAGEVenture: Dedicated to innovation and partnerships, SAGEVenture highlights entrepreneurial programs, research initiatives, and pilot projects that advance services for LGBTQ+ elders. It showcases SAGE’s forward-looking approach and commitment to scalable solutions.
The National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging: A comprehensive resource hub providing research, best practices, and educational materials for organizations, policymakers, and service providers. This site centralizes knowledge to support the wider aging and LGBTQ+ communities.
The Results
SAGE was thrilled with the outcome
Beyond the measurable results, SAGE expressed strong appreciation for demandDrive’s technical, collaborative approach and ability to deliver under challenging circumstances. They highlighted how intuitive and easy-to-manage the new backend is, particularly the convenience of managing all sites through a single login.
SAGE also emphasized the team’s flexibility in navigating shifting needs, responsiveness to small requests, and clear communication around technical decisions and costs. Despite the complexities of coordinating across multiple departments and working within strict funding constraints, SAGE felt supported throughout the process and praised demandDrive for keeping the project organized, on track, and aligned with their broader mission.
Key takeaways:
Accessibility as innovation
thoughtful ADA-compliant design ensured the platform met the needs of older adults with varying levels of digital literacy.
Nonprofit sector expertise
This project demonstrates demandDrive’s ability to execute resource-to-people models at scale.
Scalable, future-proof ecosystem
SAGE now has a digital infrastructure capable of evolving alongside their mission.
Simplified complexity
demandDrive coordinated multiple stakeholders and delivered on time, despite grant-driven deadlines and budget constraints.
Proven outcomes powering real business gains
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