Find true north. Then broadcast it.
Proposal in response to the LICA RFP
A new site for licapital.org at no cost, built on your existing Wild Apricot platform, with a clear, honest read of the other services the RFP bundles in so the right people own each piece.
The Opportunity
LICA connects Long Island companies with the investors and expertise they need to grow. The current site works, but it does not yet match the caliber of the Capital Forums, presenting companies, and sponsors it represents. The RFP calls for two things: a fast, four-week overhaul that modernizes the site without disrupting what already runs on it, and a steady hand for the website, social, email, and events after launch.
The RFP bundles several different disciplines under one request: a website overhaul, ongoing website and SEO work, social media, email, and sponsor communications. These are not the same job, and they are rarely done well by the same team. This proposal separates them honestly. The website, its ongoing management, and SEO we handle at no cost. The rest we lay out clearly, with a few real questions, so LICA can put the right people on each piece.
Scoping It Right
We read the full scope, and we want LICA to get the right outcome, not just the lowest bid. Here is how the request breaks down, and where a short conversation will save everyone time.
Website build, ongoing website management, and SEO. This is exactly what Lodestar does every day, and we will handle all of it for LICA at no cost, as part of a closer working relationship described in Part 02.
Worth a conversation before anyone commits
LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok content and management sit outside website development. Done right, this is a content, graphic design, and videography discipline, and managing the platforms day to day is a separate service from building the site.
Constant Contact communications and list maintenance are squarely in our wheelhouse. CRM management is a core Lodestar service, and we can run it end to end, from design to send to list hygiene.
Routine communication with sponsors, speakers, presenting companies, vendors, and Board representatives is a relationship-management role more than a marketing one, and it needs definition.
Part 01
A complete visual refresh and reorganization of licapital.org, delivered in four weeks on your current Wild Apricot platform, so every member-facing system keeps working from day one.
We already started
We did not wait for a signature. The link above is a live, working preview of LICA's new homepage, already built so the Board can see the direction before committing. The full overhaul below finishes and extends it.
A new, high-impact homepage that states LICA's mission and value immediately, with a clean, current look across the whole site.
Reorganized menus and page structure, with outdated and duplicative content cleaned up so visitors find what matters fast.
Fully responsive layouts tested on every screen size, so the site looks right whether a sponsor opens it on a phone or a laptop.
An updated, polished presentation of the Board and leadership team that reflects the people behind the Alliance.
Rebuilt Forum and event pages that make upcoming programs easy to find, understand, and register for.
Clearer sections for presenting companies, investors, membership, sponsors, and success stories, each speaking to the right audience.
Prominent paths to Register for an Event, Apply to Present, Become a Sponsor, and Join LICA on every relevant page.
Professional presentation of sponsor and company logos, event photography, and program materials throughout the site.
Basic on-page SEO, analytics setup, accessibility improvements, and performance tuning, then full testing and launch.
The overhaul is a redesign and reorganization on top of Wild Apricot, not a migration. Membership, event registration, payment processing, and member login keep running without interruption. Members never notice a change under the hood; they just arrive at a far better site. Two reasonable rounds of consolidated revisions are included.
The Plan
Audit the current site, lock the sitemap and navigation, gather content and assets, and agree the homepage direction.
Build the new homepage and core page templates in Wild Apricot, establishing the refreshed visual system.
Reorganize and clean content, build out the Forum, events, companies, investors, members, sponsors, and success-story sections with their CTAs.
SEO, analytics, accessibility and speed, full device testing, consolidated revisions, then final launch.
Proof of Work
A sample of sites Lodestar has designed, built, and launched across finance, construction, hospitality, and retail. Each one is hand-coded, fast, and built mobile-first.
Part 02
Rather than invoice LICA for the website, or trade it for a sponsor logo, we would like to be closer to the mission than that.
We propose that Stephen Gold join the LICA Board as its marketing and technology specialist. In that role, Lodestar builds and manages the website and runs SEO at no cost, and LICA gains a dedicated voice on digital, marketing, and technology as it grows. It aligns our incentives with the Alliance's: when LICA wins, we are in the room for it.
Specialized, labor-intensive services such as email and CRM management sit outside this arrangement and are quoted separately, as noted above. Everything here can be formalized in a single, simple agreement.
Track Record
Investment
Terms: The website build, ongoing management, and SEO are provided at no cost in connection with a seat on the LICA Board as marketing and technology specialist. Email and CRM management is a paid service at $1,000/mo, pending confirmed monthly volume. Social media, graphic design and video, and sponsor communications fall outside website development and are scoped and quoted only after a short conversation. Everything can be formalized in a single agreement, and the website can begin immediately.
The website is ready to finish now. A short call lets us scope the rest honestly and talk through the board role, then we move.