Case study · islamic charitiesApril 2025

Al-Baraka Welfare Trust

A five-year digital partnership that migrated Al-Baraka Welfare Trust off a vulnerable WordPress site onto a modern React platform, added iCHARMS for donor and donation management, and drove measurable growth — 3x faster load times, 99.9% uptime, a 60% rise in organic traffic and a 40% boost in online donations.

React Website RebuildiCHARMSManaged HostingCharity SEOGoogle Ad GrantsGift Aid ClaimsGMB & Social Media

client

delivered in · Ongoing partnership since 2020

Sector

Islamic charity

Client since

2020

Partnership

5+ years

Migration

WordPress → React

Services delivered

12+

Load times

3x faster

Website uptime

99.9%

Google Ad Grant

$10K/month

Outcomes

The numbers that moved.

013x faster

3x faster

Page load speed

3x faster

0299.9%

99.9%

Website uptime

99.9%

03+60%

+60%

Organic traffic

+60%

04+40%

+40%

Online donations

+40%

05WordPress → React

WordPress → React

Platform migration

100%

06since 2020

since 2020

Partnership

5+ years

Trends

Growth, visualised.

Digital growth after the rebuild (%)

Increase versus the previous WordPress site. Source: ABT case study.

Platform & reliability (%)

Full WordPress-to-React migration on managed hosting with 99.9% uptime. Source: ABT case study.

The full picture

Every number, in detail.

Results & impact

Measurable outcomes across performance, reliability and fundraising.

Faster load times

eliminated WordPress security vulnerabilities

99.9%

Website uptime

secure managed hosting with automated backups

60%

Increase in organic traffic

on-page and off-page SEO

40%

Boost in online donations

maximised Google Ad Grant utilisation

Before vs after

A side-by-side transformation of the charity's digital platform.

Before	After
WordPress platform with plugin bloat	Modern React-powered website
Frequent security vulnerabilities	Enterprise-grade security
Outdated visual design	Fresh, engaging UI design
Slow page load times	Sub-second page loads
Complex, time-consuming maintenance	Streamlined, easy updates

Source: ABT case study.

Digital growth channels

Driving visibility and engagement online.

$10K/mo

Google Ad Grants

free Google Ads managed to maximise campaign visibility

On + off-page

SEO

boosting organic rankings and donation conversions

Local search

Google My Business

reviews and local charity presence managed

Streamlined

Gift Aid

recovering tax on eligible UK donations

iCHARMS charity management system

A purpose-built system that streamlines operations and donor engagement.

Module	What it does
Donor Management	Centralised profiles, interaction history and engagement tracking
Donation Management	Track all donation types, methods and Gift Aid eligibility
Appeal Management	Create, manage and track fundraising appeals in real time
Reporting Dashboard	Real-time visual dashboards for KPIs and financial health
Smart Reports	AI-powered insights with custom filters and automated scheduling

The brief

What we set out to solve.

WordPress limitations

The existing site was built on WordPress, creating ongoing security vulnerabilities and plugin dependency issues.

Security concerns

Frequent security threats and outdated dependencies put donor data and organisational trust at risk.

Performance issues

Slow loading times and an unresponsive design caused high bounce rates and poor user engagement.

Maintenance burden

Constant plugin updates, compatibility fixes and server management drained time and resources.

Our approach

How it came together.

A calm, four-step rhythm — we listen first, sketch in the open, build in tight loops, then tend the result long after launch.

React migration

Rebuilt the entire website on React for a fast, secure and scalable platform, eliminating WordPress vulnerabilities.

Modern design & UX

Designed a visually engaging interface with intuitive navigation and a cleaner experience for donors and visitors.

iCHARMS rollout

Deployed the iCHARMS charity management system for donor, donation and appeal management with reporting dashboards and smart reports.

Growth & always-on support

Ran SEO, Google Ad Grants, GMB and social media alongside managed hosting, maintenance and technical support to keep the charity online.

What we shipped

8 deliverables

Full WordPress-to-React platform migration
Fresh, engaging UI with sub-second page loads
Enterprise-grade security replacing WordPress vulnerabilities
iCHARMS donor, donation and appeal management with reporting
On-page and off-page SEO driving a 60% organic traffic rise
Google Ad Grants management ($10K/month)
Gift Aid claims, GMB and social media management
Managed hosting with 99.9% uptime, SSL, backups and monitoring

Gallery

A look at the work.

Al-Baraka Welfare Trust homepage and appeals — Homepage — live appeals front and centre

Food pack UK appeal page — Food pack UK appeal

Medical project appeal page — Medical project appeal

Adopt a family appeal page — Adopt-a-family campaign

iCHARMS live dashboard — iCHARMS dashboard — giving at a glance

iCHARMS Gift Aid submission screen — Single-click Gift Aid submission

iCHARMS donor record with full giving history — Donor record with full giving history

"Working with this team has been a game-changer for our charity. The website migration from WordPress to React was seamless, and the new site is faster, more secure, and visually stunning. Their ongoing support has been exceptional — every request is handled promptly and thoroughly. The iCHARMS system has transformed how we manage donors and donations. We consider them a true partner, not just a vendor."

Al-Baraka Welfare Trust

Senior Trustee

The story

Background

Al-Baraka Welfare Trust partnered with Techno Serve in 2020 to overhaul their entire digital ecosystem. Over a partnership now spanning more than five years, we delivered 12+ digital services — from migrating off a vulnerable WordPress site to building a modern React platform, implementing the iCHARMS charity management system, and driving measurable digital growth.

Challenge

The existing WordPress site created ongoing security vulnerabilities and plugin dependency issues, with frequent security threats putting donor data and organisational trust at risk. Slow loading times and an unresponsive design drove high bounce rates and poor engagement, while constant plugin updates, compatibility fixes and server management drained time and resources.

Approach

We rebuilt the entire website on React for a fast, secure and scalable platform, eliminating the WordPress vulnerabilities and pairing it with a fresh, engaging UI. We rolled out iCHARMS for donor, donation and appeal management with real-time reporting dashboards and smart reports, then layered on SEO, Google Ad Grants ($10K/month), GMB, social media, Gift Aid claims and managed hosting — backed by always-on technical support.

Outcome

The migration delivered 3x faster load times and eliminated WordPress security vulnerabilities, with the site now running on managed hosting at 99.9% uptime. On-page and off-page SEO drove a 60% increase in organic traffic, and maximised Google Ad Grant utilisation helped boost online donations by 40%. iCHARMS transformed how the charity manages donors and donations, and the five-year partnership continues.

Selected work