R. Buckminster Fuller was one of the 20th century’s great polymaths. The designer, architect, and futurist held more than 25 patents, including for the geodesic dome—a form that he helped make universally known. So when the Buckminster Fuller Institute first launched its website in 1996, the nonprofit organization aimed to create a repository for Fuller’s work that was as strong and stable as the geodesic dome itself.
Over time, BFI’s online presence has become a cornerstone of its growth strategy. After undergoing some evolution, it needed that online presence to match its new energy. “BFI had rebranded, but the website hadn’t caught up to the rebranding,” says Jalen Gildersleeve, an ecosystem developer at BFI. Enter Automattic: In 2022, BFI moved to Pressable hosting and a snazzy new WordPress-based site.
But improved design and hosting was just the beginning. With Jetpack CRM, BFI.org can better maintain its ecosystem of members and partner organizations for work on real-world projects through BFI Design Lab. With WooCommerce, it’s easier for visitors to support the organization through sustained membership and in-kind donations so its work can continue. Now, BFI.org is far greater than the sum of its parts, which is fitting for a man who specialized in combining two ideas into a single, powerful whole. “Although the technology is amazing across multiple different tools,” Gildersleeve says, “I think we’ve gotten more partnerships and more collaborations from our website being more clear.”
“[Fuller] really believed that we need to think big,” says Faith Flanagan, BFI’s former executive director. BFI spreads that belief to aspiring polymaths everywhere, and Automattic—which is no stranger to thinking big—is honored to host its online dome. Er, home.
Featured Products
Pressable
Fully managed from top to bottom, WordPress hosting that means business.
pressable.com
WooCommerce
Our WordPress-based ecommerce platform helps merchants and developers build successful businesses for the long term.
woocommerce.com
Jetpack CRM
Jetpack CRM has all of the tools you need to grow your business. It’s also modular, so you can customize it to suit your needs.
jetpackcrm.com
Automattic 