VolunteerLink
Skills for Change, Impact Without Borders.
Created on 26th January 2025
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VolunteerLink
Skills for Change, Impact Without Borders.
The problem VolunteerLink solves
- Bridging the Gap: Volunteers struggle to find the right tasks, while NGOs struggle to find the right talent.
- Breaking Barriers: Traditional volunteering requires physical presence, limiting remote or less mobile individuals.
- Task Management: NGOs often lack efficient systems for task posting, tracking contributions, and project management.
How It Helps:
- For Volunteers: Find tasks that match skills and interests, volunteer from anywhere, and track progress with gamified rewards.
- For NGOs: Easily find skilled volunteers, manage projects in real-time, and improve transparency and engagement.
VolunteerLink streamlines volunteering for both volunteers and NGOs, making it more accessible and impactful.
Challenges we ran into
- Frontend Bug (Layout Issues)
Bug:
The dashboard layout broke when resizing the browser—elements would overlap or go out of view.
Cause:
Fixed dimensions and poor use of responsive design.
Solution:
We switched to a mobile-first approach, used relative units instead of fixed sizes, and tweaked the layout with flexbox and grid. Now it’s responsive across all screen sizes!
- API Creation and Organization
Issue:
Organizing a clean, scalable API structure in Express was tricky, especially with routing and validation.
Solution:
We organized routes into controllers and added proper validation middleware to keep things tidy.
- Website Flow Design
Issue:
Designing the user flow for the website was a bit challenging to make sure it was intuitive and smooth.
Solution:
We used flowcharts to plan everything out, and iterated based on feedback.
- Hosting DB on MongoDB Atlas
Issue:
Setting up the MongoDB Atlas database and securing the connection took some time.
Solution:
We followed Atlas docs for setting up the database securely and used environment variables to store credentials.
- Python Model Integration for Recommendations
Issue:
We built a recommendation model in Python, but integrating it with the frontend has been a struggle.
Solution:
We're still working on it,.
Tracks Applied (1)
Open Innovation for Social Good
"VolunteerLink" fits into the Open Innovation for Social Good track by leveraging technology to create a centralized pla...Read MoreTechnologies used