Connext

Inspiration

We were inspired by a simple idea: people care, but many small and mid-sized nonprofits lack the infrastructure to turn that care into lasting support. Larger nonprofits often have dedicated fundraising teams, stronger donor networks, and access to professional outreach systems, while smaller organizations are often trying to manage outreach, volunteers, and donations with limited staff and time. We wanted to build something that helps level that playing field.

What it does

Connext is a nonprofit-first platform that helps organizations launch campaigns, connect with the right type of support, and securely accept one-time and monthly donations. Nonprofits can create and share campaigns, get matched with volunteers, university clubs, or outreach partners, and use a simple integrated donation portal to capture support. The goal is not just to raise awareness, but to help nonprofits turn interest into real and sustained impact.

How we built it

We started by focusing on the main gap we saw: small nonprofits often generate goodwill, but struggle to convert it into funding and long-term support. From there, we designed a platform around three core features: campaign launch, smart matching, and integrated donations. We used the case prompt and provided data to shape the product direction, especially around the differences between larger and smaller nonprofits, volunteer coordination challenges, and the need for simple, secure donation infrastructure. We then translated those insights into a user-friendly platform concept and interface.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges was narrowing the scope of the problem. At first, we were thinking broadly about volunteers, fundraising, and outreach, but we realized the stronger insight was about conversion: nonprofits often have support around them, but lack the systems to organize and sustain it. Another challenge was making sure the idea still matched the theme of human capacity, while also including donations and outreach. We addressed that by framing funding infrastructure as something that directly supports staff retention, operational stability, and long-term nonprofit capacity.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud that we identified a deeper problem beyond just "nonprofits need more volunteers." Instead, we focused on the infrastructure gap between public goodwill and real nonprofit support. We are also proud of building a concept that feels practical and nonprofit-centered, rather than overly corporate. Our solution combines campaign creation, smart matching, and secure donations into one platform, making it easier for smaller nonprofits to access the kind of support systems that larger organizations already have.

What we learned

We learned that solving a nonprofit challenge is not just about creating more opportunities for people to help. It is also about reducing friction and building trust. A willing volunteer or donor only creates real value when the nonprofit has the systems to engage them properly. We also learned how important it is to define the problem precisely. Once we shifted from a broad volunteer platform to a tool focused on conversion, access, and sustained support, the idea became much clearer and stronger.

What's next for Connext

The next step for Connext would be to develop it into a more complete MVP. That would include building the campaign setup flow, the matching system, and a secure donation portal with monthly giving options. We would also want to add trust and safety features, such as partner vetting, background check indicators, and simple nonprofit controls over messaging and campaign visibility. Longer term, we see Connext becoming a shared support infrastructure for smaller nonprofits, helping them consistently turn community goodwill into funding, outreach, and lasting relationships.

Built With

• figma
• react
• resend
• typescript