As part of a capstone project, my team and I partnered with HopeKids Colorado, a nonprofit supporting families of children with long-term illnesses, to create an innovative engagement concept called HopeConnect. The goal was to design a digital platform that would make it easier for supporters to donate, volunteer, and follow family stories—while remaining sensitive to HopeKids’ limited resources and staff capacity.

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We began with user research and analysis, interviewing stakeholders, conducting donor and volunteer surveys, and examining HopeKids’ internal challenges. Using the design thinking process, we brainstormed, prototyped, and tested multiple ideas, including digital storytelling tools, streamlined volunteer scheduling, and even a subscription-box concept to keep donors engaged. This process helped us identify pain points while ensuring that any solution was realistic, therapeutic for families, and inspiring for supporters.

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Our final proposal, HopeConnect, was an integrated platform concept designed to connect families and donors through storytelling and impact tracking, while simplifying volunteer engagement. We presented our plan directly to the Colorado HopeKids leadership team, who praised it as “exactly what [they were] looking for” and noted its potential to scale across the organization. The project showcased my ability to blend research, innovation, and collaboration into a solution that drives community engagement and long-term support.