Donor Link
Project Overview
DonorLink is a startup founded by BYU students and alumni who wanted to provide a tool for local nonprofit organizations to receive virtual donations.
Timeline: 7 months
Role: Product Designer
Team: 4 Developers, 2 Project Manager, 2 Founders
The Challenge
Inspired by the “Giving Machines”, operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Donor Link wanted to provide a way for patrons to be able to donate a tangible and specific item to a nonprofit; however unlike the “Giving Machines”, Donor Link wanted to make this process possible in a digital way.
The solution: an embeddable ecommerce storefront that nonprofits could drop directly into their existing websites. My job was to design what that product would look, act, and feel like from the ground up.
User Personas
This project serves two very different types of users: nonprofit representatives and donors. Both are coming to Donor Link with their own priorities and motivations. Breaking the user pool into these two categories made it much easier to design with intention.
Kevin: The Motivated Donor
Graduate Student · 29 · San Francisco
"I want to help, but I need to know my money is actually doing something."
✦Wants to make a tangible impact in his local community
✦ Limited time — prefers a simple, low-effort way to give
✦ Hesitant to donate without knowing where his money goes
Jane: The NonProfit Founder
Registered Nurse & Nonprofit Founder · 58 · Sandy, UT
"I just need something simple that lets people support my patients."
✦ Wants to expand her reach by accepting virtual donations
✦ Not tech-savvy — needs a solution that's easy to implement
✦ Cost-conscious; every dollar saved goes back to her patients
Market Research
We researched four existing donation platforms — The Giving Machines, OneCause, DonorBox, and GiveButter — to identify industry standards and uncover gaps where user needs were going unmet.
Industry Standards:
Embeddable donation page or form with nonprofit customization options
Progress bar toward a fundraising goal
Recurring donation option
Custom donation amounts and widely-used payment methods
Option for donors to give anonymously, in someone's honor, or cover processing fees
Comment field for donors to include a personal message
Establishing Brand Identity
Before building the product, I needed to establish Donor Link's visual identity. The goal was a brand that felt trustworthy and professional, but modern and minimal; one that communicated that Donor Link is first and foremost a tool for nonprofits, not just another ecommerce platform. Calming hues and clean, modern typefaces were the foundation of that direction.
Defining MVP Elements
With a clear picture of the competitive landscape and our brand’s identity, we turned our focus to what would set Donor Link apart. We started by defining our Minimum Viable Product, establishing which features we would prioritize for the first version.
An introduction section at the top of the page, briefly explaining the method of donation.
Formatting the donations page as a storefront, highlighting the resources that the nonprofit is in need of.
Answer common questions at the bottom of the page in a FAQ section.
Final Design
I worked closely with a project manager throughout the design process, running every iteration past them before moving forward. The storefront came first — once we were happy with the layout, I layered in the introduction and FAQ sections. After several rounds of revisions, I designed the checkout flow and expanded everything to mobile. With a fully interactive, high-fidelity prototype in hand, we pitched to investors and raised $10,000. The developers are now building the product, and I am currently designing the administrative tool nonprofits will use to manage their Donor Link storefront.
Conclusion
This project gave me some of my most valuable professional experience to date. Working within a real team dynamic pushed me to present my designs with intention, receive feedback constructively, and learn when to incorporate feedback or when to defend my choices. That balance is one of the most valuable skills a designer can develop, and this project is where I genuinely found it. I am confident that experience will carry into every client relationship I have going forward.