DonateSmarter

A Solution Of The People, By The People, For The People

case study 5 minutes

DonateSmarter.com is a startup company that brings donors and charities together. Their target market is individual donors and smaller charities that are under the $25,000 annual revenue threshold that the IRS proposes. Donate Smarter gives charities an easy and affordable way to avoid some of the costs associated with having a non-profit in the US, as well as free resources on how to contact and stay in touch with those donors.

The Challenge

The greatest challenge of Donate Smarter was to find the right-fit team that could polish and bring this white-label (SaaS-based) solution to its next level. Since the platform concept was yet to be defined, Donate Smarter required a different approach and faced serious challenges in matters of performance and user experience:

”We needed to upgrade our system to a new way of thinking. Users tend to lose interest when there’s an issue with a site, so we needed someone who had that eye for perfection.” – stated Mr. David G. Drake – the Founder and Innovator of DonateSmarter.com.

In addition to the above, the platform lacked a social media presence, a payment integration and a stakeholder-focused integration – features that had to be set in place.

Another challenge was the technology choice, which has been inherited from previous developers. Since the platform’s skeleton has been written on Codeigniter, migrating to another technology was time-consuming and quite expensive – a fact that EBS had to consider/take in account before initiating the project.

The Result

To boost productivity and ensure continuous improvements of the platform, EBS chose to implement Continuous Integration to Donate Smarter instances and follow the requirements based on a build-as-you-go perspective. Following specific requirements, EBS managed to deploy each and every functionality lacking from the system.

Considering the stakeholder’s needs, EBS solved the payment requirements challenge by integrating DWOLLA (an e-commerce company that provides an online payment integration). The implementation alone saved on processing resources compared to direct Credit-Card integration which would require quite higher fees as per each transaction. Considering the “Pocked-Donation” model of DonateSmarter.com, this was a crucial improvement in ensuring financial processing sustainability on the platform, reducing processing fees from as little as 1.50 USD per transaction to 0.

The Result

Several additions to the platform have been implemented to ensure transparency and Social Media interaction on a totally new level. These have been separated by specific tools, dedicated to Charities and Stakeholders. For instance, charities can now cross-share project details and status updates, corporate sponsors can “acquire” charities and display them on their own websites to screen their corporate social responsibility impact, and regular contributors can track funded projects and up-to-date with their impact.

In addition to the above, several operation-related functions have been supplied on the platform.

Based on Mr. David Drake’s experience and input, EBS managed to supply charities with tools that enabled them to deliver government reports and access donations via DonateSmarter.com – “When I speak to individual charities, they’re overwhelmed by the technology that’s available to them for free. Donors can stay connected and feel like they’re making an impact.” – stated Mr. David G. Drake – the Founder and Innovator of DonateSmarter.com

The Result

Here’s a sneak-peek of the platform’s looks after it’s redesign:

Customer Feedback

The new software has streamlined employee tasks, improved internal communication, and reduced the need for administrator engagement. EBS Integrator implemented a detailed, accurate project plan that allowed them to remain on schedule and within the proposed budget.

Valters Grobins

CEO at Cloudscheduling.se

Even though they’re on the other side of the world, it seems like they’re right down the hall. Users are impressed with the technology made available through the site. EBS Integrator is able to translate ideas into a product, effectively using their resources to respond to the client’s feedback. The team is communicative and available.

David Drake

the Innovator behind Donate Smarter

Our new platform is more effective than some of the solutions put forth by the giants in our industry. Site response times are trice faster, while cost savings driven by efficient resource usage average around €13,000 per quarter. EBS Integrator was as proactive, efficient and responsive as an in-house team.

Nicolae Buldumac

Director at Global Database LTD

EBS Integrator produced top-notch development work with few delays. Their technical expertise, systematic processes, and organization made for a smooth workflow.

Axel Lagercrantz

CEO at Hastnet

Because we were so happy with how they worked, we didn’t reach out to anyone else for our second project. Both apps receive positive feedback from users and were delivered with very few bugs. They make you feel like you are their only client.

Makan Amini

HKS insight and Second Opinion Product Manager

EBS Integrator met the beneficiary’s standards and produced the product within the timeline. Their team was prompt and approachable. Expect a team dedicated to delivering the best for their clients.

Alexandru Platon

Program Manager, Institute for Public Policy

The 80% user retention rate is the most prominent KPI of the app, while the net promoter score also boasts a positive metric. EBS has a professional team who is willing to provide honest and proactive feedback, and it’s been apparent how much they truly care about the end product.

Eyass Shakrah

Product Owner for Learn2Drive

They were serious about the project. The website was launched successfully at a reasonable price. The EBS team was diligent and organized. We’ve successfully launched our startup. They delivered a high-quality web application.

Lionel Kayser

CEO & Founder, My Simple Pharma

The app has numerous downloads and positive ratings in both app stores. The team’s efficiency and diligence made the project a success. They were polite, professional, and extremely skilled at all aspects of project design and execution.

Itay Naftaly

CEO at NFO LTD

Due to their functionality and straightforward UI/UX, both apps have attracted praise from customers. EBS Integrator’s concise communication, transparent billing methods, and prompt turnaround time make the partnership rewarding.

Richard Tella

Founder of Qwids