Designing websites (worth $25k in labour) for Non-Profits with asynchronus teams.

I have participated in 5 builds so far and have worked with PMs, Developers and Content Writers from:

48in48.org is an organisation that brings together non-profits and individuals who help design, build and ship websites on their behalf in a hackathon style setting.

Industries worked on

Every build we randomly get assigned teammates and non-profits. I've worked with organizations in:

Education, Opportunity and Empowerment for girls

Miscarriage support and community

Food Equity + Justice

Media & Entertainment for Black Youth

Business empowerment

Child Trafficking Rescue

Challenges I've encountered

Building for 2 teams Simultaneously

The hackathon once underway can get chaotic with event planners coordinating resources in case teams need additional help or if someone backs out. In 2024 I handled a build where I was pulled in to design for another team in the middle of the event.

Our builder dropping out the day of

Being proficient in WordPress meant that even without a dedicated builder I was able to help our team deliver the website on time.

Redoing the design with 12 hours left

Our latest build - a Food Justice and Equity organisation in Atlanta; we had the client bring on board a web developer on their end and were told our initial design didn't feel modern or bold enough. Their feedback helped us quickly pivot to a fresher look and feel.

Mentoring while on the job

48in48 was a great means to learn WordPress under pressure. This meant I've had a team where our developer had just graduated and it was a great opportunity for me to show them the ropes.