youCode 2026 Hackathon Project — Strengthening BC's Nonprofit Workforce, Powered by Community
BC's nonprofit sector is facing a critical volunteer and resource gap. With 29,000 nonprofit organizations contributing $6.7 billion to BC's economy, the infrastructure connecting willing people to the organizations that need them is strained — and volunteerism has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels since COVID-19.
Our team focused on lowering the barrier to entry for both volunteers and donors: making it easier, faster, and more accessible for everyday people to take meaningful action in their own neighbourhoods.
Give-Spot is a community-powered web app that enables pop-up volunteer and donation events — bringing nonprofit support directly into neighbourhoods, rather than requiring people to travel to centralized organizations.
Users can take on two roles:
- Leaders — organize local pop-up events on behalf of themselves or a nonprofit, specifying what resources or volunteer help is needed
- Participants — find nearby pop-ups on a map and show up to donate supplies or volunteer their time
By bringing pop-up nonprofits to where people already live, Give-Spot reduces friction for volunteers (travel, scheduling, intimidation) and makes donating as simple as a short walk. It also distributes the organizational load across community members — reducing burnout for stretched nonprofit staff.
| Design Constraint | Our Approach |
|---|---|
| No IT support needed | Simple, mobile-friendly web app — no accounts required to browse or donate |
| Accessibility | Minimal text-heavy UI, map-first interface, low digital literacy required |
| Sustainability | Community members self-organize; the platform requires no ongoing expert maintenance |
| Trust & Safety | Leaders provide contact info; pop-ups are tied to real locations and verified community needs |
| Don't rebuild what exists | Give-Spot complements existing nonprofits — it doesn't replace them, it extends their reach into neighbourhoods |
Sarah has extra menstrual products but no time to travel downtown.
- Opens Give-Spot
- Clicks "Find a Pop-Up"
- Sees a map of nearby active pop-ups
- Hovers over a pin — sees address, hours, and what's needed
- Finds one walking distance away and drops off her donation
Bella wants to start a volunteering initiative in her neighbourhood.
- Opens Give-Spot
- Clicks "Create a Pop-Up"
- Enters: location, date/time, number of volunteers needed, what supplies to collect, and her contact info
- Receives notifications as volunteers and donors sign up
Grace works with an organization in need of menstrual products and knows people in a specific neighbourhood willing to donate.
- Opens Give-Spot
- Clicks "Create a Pop-Up" on behalf of her organization
- Sets location, timing, and specifies the exact supplies needed
- Shares the link with her network — donations come to her, sorted and ready
- Frontend: Typescript / CSS / HTML
- Maps: /
- Backend: Typescript / Express
- Database: Supabase
Aishah, Carina, Lisa, Natalia