Built a donation platform in 4 weeks as a crisis response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Results at a Glance
Donations Processed
Unique Donors
Zero to Live
Weekly donors still giving since launch
Organization
Help Razom (501(c)(3))
UX/UI Designer,
Developer
Information Architecture
UX/UI Design
No-Code Development
Payment Integration
Duration
4 weeks to launch
Team
1 person
My role
As the sole designer and developer, I handled information architecture, UI design, no-code development, payment integration, and content. Concept to live donation page in four weeks, then ongoing iteration for two years as the organization scaled.
Project Goals
Launch immediately. Get a working donation website live within few weeks.
Remove friction. Create a donation flow simple enough to complete in under 60 seconds on mobile.
Build trust. Communicate legitimacy to first-time donors who had never heard of us.
Platform Evolution
The site went through three versions as the organization's needs evolved.
V1: Square Online (Week 1)
Fastest path to accepting payments. Launched quickly, but limitations surfaced within weeks: inflexible design, no multi-language support, unreliable Apple Pay.
V2: Weblium (Months 2–12)
Better customization, added Ukrainian language. Iteration was still slow — every update still required my involvement.
V3: Framer (Year 2+)
Current platform. Fast iteration, modular templates, easy enough that other volunteers can add project pages without me.
Live Fundraiser Tracker
I built a tracker pinned to the homepage for active campaigns, synced to a Google Sheet so team members can update it when offline donations come in.
Result: Donations increase noticeably when campaigns approach their goal.
Dedicated Project Pages
Early site was just "donate." As we grew, I added separate pages for specific initiatives: Medical Aid, Drones, Unit Support. Each page explains exactly where funds go.
Result: Clearer donor communication, increased confidence that money reaches the intended purpose.
Merch Store
Added t-shirts, stickers, and other items for supporters who wanted to contribute differently or spread awareness.
Result: Additional revenue stream and organic marketing when supporters wear merch.
User Feedback That Shaped the Design
Apple Pay Abandonment
Donors told us directly: "I tried to donate but left because Apple Pay wasn't working." I investigated — Square couldn't explain why it failed intermittently.
Action: Switched payment processing to Stripe for reliable Apple Pay support.
Result: Removed a friction point that was costing real donations.
Recurring Donation Requests
Supporters asked for a way to give monthly instead of one-time.
Action: Built recurring donation option with clear "monthly impact" messaging and weekly giving for high-commitment donors.
Result: Improved donor retention and predictable funding — original weekly donors from 2022 are still contributing three years later.
Results
Donations processed through the platform
Unique donors
Weekly donors still giving since launch
Platform runs today — other volunteers now maintain content
Reflection
What I Learned
Ship first, polish later. V1 was basic, but it worked. Donations came in while I was still learning the tools. In a crisis, live and imperfect beats perfect and delayed.
Listen to actual users. The Apple Pay problem only surfaced because donors told us directly. No analytics dashboard showed it — just humans saying "I couldn't donate." Direct feedback caught what analytics wouldn't have.
Design for handoff. Every update depended on me for too long. Moving to Framer and building templates meant other volunteers could add pages without me. Should have prioritized this earlier.
What I'd Do Differently
Start with a flexible platform. The time I saved using simpler tools was lost in migrations. Framer from day one would have been harder initially but saved months of rework.
Build donor dashboard sooner. Recurring donors asked where their money went. A simple "your impact" view would have increased retention.
Other projects
