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Product Documentation: Charitably

Introduction

Charitably (alternative names: DonorPath, ImpactTrace, GiveTrack) is a platform designed to foster trust and transparency in charitable giving. It enables users to donate to charitable organizations and events while providing a detailed breakdown of how their contributions are utilized.

The platform supports two personas: donors (users) and charitable organizations. Donors can view organizations, donate to causes, and track their contributions. Organizations can create funding requests, post events, and provide detailed reports on donation usage.

Technology Stack

  • Frontend: Next.js 15 (with App Router)
  • Backend: Node.js with Prisma ORM, MongoDB
  • Authentication: NextAuth.js or Auth0
  • Payments: Stripe or PayPal
  • Hosting: Vercel (optimized for Next.js)
  • Notifications: SendGrid or AWS SES
  • Data Visualization: D3.js or Chart.js
  • Caching: Redis (optional, for performance optimization)

Personas

1. User (Donor)

  • Primary Goals:
    • Discover charitable organizations and events.
    • Donate directly to organizations, events, or specific funding requests.
    • Track and visualize how their donations are utilized.

2. Charitable Organization

  • Primary Goals:
    • Register and manage their organization profile.
    • Create and manage funding requests and events.
    • Provide transparent reports on donation utilization to maintain donor trust.

Features

1. Home Page

  • Displays a list of charitable organizations and events using geolocation to highlight nearby causes.
  • Search and filter functionality to refine results based on categories, location, or keywords.

2. Donation Options

  • Event/Request-Specific Donations:
    • Donors can contribute directly to events or funding requests with a clear purpose.
    • Spending is tracked and reported in relation to the specific event or request.
  • General Donations:
    • Donors can contribute to an organization’s general fund.
    • Organizations allocate these funds across various categories like food, clothing, and general operations. Proportional tracking ensures transparency.

3. Donation Tracking System

Every donation is uniquely identified and tracked to provide detailed usage reports.

  • Event-Specific Tracking: Shows how donations were spent on a specific event or funding request.
  • General Donation Tracking:
    • Donations are tagged to expenses across categories.
    • Proportional tracking ensures fairness when multiple donors contribute to the general fund.
    • Example:
      • User A donates $100; User B donates $50.
      • Organization spends $30 on food and $60 on clothing.
      • User A sees: 
        Food: $20
Clothing: $40
Remaining Unused: $40
      • User B sees: 
        Food: $10
Clothing: $20
Remaining Unused: $20

4. User Dashboard

  • View donation history with detailed spending breakdowns.
  • Visualizations (e.g., pie charts, bar graphs) for donation usage.
  • Notifications for updated reports from organizations.

5. Organization Dashboard

  • Registration: Organizations register with verification (e.g., tax ID, documents).
  • Post Management:
    • Create funding requests specifying goals and outcomes.
    • Organize events requiring donations.
  • Donation Allocation:
    • Allocate funds to spending categories (e.g., Food, Medical Aid).
    • Tag expenses to specific donations.
  • Reporting:
    • Provide spending breakdowns with optional receipts/images as proof.

6. Admin Panel

  • Manage and verify organizations.
  • Monitor and moderate posts and events.
  • Handle donor and organization support requests.

System Design

Database Schema

Donations Table

Field Type Description
donation_id String Unique ID for the donation.
user_id String Donor’s unique identifier.
org_id String Organization’s unique identifier.
amount Decimal Donation amount.
type Enum “general” or “specific” donation.
remaining_balance Decimal Unused donation balance.

Expense Table

Field Type Description
expense_id String Unique ID for the expense.
org_id String Organization’s unique identifier.
amount Decimal Expense amount.
category String Expense category (e.g., Food).
linked_donation_id String Related donation ID (if specific).

Donor-Expense Mapping Table

Field Type Description
mapping_id String Unique mapping ID.
donation_id String Linked donation ID.
expense_id String Linked expense ID.
proportion Decimal Proportional allocation of the donation.

Backend Logic

  • Automated proportional allocation for general donations.
  • Real-time generation of reports based on updated expense data.

UI/UX Considerations

  • Donor Experience:
    • Intuitive dashboards for donation tracking.
    • Clear and transparent reporting with visuals.
  • Organization Experience:
    • Easy allocation of funds with tagging tools.
    • Simple report submission interface.

Future Enhancements

  • Gamification: Badges for donors based on milestones (e.g., “First Donation”).
  • Recurring Donations: Allow users to set up periodic contributions.
  • Mobile App: Develop a mobile app for donors and organizations.
  • AI Insights: Use AI to suggest organizations or events based on donor preferences.
  • Blockchain Integration: Ensure immutable and transparent transaction records.

Key Differentiator

Charitably focuses on building trust by providing unparalleled transparency in donation tracking. The ability to see how every dollar is utilized encourages donor confidence and increases contributions. By combining a seamless user experience with robust reporting features, Charitably bridges the gap between donors and organizations.