Sibling Connections Platform

The Project

This project started with a simple question: how can we help a non-profit organization manage their volunteers more effectively? Sibling Connections, a Boston-based organization dedicated to supporting siblings, was struggling with manual volunteer coordination through spreadsheets and email chains.

As Project and Product Manager, I led a team of 8 developers to create a comprehensive volunteer scheduling platform. We used Agile methodologies to ensure we were building exactly what the client needed, when they needed it.

The Challenge

Sibling Connections faced several key challenges that were impacting their ability to serve their community effectively:

• Manual Processes: Volunteers were coordinated through spreadsheets and email chains, leading to confusion and missed opportunities
• Communication Gaps: Limited visibility into volunteer availability and event needs
• Scalability Issues: Their growing volunteer base was outpacing their manual management capabilities
• Event Coordination: Complex logistics for multiple simultaneous events across different locations

My Role

As Project and Product Manager, I wore many hats throughout this project:

• Team Leadership: Led 8-person development team using Agile methodologies, established sprint cycles and delivery timelines
• Client Relations: Conducted biweekly meetings with client leadership, translated business requirements to technical specifications
• Technical Oversight: Reviewed architecture decisions, ensured code quality, managed deployment and release cycles

The Solution

We built a comprehensive platform with several key features:

• Volunteer Scheduling: Intuitive calendar system allowing volunteers to view available slots, sign up for events, and manage their commitments
• Event Management: Tools for coordinators to set up events, define requirements, and track volunteer assignments in real-time
• Communication Hub: Integrated messaging system facilitating seamless communication between coordinators and volunteers

The platform was built using modern web technologies including React for the frontend, Node.js for the backend API, and MongoDB for data storage. We implemented responsive design to ensure the platform worked seamlessly across desktop and mobile devices.

The Results

The impact was immediate and significant:

• 75% reduction in time spent on scheduling and coordination
• 90% volunteer satisfaction rate with the new system
• 30% improvement in registration efficiency
• 100% platform uptime achieved since launch

Beyond the quantitative metrics, the platform transformed how Sibling Connections operates. They can now handle more volunteers, coordinate more complex events, and focus their energy on their mission rather than administrative tasks.

What I Learned

This project taught me invaluable lessons about leading cross-functional teams and managing complex stakeholder relationships:

• Communication is Critical: Regular, transparent communication with both technical teams and clients prevents scope creep and ensures alignment
• User Feedback Drives Success: Early and frequent user testing revealed issues we never would have caught in development
• Technical Leadership: Balancing technical excellence with business objectives requires strong leadership and decision-making skills

Skills Demonstrated