NONPROFIT WEBSITE DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
Designing and Building a Playful, Scalable Website for a Youth-Focused Nonprofit
ECHO (Early Cardiovascular Health Outreach) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to sparking positive change in youth and their communities through heart-healthy programs and activities.
ECHO’s founder reached out to me directly after securing an opportunity to participate in a high-stakes Passion Pitch. The organization needed a polished, engaging website to represent their mission, communicate their programs, and support potential funding opportunities.
Role
Web Designer & Front-End Developer
Timeframe
~2 months (fixed deadline)
Client
Tools
Next.js, Tailwindcss, Vercel, Git
Results & Impact
While the original Passion Pitch was cancelled, the website became a catalyst for broader visibility, funding opportunities, and continued organizational growth.
- * Website traffic reached users in 98 cities across 20 countries in a 90-day period (GA4)
- * Provided a central platform supporting nonprofit pitches, partner outreach, and donor engagement
- * Helped ECHO successfully participate in the coLabL Gratitude Pitch, resulting in awarded funding
- * Improved visibility and legitimacy for a growing nonprofit during a critical growth phase
- * Established a scalable foundation for future programs, content expansion, and fundraising initiatives
The Challenge
ECHO needed a website that could support a critical funding opportunity while still serving its long-term mission. The challenge was to design and develop a site that could:
- * Extend ECHO's mission into a fully interactive web experience
- * Appeal to a young children’s audience without feeling overwhelming
- * Support multiple audiences (students, parents, educators, partners)
- *Be built collaboratively alongside backend development
- * Launch on time for a high-stakes pitch deadline
My Role & Responsibilities
As the Web Designer and Front-End Developer, I was responsible for translating ECHO's mission into a functional, engaging digital experience.
Created lo-fi wireframes to define structure, hierarchy, and user flow
Designed hi-fi Figma prototypes for all major pages
Built responsive front-end pages using Next.js and Tailwind CSS
Collaborated with a backend developer via GitHub
Ensured accessibility, responsiveness, and performance across devices
Delivered the site on schedule for the pitch deadline
Process & Key Improvements
1. Iterative Design & Collaboration
I worked through rapid design iterations in Figma, collaborating closely with ECHO's founder, writer, illustrator, and backend developer to ensure visual clarity, technical feasibility, and alignment with the organization’s mission.
2. Designing for a Young Audience
Because the primary audience included children, every design decision prioritized clarity, visual hierarchy, and playful interaction — without sacrificing usability for parents and educators.
3. Scalable Page & Content Architecture
Pages were designed as reusable components, allowing the ECHO team to continue expanding content as programs evolve.
Client Feedback & Reflection
This project reinforced my ability to deliver high-quality web experiences under real deadlines, collaborate across disciplines, and design for unique audiences. Working with ECHO strengthened my confidence as a front-end developer who can balance creative expression with technical execution, especially in mission-driven and nonprofit environments.
“I’ve been consistently impressed by Emilia’s technical expertise and creative vision in web design and development. She built a user experience that captures children’s attention and guides them through learning with intuitive, playful design aligned with our educational mission. Her attention to detail, responsiveness to feedback, and ability to translate ideas into impactful digital designs exceeded all expectations.”
— ECHO's Founder
This project reinforced my ability to pair strategic design thinking with technical web delivery, even in unfamiliar domains.
