As young people between the ages of 16 and 24 become more engaged in their communities, they begin to seek out ways to contribute to volunteer activities. As this occurs, young people often need to track their service efforts, and organizations need to regularly reach out to volunteers and validate their participation. Despite advancements in web technology, paper logs that are prone to becoming unorganized or misplaced are still used by people and organizations as the primary method for keeping track of volunteering records. Such was the case for our nonprofit client, the University of Washington Foundation. To improve this situation, we first conducted a literature review on attitudes and behavior around volunteering. We then designed an online survey that was filled out by 64 qualifying respondents, and conducted 20 in-person interviews with students from local Seattle Public Schools and the University of Washington. Results suggested that young people consider (1) organization, (2) history tracking, and (3) event coordination as important qualities in helping to better manage their volunteering efforts. Building on those findings, we sought to create a web application called vTracker that allows volunteers to centralize their records in an online database for better safekeeping, verification, and retrieval. vTracker’s design and implementation process included the creation of wireframe diagrams, user interface design specifications, and a functional prototype. According to feedback from students and our client organization that tested our prototype, vTracker provides a convenient way for volunteers to set personal service goals and have their volunteer hours validated by participating organizations; similarly, organizations can share volunteer opportunities, confirm volunteer profile records, and recommend the work of their volunteers. Eventually, the Student Philanthropy Education Program of the University of Washington Foundation will adopt the web application as an active record-keeping tool because vTracker effectively streamlines their volunteer management process.

Many university student organizations host events for a broader population than just their member base. Yet, these organizations’ events often lack visibility among the broader student population. We examined this problem in the context of the University of Washington, a large public university in the Pacific Northwest. The goal of this project was to develop an effective solution for both students and organizations. To understand students’ needs, we deployed a survey to the general student population and received 72 responses. We also interviewed three student organization leaders and six students on event attendance habits. Based on this data, we identified key features for an information system that would be responsive to students’ needs. To refine these ideas, we developed and tested feature concepts in multiple prototypes to explore various designs. With this feedback, we then built a website that provides students with: (1) access to more events; (2) ability to personalize profiles to display only events likely of interest to them; and (3) integration with Facebook. Specifically, when students create an account on the website, they are able to select specific “tags” (i.e., social, academic development, and so forth) and specific student organizations that match their interests. The events displayed in students’ profiles match their set preferences. From the organizational perspective, our solution enables easier promotion of events. A core focus of the website is Facebook integration. Students are able to log in to our website with their Facebook accounts for their convenience. Student organizations are able to create a profile, then upload events to our website by directly importing events information from Facebook. For our solution to be successful, the website must gain wide adoption by students and organizations. Ultimately, we hope wide usage of our website will lead to increased event visibility and participation amongst the student community.