Building a Charity Platform: Lessons from hoki.help

In a remarkable display of digital philanthropy, a journalist from Northeast India recently built a donation platform for HoKi N, a children's hospice organization based in Lower Austria. This initiative, hoki.help, serves as a beacon of how technology can be harnessed to support charitable causes, especially in times when physical interactions are limited.

The Platform's Key Features

In a span of just eight hours, the platform was developed with a responsive landing page, a donation widget, legal pages, an FAQ section, and SEO optimization. The donation widget allows for one-time and monthly recurring donations, with options for anonymous donations. A donation barometer shows the progress after reaching 500 donations.

Choosing the Right Technologies

The choice of technology stack was crucial. Stripe Checkout was selected for payment processing, as it is secure, trusted, and supports Apple Pay and Google Pay. Neon, a serverless Postgres database, was chosen to store aggregate donation stats, keeping data within the EU. No user accounts were created to ensure frictionless donations.

Designing for Anonymity

Anonymity was a design priority. Donors have the option to remain anonymous, with their names not being stored or shared with the charity. Only Stripe, the payment processor, holds this information.

Implications for Northeast India and Beyond

The success of hoki.help demonstrates the potential of digital platforms to support charitable causes, even on a small scale. This model could be replicated in Northeast India, where numerous non-profit organizations could benefit from such an initiative. Furthermore, the lessons learned from hoki.help can serve as a guide for those looking to create similar platforms, highlighting the importance of user-friendly design, secure payment processing, and data privacy.

Reflections and Looking Forward

The hoki.help project is a testament to the power of technology in supporting charitable causes. With its focus on anonymity, user-friendly design, and secure payment processing, it provides a blueprint for others to follow. As we move forward, it is essential to continue exploring ways to leverage technology for the betterment of society, especially in the context of Northeast India and beyond.