Universal Giving
Background and motivation
Since the pandemic, the number of donations has increased. Around the world, 3 billion people donated to someone they didn’t know last year, an increase of approximately half a billion compared to before the pandemic (CAF, 2022). With donations on the rise, this app aims to simplify both finding and donating to charities.
By developing this app, I hope to enable easier and more accessible ways for individuals to support charities and organisations they’re passionate about. This platform serves as a bridge, connecting donors with various charitable initiatives, enabling them to make a difference with their contributions. As well as allowing everyone to be able to post a donation for a cause that matters to them. “Probably the most important thing for donors is aligning the causes they give to with their own values, passions and interests,” (White, 2018). This app aims to bring together charities of all types, so everyone can find one they align with. If not, they'll be able to create their own.
This app uses Supabase as its database for managing users charity information, allowing them to create, read, update, and delete their data and charity information. Additionally, it stores users email address and password for authentication purposes. As well as using UI controls such as VerticalStackLayout, HorizontalStackLayout, GridLayout, FlexLayout, ScrollView, CollectionView and Flyout tabs for better user experience. The app also has various software design patterns, including Dependency Injection for managing view models and services, Behavioral design patterns such as the Observer pattern for handling state changes, and the MVVM architectural pattern for separating concerns between the UI and business logic, among others. These patterns contribute to a more scalable application design.
Features Description
Login/registration -- Users can register their email by signing up and then log into the app. The app is able to see if the user is already logged on.
Charity listing -- Users can view both their own charity listings and those of others on a separate page.
Search -- Users can search through charities and select the ones they want.
CRUD -- Users can create their own charity listings and manage them by updating or deleting the listings as needed.
Donating -- Users can browse through other peoples’ charities and donate by adding the charity to their basket.
Checkout -- After entering the desired amount, users can proceed to checkout. User can also delete their donation(s) or clear the basket.
References
-White, M. C. (2018). 5 Expert Tips for Deciding Which Charities to Support This Year. Time. https://time.com/5462447/charity-donation-giving-tips/ -Zadok, J. (2023, April 4). Creating a Books Tracker App with .NET MAUI and Supabase. Hackernoon. Retrieved November 10, 2024, from https://hackernoon.com/creating-a-books-tracker-app-with-net-maui-and-supabase
-CAF (2022). Global generosity growth as more people donate and help strangers. Charities Aid Foundation. https://www.cafonline.org/about-us/press-office/global-generosity-growth-as-more-people-donate-and-help-strangers#:~:text=Around%20the%20world%2C%203%20billion,%25%20in%20high%2Dincome%20economies.