Database-Driven Website Development for Non-Profit Agencies

Abstract

The Near Eastside Legacy Initiative grant program was created to give non-profit agencies the funds to further their missions to serve neighborhoods in Indianapolis. Two non-profit organizations were selected to receive grant funds in Spring 2013 and chose to apply those proceeds to the development of new websites to significantly increase their presence and community engagement opportunities. Students from the Computer Information and Graphics Technology department at IUPUI were asked to develop the websites as part of the grant project. Twelve students volunteered for the project and were split into three teams, each of which completed the entire website development process independently over the course of eight weeks. The teams conducted client interviews, researched existing software, created and edited visual elements, and produced websites backed by the Wordpress content management system. After further consultation with the clients, updates were made and the student teams produced training materials with specific task-based instructions so that the websites could be maintained by the agencies. The organizations expect to launch their new database-driven websites in spring 2013. The students gained valuable experience working directly with clients, responding to a variety of business needs, a deeper understanding of creating software for non-technical individuals, and solid exposure to a typical scenario that developers of all types face every day.