If this sounds like a lofty goal, it is. But UX for Change, which started five years ago, is expanding into new geographies and enabling positive change in sustainable and scalable ways.
“We’ve been on a journey,” said Sandra Gonzalez, the founder of UX for Change. Early on, the organization saw an opportunity to address gaps in the way we educate young people interested in coding and design. “If we are teaching children how to code, we should be incorporating a human element into it,” she said.
“Fast forward to today, our mission is all about enabling positive change in the world by connecting the nonprofit sector with the UX community while championing design excellence,” Sandra said.
"...our mission is all about enabling positive change in the world by connecting the nonprofit sector with the UX community while championing design excellence”
Sandra Gonzalez, Founder of UX for Change
Measuring social impact is one of Sandra’s goals for UX for Change. Last year, she launched a chapter in New York and worked with a charity called Tallom Foundation Inc. The founder was a “superwoman” who wanted to learn how to leverage digital to attract donors and tell the charity’s story. In partnership with Bamboo Crowd, UX for Change was able to find a corporate sponsor and host a hands-on training event to explore and implement digital solutions to take Tallom to the next level.
“We’re privileged to have the opportunity to support UX for Change in helping purpose-driven organizations and nonprofits solve their design challenges. With our global network of Thinkers and Makers, we hope that, together with Sandra and her team, we can deliver real meaningful change and impact,” said Alex Pavlou, founder of Bamboo Crowd.
“It was a very emotional night,” Sandra said. “At the end, she thanked us with tears in her eyes and said it was such an amazing experience for her.”
“I followed up recently, to see what they’ve accomplished one year later, and it’s exciting to see that the experienced helped her strategize. Engineers that night were able to pick up on the concepts we discussed and make them,” Sandra said. “It’s that ‘I get it!’ moment.”
Bamboo Crowd supports UX for Change in many ways, including networking and relationship building. “I often don’t have the time or the connections to connect a corporate sponsor with a nonprofit that are both going for the same goal,” Sandra said. “With Bamboo Crowd, we have been able to make these pairings and connections.”
“I am excited about what we have done so far, but especially about what we can continue to do. Sometimes we are very quick to segment the different aspects of the UX community, but we are all part of a big system. Companies such as Bamboo Crowd are key to this ecosystem. I’m excited to continue working with them, and I look forward to the amazing stories we’ll have in the future.”