Summer 2022: Apply to be a partner with UW Blueprint today!

Blueprint strives to make technology accessible and useful for those who create communities and promote public welfare. Read on to learn how to apply to be a partner…

What can UW Blueprint do for your organization?

Our teams of talented University of Waterloo students and recent graduates work with you to develop tech-based solutions. UW Blueprint offers this service for free and we can better understand your capacity to pay for any costs after meeting with you.

If you are interested in UW Blueprint’s service, contact us by reaching out to info@uwblueprint.org!

Our previous partnerships have helped non-profit organizations (NPOs) by building web applications, mobile applications, and analysis tools. Our efforts have helped NPOs by:

• Automating time-consuming and error-prone manual tasks for the Pregnancy Centre (KW)
• Reinventing pre-pandemic analog processes to fit remote needs for Raising the Roof
• Consolidating multiple systems into one user-friendly workflow for Social Venture Partners Waterloo Region (SVPWR)
• Transforming a static interface to an interactive experience for The Shoe Project
• Updating an older system that does not fit the use cases needed for Waterloo Paramedic Services
• And most recently, building a scheduling platform to streamline donations for Community Fridge KW

The products we make at Blueprint are 100% volunteer-made, free, and our former NPO partners have been satisfied with the quality of our work. Here’s some feedback in their own words:

Each step of the way, Blueprint’s team asked lots of questions to ensure what they were developing matched expectations, and were transparent around their processes. From building in the ability to rank applications to ensuring the portal’s colours matched our brand, they were responsive to our requests, and fantastic to work with.

— Taryn Graham, Operations & Communications Manager at SVPWR

It was a delight to work with the UW Blueprint team. The team was professional, organized and experts in their field. They were always one step ahead and communicated each task and decision. They provided us with viable options during each phase to create a user-friendly design. They delivered a final product to showcase the impact of our organization across Canada. Our organization is growing, and we hope to work with them again. It is with pleasure that we recommend UW Blueprint students.

-Anna Trader, Administrative Director at The Shoe Project

What does Blueprint look for in a partnership?

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for UW Blueprint’s service, your organization must meet the following requirements for consideration.

Your organization:

1. Is an incorporated non-profit organization or registered as a charity
2. Is focused on solving a social problem
3. May be local, region, provincial, national or international
4. Should propose a project that is feasible to complete within four to twelve months
5. Must provide one key contact at the executive level who will act as a project sponsor
6. Must demonstrate organizational readiness and commitment through having executives, staff or volunteers with the capacity to work closely with UW Blueprint to develop the proposed technology solution

If you have questions about your organization’s eligibility, please feel free to contact

• Rona He: ronahe@uwblueprint.org
• Ayaan Hussain: ayaanhussain@uwblueprint.org
• Anushka Tayal: anushkatayal@uwblueprint.org

Decision Criteria

After meeting eligibility requirements, we judge project fit with potential partners based on the following decision criteria:

Impact: How much will the project impact the community? We prefer projects that will provide the maximal benefit to the target community.

Necessity: How vital is the project to the non-profit organization, and does the organization have other means to complete the project? We want to ensure that we are helping organizations that truly need our services.

Scope: Is completing the project feasible within our timeline? We want to ensure that we can finish the project and deliver quality results within a reasonable time.

Technical Fit: Does your project use the capabilities of technology? Does it fit well with our team’s areas of expertise?

Credibility: Is it clear that the project will have an impact? We like to see evidence that supports this! We also prefer to work with non-profits that have a proven track record of doing good.

How to apply

If you are interested in UW Blueprint’s service, contact us by reaching out to info@uwblueprint.org!

Tips on Completing Successful Project Applications

• Complete the application to the best of your abilities, be transparent and detailed, and provide us with a thought-out and well-written submission
• We like to see good decision-making structure, and internal resources to execute the work
• We like to see a clearly defined problem and project goals

Email ronahe@uwblueprint.org, ayaanhussain@uwblueprint.org, or anushkatayal@uwblueprint.org for clarification on any of the application sections!

After Submitting

• Our Scoping Committee will carefully review project application and conduct client interviews with selected candidates to determine their fit with UW Blueprint’s mission, expertise and approach
• 30-minute initial meeting with shortlisted candidates will take place from June 17th to June 30th 2022
• 1-hour scoping workshop with shortlisted candidates will take place from July 1st to July 20th 2022

Timeline

A typical project at blueprint can take anywhere from 4 to 12 months. Here’s the breakdown:

Phase 1: Nonprofit/team lead project discussion

We work with the nonprofit to understand the project in great depth and scope out the minimum viable product (MVP). Once we agree on the MVP, the project lead will write up a statement of work to be shared with the nonprofit.

Phase 2: Building the Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

During this phase, we work hard to get the MVP up and running. We will consistently stay in touch with the nonprofit to ensure that the development phase goes smoothly and to also make sure that we are always in sync with the nonprofit.

Phase 3: User testing

During this phase, we release the MVP to see how the product is received. Any critical problems that break the product are fixed immediately. Additionally, we will take note of any bugs, UX issues, and feature requests during this time.

Phase 4: Product polish and hand-off

The last phase involves intensive development. We make improvements on the product based on the feedback received from user testing. This phase is designed to completely finish the product so that it is ready to be delivered to the nonprofit. Upon completion, we meet with the nonprofit to hand off the product and to figure out how maintenance of the product is to be handled.

If you are interested in UW Blueprint’s service, contact us by reaching out to info@uwblueprint.org!