This is a submission for Weekend Challenge: Generosity Edition
What I Built
"Education, science, culture and the free flow of ideas and knowledge are humanity's fundamental needs. They are also building blocks for lasting peace..." ~ UNESCO
But according to UNESCO data, around 2.6 billion people, nearly one-third of the world's population still lack internet access, while around 765 million adults and young people lack basic literacy skills, and nearly two-thirds of them are women. In addition, 273 million children and young people are currently out of school worldwide. This number has risen for seven consecutive years, driven by factors including conflict, poverty, population growth and shrinking budgets.
We are in 2026, and although there has been progress, many of the challenges above are still very real. Millions of people are still deprived of basic opportunities like education, access to information and the resources needed to build a better future. UNESCO's latest education data also shows that progress is possible but that the people who are furthest behind still need to be reached.
For this weekend challenge by DEV.to, I chose the topic of creating a resilience tool for communities hit first and hardest.
GiveNext is a community donation platform that connects people who have useful items with organizations that need them.
Instead of asking people only to donate money, GiveNext starts with something they may already have: a laptop, books, school bags or other useful items and helps them find an organization that currently needs them.
The idea is simple:
You have it. Someone needs it.
Demo
Code
GiveNext
GiveNext is a community donation platform that connects people who have useful items with organizations that need them.
Features
- Browse and search community needs
- Match donated items with nearby organizations
- Send and track donation offers
- View donor activity and impact
- NGO dashboard for posting needs and managing offers
- Responsive donor and NGO portal views
Development
Install dependencies:
npm install
Start the development server:
npm run dev
Run tests:
npm test
Build for production:
npm run build
Template Attribution
The original visual foundation for this project was adapted from the Alpha responsive HTML5 template by HTML5 UP.
- Template: Alpha by HTML5 UP
- Author: AJ (HTML5 UP)
- License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
The GiveNext application, content, React components, and application functionality were developed separately for this project. Template attribution and license terms remain applicable to the portions derived from the HTML5 UP template.
Credits
- Icons: React Icons
- Original template icons…
How I Built It
The entire app is built with React.js.
Key Technical Features:
- Modular React components for reusable and maintainable UI elements
- ES6 imports/exports for cleaner code organization
- React state management to handle donation forms, matching results, and user interactions
- Component-based architecture separating the donor, NGO, needs, matching, and donation flows
- Responsive Design optimized for mobile, tablet, and desktop
- Custom CSS styling with reusable classes, cards, buttons, badges, progress indicators, and responsive layouts
- Interactive donation matching that connects items people have with community needs
- Accessible UI elements with semantic HTML, labels, and clear interaction states
- Gemini Antigravity was used as a development assistant to help with technical specifications, implementation, debugging, and unit testing
The user journey flows through the core GiveNext experience:
Landing → Browse Community Needs → Tell Us What You Have → Find Matches → Offer Donation → Track Donation
My goal was to create a user journey that makes generosity feel simple, tangible, and transparent, while helping donors understand where their contribution can actually make a difference.
My Learnings
This challenge allowed me to think beyond just building another CRUD application and focus on how technology can make a real-world process a little easier.
Here's what I learned:
- React component architecture: breaking a larger interface into reusable components
- State management: managing form inputs, filters, matching results, and UI states
- Problem solving with AI: using Gemini Antigravity as a development partner while still making the architectural and product decisions myself
- Thinking from the user's perspective: designing the experience around the journey of someone who wants to give, rather than just building individual pages
The biggest takeaway was that a good product doesn't necessarily need to be complicated.
GiveNext is built around one simple question: "What do you have that someone needs?"
Future Aspects
As the weekend challenge was time-bound, most of the data in the current version is hardcoded/demo data. After the challenge, I am planning to expand the project with:
- Authentication
- Search
- Filters
- Donor activity
- Match breakdown
- Toast notifications
- Empty/error states
- Real-time notifications
- Chat
- Maps
- Image uploads
- Social sharing
- Advanced analytics
- AI-powered matching
The current version focuses mainly on demonstrating the core idea and user journey. These features would help turn the prototype into a more complete platform.
Prize Categories
Best Use of Google AI
GiveNext was developed with Google Gemini through Google Antigravity as an AI-assisted development partner.
I used Gemini to help:
- Develop and refine the technical specifications and frontend architecture
- Think through implementation approaches and edge cases
- Create and improve unit tests
- Debug and iterate on the frontend
Gemini was used as a development aid while the product concept, feature decisions, and overall implementation direction were driven by me.
Why GiveNext?
Places like India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and many other developing countries continue to face challenges around access to education, school resources, rising costs and basic necessities.
Many people may have things sitting unused at home while somewhere else, a community organization is actively looking for exactly those things.
GiveNext is my small attempt at building a helping hand between the two.
It is not trying to solve every problem. It is simply trying to make one small part of giving easier:
help people find where what they already have can actually help someone else.
And hopefully, by making the process more transparent and connected, we can make it a little easier for people to trust the act of giving and for communities to receive the help they need.
All images used in this project are credited to their original owners.
Top comments (0)