Interactive storytelling raising over $250k
Context
Teens in Public Service (TIPS), a Seattle-based organization, has been connecting high school students with internships for 27 years. Despite its significant impact, TIPS faced a critical challenge: a growing disconnect with its donors. This disconnect hindered TIPS' ability to scale its impact, expand its reach, and secure adequate funding.
Our team was tasked with bridging this gap by creating engaging and immersive storytelling methods that would resonate with donors, ultimately enabling TIPS to scale its impact and fulfill its mission more effectively.
KPI + IMPACT:
This project contributed to $250,000 in donations in the annual luncheon event. It also led to an 18% increase in engagement with event content measured through post-event survey feedback.
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UX Researcher | Data Visualization | UX Design | Prototyping | User Engagement Strategist
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Divyanshi Rajauria
Eeshani Barve
Ford Minton
Gayatri Tawde
Mentored by Jeff Lin & Marc O’Brien -
8 months
Tools
How might we create ways for
engaging and immersive storytelling to scale impact?
Problem space
Limited funds restricting the organization's potential impact
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Develop compelling and effective storytelling techniques
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Scaling TIPS’ reach and engagement
Understanding the users
To understand the challenge in depth, and to guide our design process, we interviewed 20 users:
11 TIPS interns, 5 members of the organization (including founders); and 4 sponsors, who have been associated with TIPS for some time.
Our objectives
We gained valuable feedback from the stakeholders and we derived these 3 design objectives and action steps that will be helping our design decisions ahead:
Effectively communicate
the impact to donors and stakeholders
Create engagement with donors beyond the fundraisers
Encourage conversations about TIPS among potential donors
Opportunity spaces
01
Web Presence
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Missed Engagement Opportunities
Limited Interactive Visuals of TIPS Impact: Attendees could have benefited from clearer, more engaging visuals of TIPS' impact.
Missing Infographics on the Organization’s Journey: Key milestones and progress weren’t as effectively highlighted as they could have been.
Lack of Immersive Content: Additional interactive or multimedia elements could have further enriched the audience experience.
Low Engagement Due to Limited Interaction:
Previous events had minimal interactive features, which resulted in lower attendee engagement.
The absence of interactive elements led to fewer opportunities for attendees to form meaningful connections.
Fundraising Events
Based on our research and insights into TIPS' impact, we identified key opportunity spaces to enhance the organization's storytelling and donor engagement. These areas formed the foundation for our ideation and prototyping phases, aiming to bridge the gap between TIPS and its donors through compelling narratives and interactive experiences.
Ideation
Through collaborative co-design workshops, we generated several ideas aligned with our objectives:
Interactive Digital Timeline: A dynamic visualization of TIPS' journey, adaptable for both the website and fundraising events, showcasing the organization's growth and impact over time.
Impact Growth Map: An interactive map displaying TIPS' expanding influence and connections from 1997 to 2024, allowing users to visualize the organization's geographical reach and network growth over time
Design outcomes
TIPS’ Digital Timeline from 1997-2024
TIPS Impact from 1997-2024
Results & impact
How did we measure the impact?
Increase in user engagement in the event.
What was the impact?
Raised $250,000 in donations from the event
Higher interaction rates on web by 25%
18% increase engagement with event content
Here’s a glimpse of the fudraising event 2025, where we tested our prototypes for measuring impact.
Emotional reactions from users at the fundraising luncheons.
Growth in donor engagement and sponsorship.
Prototypes created by our team has been updated on TIPS’ mission page, helping the organization convey their impact and reach to visitors & potential donors.
Key takeaways & future scope
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Maximizing impact with limited resources
While working with a non-profit, I recognized that limited resources often made large-scale changes challenging. However, I discovered that even by adding small scaled elements—such as interactive timeline or a mural can significantly boost user engagement. These solutions not only enhanced the overall experience but also demonstrated how even modest improvements can yield meaningful results, especially when working within constraints.
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If I had more time
Enhanced Storytelling and Interactive Content: Given more time, I’d focus on showcasing TIPS’ impact and success stories through dynamic and engaging formats, such as video testimonials, interactive infographics, and user-driven content. This would involve collaborating with the development team to seamlessly integrate these features into the website.
Collaboration for Seamless Integration
I’d also explore ways to make the storytelling experience more interactive, similar to our live events, by incorporating features like real-time polls, feedback, or clickable impact maps, ensuring an immersive and engaging online experience.