At the end of 2020, 7.8 million Americans had fallen into poverty. The pandemic was still raging, leading to rising unemployment and deepening food insecurity across the U.S. and the world. Many people were struggling to pay rent, put food on the table, or afford basic necessities like school supplies or clothing.

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But what if you could treat a neighbor to a hot meal, help a stranger pay their utility bill, gift a child much-needed school supplies, or cover the cost of a ride to the hospital for someone who’s sick? That’s the idea behind the Give for Joy app.

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Tim DeMello saw the growing need and recognized how difficult it was to directly help others through small donations. His brilliant idea: create an app that facilitates micro-donations for specific, tangible needs. I had the honor of designing and prototyping the Give for Joy app to make micro-giving easy, meaningful, and impactful.

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Here’s how it works: imagine someone needs a ride to a doctor’s appointment but can’t afford it. The app connects directly with services like Lyft or Uber, allowing a donor to cover the ride in just a few taps. Or picture a young girl preparing for her local dance recital—she can use the app to request a pair of ballet slippers, and a donor can purchase them and have them shipped directly to her home.

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