Project Overview

Role: Lead Developer

Timeline: 4 Weeks | 2025

Tech Stack: Google Sites, Adobe Creative Cloud

The Fort Lewis Thrift Shop, a nonprofit serving the Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) military community, lacked a central hub for essential information. Patrons frequently struggled to find accurate hours and location details, while the shop faced a recurring logistical challenge: the high volume of unacceptable donations.

The Challenge

The client needed a professional web presence that was:

1. Low-Cost to Build and Maintain: To support the military community, I donated my development services for this build. I focused on creating a high-impact, low-maintenance site that costs the nonprofit less than $50/year in domain hosting fees to operate.

2. User-Friendly for Staff: The site needed to be easily updated by non-technical volunteers.

3. Educational: It needed to actively reduce the labor-intensive processing of "junk" donations.

The Solution

Instead of over-engineering the project with a complex CMS, I strategically selected Google Sites to provide a secure, $0-overhead solution.

• Strategic Content Design: To solve the donation issue, I created a comprehensive "Donation Guide." Beyond listing shop policies, I researched and integrated a directory of local alternative donation and disposal resources, redirecting users to appropriate drop-off points for items the shop couldn't accept.

• Intuitive Information Architecture: I designed a streamlined site map (Home, About, Volunteer, and Contact) to ensure military families could find critical information within two clicks.

• Creative Assets: Leveraging Adobe Creative Cloud, I developed custom visual assets and enhanced images that elevated the standard Google Sites layout, ensuring the shop’s brand felt professional and community-focused.

The Impact & Value

I completed this project as a pro bono initiative to support the JBLM military community. By donating my development services and selecting a zero-cost platform, I delivered a professional solution where the client’s only overhead is a ~$50/year domain registration. The result is a sustainable "digital front door" that allows the nonprofit to focus 100% of its budget on its mission rather than web maintenance fees, while the new donation resources serve as a proactive tool to reduce the physical burden of waste on their staff.

View Site: www.fortlewisthriftshop.com

The Alternative Donation and Disposal Resources page guides users on how to responsibly discard items unsuitable for the gift shop, allowing shop volunteers to focus their efforts where they are needed most.