A website is more than a company’s online presence; it’s a necessary tool that amplifies reach, enhances credibility, and offers real legitimacy. For nonprofits especially, who depend on widespread awareness and a foundation of trust to fuel fundraising efforts, a fully functioning and compelling website is critical to long-term success and viability.

Cue: 48in48, a national organization that coordinates hackathon-style events where builders and marketing professionals unite to launch 48 websites for 48 nonprofits in just 48 hours. These websites are created to help organizations that do good for people and the community also look good — and so far, the impact has been substantial. Since its inception in 2015, 48in48 has brought together a network of volunteers across the globe to build over 1,200 websites, with an estimated giveback of $31 million to nonprofits that further causes like social justice, community development, education, and more.

This year’s most recent hackathon in Atlanta, the 48in48 Women’s Build Event, was specifically designed for anyone identifying as a woman. Starting on the last day of Women’s History Month, the event was coordinated by women, the volunteer teams were made up of women, and the websites were created to support nonprofit organizations led by or serving women. Also in attendance was guest speaker Zoe Oli, 11-year-old CEO of Beautiful Curly Me, an Atlanta-based toy and media company on a mission to instill and inspire confidence in young girls.

CEO Zoe Oli shares her inspirational journey during the event

From UX/UI designers to content developers and project managers, volunteers gathered both virtually and in person at the Slalom Atlanta office to form teams of differing skill sets. Then, the hackathon kicked off, and volunteers got to work ideating wireframes, digging into copy, and constructing WordPress websites. Between punchy headlines and eye-catching donation buttons, every component of every website was crafted with strategic purpose and care. Once each website was completed, these sites were then quality assessed and checked for accessibility in compliance with ADA standards.

In total, 86 onsite builders and 238 virtual builders came together on Friday, the first day of the hackathon, with an additional 40 volunteers showing up on the weekend. Out of these numbers, 17 onsite builders and 25 weekend volunteers were from Slalom.

At the end of the hackathon, 55 websites were built, saving the participating nonprofits a cumulative $1.37 million. These websites went on to help Atlanta-based organizations like Gold Carbon, Learning in Color Corp., and the National Commission for Black Arts and Entertainment, which took first place in the hackathon for its new website.

NCBAE’s newly designed website

The Women’s Build Event was truly a way to unite the community while giving nonprofits the online presence they deserve. Not only does each organization leave the event with a new website, but they will also receive a 6–10-week branding and impact training course that will allow them to continue scaling momentum for years to come. This training will enable these organizations to further their reach and maximize their potential as they continue to serve out their missions for the betterment of our communities.

Volunteers and participants gather at the Women’s Build Event

In our own efforts to build better tomorrows, Slalom has and continues to be a proud supporter of 48in48. Over the past four years, Slalom employees have served on the board of directors of 48in48, filled leadership roles on event committees, contributed their expertise to 16 new sites, and donated over 3,200 volunteer hours to the organization’s efforts. Sponsoring this year’s Women’s Build Event allowed Slalom Atlanta to continue engaging our people in novel ways, giving employees a new outlet to enhance the city in which they live, invest in the success of women in technology, and have a legitimate, positive impact on people’s lives.