OneCause, fundraising software for nonprofits

Helping nonprofits launch their fundraising campaigns faster.

OneCause had no onboarding dashboard. I designed one from zero, and testers launched in 60% less time.

The OneCause onboarding dashboard on a light laptop: a checklist of five milestones beside upcoming events, fundraising pages and the CRM integration status
Shipped designThe final onboarding dashboardCompare with the old dashboard
Problem
The old dashboard opened on empty graphs.
Decision
Tell a new user what to do right now.
Role
UX research and design consultant
Platform
Web app (SaaS)
Timeline
2023
Focus
Onboarding and activation
Tools
Figma, FigJam
Status
Shipped

From empty graphs to five milestones

After: the final dashboard, a checklist of onboarding milestones beside upcoming events and a CRM sync panel Before: the old analytics dashboard with empty graphs and zeroed numbers
  1. Drag the handle Wipe between the old dashboard and the new design.
Setting up with the old dashboardBaseline
Setting up with five milestones60% less time

“I logged in, saw the blank screen, and thought I'd done something wrong. I called support just to ask if I was in the right place.”

Development Director, Mid-size Nonprofit

Fundraisers are mission-driven, not technical

Their first day should show them what to do next.

ArchetypeThe Fearless Fundraiser

From interviews to five tested milestones

  1. 01

    Interview

    Coordinators, one by one.

  2. 02

    Map

    Where they got lost.

  3. 03

    Design

    Five milestones.

  4. 04

    Test

    8 real users. Ready for development.

Two early layouts that did not work

Version 1

Did not work

A simple task list, analytics below.

  • No incentive to complete tasks.
  • No way to track progress.
  • Visuals didn't make the cut.

Version 2

Did not work

Milestones get their own space.

  • Too crowded.
  • Key stats not scannable at a glance.
  • The milestone card took up too much space.

Final

Shipped

Five milestones, each completable. The full platform opens after setup.

The sidebar and resources stay in view

The dashboard sidebar: upcoming events, active fundraising pages, CRM sync status and a fundraising feed
SidebarEvents, fundraising pages, CRM sync
ResourcesTraining, guides and tools from day one