​​Plat4mation​ Hacks for Good to Help Girls Around the Globe Become Developers 

We are known for our hackathons, so when ServiceNow asked us to host a hackathon at the annual Knowledge conference in Las Vegas, we were excited to take on the opportunity. 

This wasn’t just any hackathon – it was for a good cause. The initiative, known as Hack4Good, was organized by Plat4mation in collaboration with ServiceNow.org (a division of ServiceNow focused on assisting nonprofits) and Technovation. Technovation is a global nonprofit organization that provides tech education to girls around the world by assigning volunteer coaches and mentors. These volunteers help the girls discover their talents as developers and enhance their problem-solving skills, for example, by guiding them to build an app that addresses a specific issue in their community. 

The Mission

Technovation had issues with their current system for booking and managing coaching and mentoring sessions. The existing scheduling tool was not user-friendly and made it difficult for girls to see when their Technovation volunteers were available. Additionally, coaches and mentors had trouble updating their availability. 

Therefore, the mission of the Hack4Good initiative was simple: to create a portal that would make it easier for girls to connect with their coaches and mentors. This involved improving the appointment booking process and allowing coaches and mentors to update their schedules easily. The custom portal needed to be accessible on both desktop and smartphone. 

Hacking for Good 

Over three days in May, 160 Knowledge attendees came together to build the application. The hackathon consisted of seven sessions, each lasting ninety minutes. The project teams included both programmers and non-programmers, who laid a solid foundation for the app. 

Tim Simon, an app engine expert at Plat4mation and a member of the hackathon team, stated, “It was great to see the dedication of the people who joined the hackathon. They really took advantage of their ninety minutes and made something truly valuable.” 

The Result 

While this was the first time ServiceNow crowdsourced developers to build a nonprofit solution, the outcome exceeded all expectations. Developers at Plat4mation are currently putting the finishing touches on the app, ensuring that best practices are followed before it is deployed at Technovation. 

Making the World a Better Place

ServiceNow.org is a division of ServiceNow dedicated to bringing digital transformation to nonprofit organizations through tailored solutions and guidance. This aligns with one of our six core values: making the world a better place. We are committed to making a positive impact on society and the environment, and we continuously seek ways to contribute to people and nature, and to help others.  

For the Hack4good initiative, Plat4mation and ServiceNow combined their strengths, innovation, and expertise to develop applications and solutions aimed at making the world a better place, specifically for the girls seeking guidance and mentoring from Technovation.