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About Us

We Believe In Using Tech For Good

Hack4Impact believes in technology’s huge potential to empower activists and humanitarians to create lasting and impactful social change. We work to foster the wider adoption of software as a tool for social good.

Our Mission

Hack4Impact exists for both nonprofits and students. We connect student software developers with nonprofits and other socially responsible businesses to develop powerful new tools for social change. This enables nonprofits to further their mission and better engage their clients. We are committed to increasing awareness of technology's potential for good.

Spring 2024 Team

Our Values

Intentionality

We evaluate the trade offs of our decisions, choose a direction to head, and crush our goals. Whether it be personal or professional growth, we avoid mindless movement and instead purposefully act. We work with intention. We understand that at the end of the day, Hack4Impact exists to build solutions that are right for our nonprofit partners and their users. We carefully assess the concerns of our users, stakeholders, and partners, to develop a custom solution that fits our precise constraints.

Curiosity

We are eager to learn about technology, ourselves, and the world around us. We dive deep into our fields of study and work, and seek feedback from our teammates, students, and teachers. We are hungry, yet humble; we are able to set aside our egos and view each moment and interaction as an opportunity to learn. We are incredibly curious about our nonprofit partners. We know we might not know everything, so we must ask the right questions to even begin to grasp the complexity of our partners' situations. Curiosity also enables us to look beyond our immediate vicinity and deliver the best solution to our partners, even if the solution isn’t built by Hack4Impact.

Empathy

We look to understand perspectives, situations, and needs, and therefore are not afraid of asking or being asked clarifying questions. We make intentional, well-informed decisions by understanding the environments we are surrounded by and deeply listening to our teammates. We are then able to best mentor our own teammates growth because we can see where they are coming from. Empathy drives every decision we make on behalf of our nonprofit partners. Our empathetic approach provides a North Star to our development process. We’re able to settle difficult debates by agreeing and executing on what’s best for our partner.

How We Work

We partner with nonprofits and other socially minded organizations to build impactful products. Each product is spearheaded by a dedicated development team on a one or two semester timeline.

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How We Work

Meet The Team

I joined Hack4Impact because I wanted to work on impactful products with like-minded, dedicated, and talented people. Hack4Impact not only gave me those experiences, but also pushed me to improve professionally and personally. I hope to give others the same opportunities to grow while working on projects they love with people they love through Hack4Impact.
Roy Chiu
Former Co-Director
Roy Chiu

I joined Hack4Impact because I wanted to work on impactful products with like-minded, dedicated, and talented people. Hack4Impact not only gave me those experiences, but also pushed me to improve professionally and personally. I hope to give others the same opportunities to grow while working on projects they love with people they love through Hack4Impact.

I came to UIUC with no friends and no idea of what I wanted to do with my life. After 2 years of searching for my place, I believe I have finally found that with Hack4Impact. I aim to create an environment where students are molded into the best versions of themselves, unstoppable teams are developed, and life changing products are built.
David Chang
Former Co-Director
David Chang

I came to UIUC with no friends and no idea of what I wanted to do with my life. After 2 years of searching for my place, I believe I have finally found that with Hack4Impact. I aim to create an environment where students are molded into the best versions of themselves, unstoppable teams are developed, and life changing products are built.

Through Hack4Impact, I’ve gotten the opportunity to develop my technical skills, learn how to create products from the ground up, and build incredible friendships and mentor/mentee relationships. Being around so many people who are passionate about developing products that empower others and learning along the way is a privilege and has made my college experience that much more exciting...
Sahithi Muthyala
Former Co-Director
Sahithi Muthyala

Through Hack4Impact, I’ve gotten the opportunity to develop my technical skills, learn how to create products from the ground up, and build incredible friendships and mentor/mentee relationships. Being around so many people who are passionate about developing products that empower others and learning along the way is a privilege and has made my college experience that much more exciting.

Hack4Impact has had a great influence on what I care about and want to pursue long-term. Some of my best memories are from dev nights and community events, which I continue to look forward to while growing Hack4Impact with an awesome group of individuals.

Hack4Impact has given me the opportunity to apply my skills towards important causes while improving myself at the same time. I hope to help others experience this personal growth, see the impact their work can have, and collaborate with other people who care just as much.
Angad Garg
Former Co-Director
Angad Garg

Hack4Impact has given me the opportunity to apply my skills towards important causes while improving myself at the same time. I hope to help others experience this personal growth, see the impact their work can have, and collaborate with other people who care just as much.

Coming into Illinois, I had a narrow view of who I could become and what I could do. Hack4Impact really changed that for me. So grateful to learn with an amazing group of developers, designers, and all-around inspiring humans. Moving forward, I aspire to deepen our avenues for social impact and foster friendships that last beyond our short time here at Illinois. Can't wait to write Hack4Impact's story together with everyone!
Annie Wu
Former Co-Director
Annie Wu

Coming into Illinois, I had a narrow view of who I could become and what I could do. Hack4Impact really changed that for me. So grateful to learn with an amazing group of developers, designers, and all-around inspiring humans. Moving forward, I aspire to deepen our avenues for social impact and foster friendships that last beyond our short time here at Illinois. Can't wait to write Hack4Impact's story together with everyone!

When I joined Hack4Impact, I had no idea which direction I wanted to take with my life - academically, professionally, and personally. In my time here, however, I've been able to build my skills while seeing how they fit into the bigger picture, not to mention creating a tangible impact with some of the most hard-working and motivated people I've met. It's been great to see how the organization has evolved in the past few semesters and I'm excited to see how it continues to grow!
Arpan Laha
Former Co-Director
Arpan Laha

When I joined Hack4Impact, I had no idea which direction I wanted to take with my life - academically, professionally, and personally. In my time here, however, I've been able to build my skills while seeing how they fit into the bigger picture, not to mention creating a tangible impact with some of the most hard-working and motivated people I've met. It's been great to see how the organization has evolved in the past few semesters and I'm excited to see how it continues to grow!

I joined Hack4Impact looking to work with incredible and hard-working students while using my skills to do something more meaningful. With Hack4Impact, I’d like to give this same opportunity to our members while pushing them to learn and grow tremendously both personally and professionally.
Timothy Ko
Former Co-Director
Timothy Ko

I joined Hack4Impact looking to work with incredible and hard-working students while using my skills to do something more meaningful. With Hack4Impact, I’d like to give this same opportunity to our members while pushing them to learn and grow tremendously both personally and professionally.

Meet The Team