When Purdys decided to re-platform their Fundraising and Group Savings programs, they weren’t looking for a facelift — they needed a fundamental rethink. We helped redefine how digital could support volunteer-driven fundraising and workplace group buying, simplifying program management, elevating team engagement, and uncovering new strategic opportunities buried deep within their operations.
Purdys runs two of the most beloved community programs in Canada, but years of incremental growth had made them harder to manage, harder to navigate, and harder to scale. We dove into the philosophy, operations, and lived realities of both Fundraisers and Group Buyers — uncovering the emotional, logistical, and motivational forces that actually drive these programs. Through extensive interviews, rigorous debate, and collaborative strategic framing with the Purdys team, we reshaped both experiences into models that simplify decision-making, reduce volunteer burden, and amplify community impact. The result: a clearer, more intuitive future for two programs that fuel Purdys’ business.
Fundraising organizers and Group Savings leaders depended on Purdys’ programs — but the tools they used weren’t keeping up. Volunteers were overwhelmed, leaders had no visibility, participants struggled to stay engaged, and key moments in the journey were shaped more by operational gaps than by intentional experience design. Purdys needed clarity on the real problems, the real motivations, and the real opportunities hidden inside the program logistics.
As we examined both programs end-to-end, it became clear that the underlying issue wasn’t digital at all — it was conceptual. Fundraisers aren’t administrators; they’re volunteers with limited time and emotional bandwidth. Group Buyers act more like micro-distributors than shoppers. Both work within Purdys’ operational constraints around cut-offs, production windows, and distribution timelines. A new platform couldn’t just “look modern.” It had to align human behavior with operational reality while strengthening Purdys’ relationship with its communities.
We kicked off with a deep immersion into Purdys’ business, programs, culture, and operational constraints. Through interviews, stakeholder workshops, program mapping, and competitive analysis, we uncovered the behavioural, motivational, and logistical gaps undermining the existing experience. This phase aligned every department — product, marketing, customer service, operations — around a shared understanding of the problems worth solving.
Stakeholder interviews
Program ecosystem mapping
Persona & motivation modelling
Operational workflow analysis
Opportunity identification framework
With clarity around user realities and business constraints, we synthesized insights into a structured set of problems worth solving across both programs. We defined experience principles centred on reducing cognitive load, strengthening community, surfacing progress, and aligning the digital experience with Purdys’ operational engine. This became the backbone for every future decision.
Insights synthesis
Problems Worth Solving Framework
Fundraising & Group Savings differentiation model
Experience principles
North-star direction definition
We developed multiple conceptual models for how the next-generation platform could function — from motivation systems and onboarding flows to team management and order visibility. These concepts reframed the entire digital approach to these programs.
Wireframes & interactive prototypes
Motivation & gamification frameworks
Usability testing
User testing & validation
Refined experience model
Program behaviour recommendations
Visual design and design system
We created a strategy that reimagines Fundraising and Group Savings as two distinct journeys supported by a single, consistent platform foundation. The experience emphasizes visibility, momentum, purpose, and accountability — giving leaders clearer tools, participants simpler paths, and Purdys a stronger operational backbone. It transforms these programs from transactional ordering flows into community-building engines that honour Purdys’ mission, identity, and operational reality.
We aligned insights with Purdys’ internal capabilities to create a grounded, phased roadmap for bringing the new platform to life — one that modernizes the experience while honouring the core of how the business operates.
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