Project Summary
I led the development and implementation of a comprehensive management system (ERP/CRM) that radically transformed the operation of a Non-Profit Association with 12 branches. The project evolved from an MVP to a robust platform, automating financial reconciliation, optimizing logistics, and providing real-time business intelligence. I was responsible for the entire project lifecycle, from infrastructure configuration to software architecture, full-stack development, and continuous technology evolution strategy.
My Role: Full-Stack Developer, Solutions Architect, DevOps.
Technologies: PHP, Laravel, MySQL, jQuery, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, Apache, Linux.
Key Results:
90% reduction in reconciliation time (from 3.5 hours to <30 minutes).
50% reduction in the team dedicated to the process (from 2 to 1 person).
100% data reliability, eliminating donation losses.
Real-time visibility for all 12 branches.
The Challenge: Manual Inefficiency and Operational Risk
In 2015, the organization relied on manual processes in Excel and Access for payment reconciliation. This method was slow, prone to human error, and unable to provide a consolidated, real-time view for branches. The lack of a centralized system led to financial losses, hindered decision-making, and limited the Non-Profit Association's growth capacity.
The Solution: An Integrated Management Platform
I started by creating an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) to validate the solution, taking full responsibility for the infrastructure: I configured a Linux server with Apache, managed domain redirection, and implemented the production environment.
After validation, I expanded the system into a complete management platform, designed to reflect and optimize all areas of the business:
Hybrid Billing Engine (Billing): I automated billing by processing payments via API (Asaas) and also through remittance/return files (CNAB standard), offering flexibility and scalability.
Centralized CRM (Donors): I created the heart of the system, a module to manage the complete donor lifecycle, with a detailed history of interactions and transactions.
Granular Access Control (Users): I implemented a role-based access control (RBAC) system that allowed me to define, at the button level, what each type of user could see and do, ensuring security and governance.
Logistics and Shipping (Shipments): I developed a module to manage the shipping of gifts and correspondence, based on the results of the previous month's reconciliation, optimizing logistics and donor relations.
Campaign Management (Campaigns): I created a tool to manage fundraising campaigns, with dashboards for ROI and performance analysis.
Report Builder (Reports): I delivered a powerful tool that allowed administrators to create and execute custom SQL queries, generating reports on demand and extracting valuable insights directly from the database.
Architecture and Scalability Challenges
Database Performance: I anticipated exponential data growth and proactively optimized modeling and SQL queries. This strategic vision allowed the application to sustain a MySQL database with over 7 million records without performance degradation.
Architecture Evolution: As new complex features were requested, I structured the system in a modular and cohesive way. Years later, while studying Design Patterns (GoF), I found that the solutions I implemented independently were aligned with established standards, which ensured the long-term maintainability and scalability of the project.
Impact and Measurable Results
The implementation of the system had a transformative impact on the organization's efficiency and reliability:
✅ Operational Efficiency: The time spent on reconciliation was reduced from 3 hours and 30 minutes to less than 30 minutes.
✅ Cost Reduction: The need for personnel for the task was cut in half, freeing up an employee for higher-value-added activities.
✅ Reliability and Transparency: Branches gained access to real-time dashboards, allowing for immediate identification and correction of inconsistencies, which eliminated the loss of donations.
✅ Strategic Decision Making: Management reports provided insights that were previously impossible to obtain, empowering branch managers.
Continuous Evolution and Vision for the Future
After initial success, I led a cycle of continuous improvements, including the optimization of processes such as automatic credit card updates. To ensure longevity and facilitate maintenance, I initiated the strategic migration of critical modules to Laravel.
My vision for the project is not a change for technology's sake, but a strategic evolution to enable the Non-Profit Association's next cycle of growth. To enable the organization's expansion into new sectors, it is essential that the system's key tools—especially the CRM (Donors) and Financial modules—gain greater flexibility.
With this business objective in mind, complete restructuring is the next logical step. The plan is to migrate the backend to a modern, end-to-end architecture in Laravel and rebuild the frontend with Next.js. This evolution will unlock new capabilities, enable faster adaptation to future demands, and ensure that technology acts as an engine for the Non-Profit Association's sustainable growth.