GSoC 2025 Proposal Draft: PyLadiesCon - Enhancing the Volunteer & Sponsorship Portal

[vybhavg]

Hi @Mariatta ,
I’m Vybhav, and I’m excited to contribute to PyLadiesCon as part of Google Summer of Code 2025. I’ve drafted a proposal for enhancing the Volunteer & Sponsorship Portal and would love to get feedback from mentors and the community before submitting it.

Proposal Overview

✅ Sub-org: PyLadiesCon
✅ Project Title: Enhancing the Volunteer & Sponsorship Portal

Summary

PyLadiesCon’s Volunteer & Sponsorship Portal needs improvements to streamline sponsor interactions, volunteer management, and event coordination.

I aim to enhance the portal by:

• Improving the UI/UX
• Automating workflows
• Adding better sponsor-volunteer matching features

Key Deliverables

• ✅ Improved sponsor & volunteer dashboards
• ✅ Automated email & notifications system
• ✅ Enhanced search & filtering for volunteers/sponsors
• ✅ Admin tools for better event management

About Me

Name: Vybhav
GitHub Username: vybhavg
University/Program/Year: Gitam University, BCA, 2022-2025
Expected Graduation Date: 04,2025
Contact Information:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: +916305485269
• Timezone: Indian Standard Time (IST) - UTC+5:30
• Resume: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10pqjPtu8sehCuc9pZbnHu0NWan6xJQVk/view?usp=sharing

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Contributions

• Opened a pull request to improve error message styling on the signup page and cleaned up unnecessary __pycache__ and .pyc files.
  🔗 PR #88: Remove __pycache__ and style error message on signup

• Updated .gitignore to prevent the versioning of environment files and cache folders.

• Added django-widget-tweaks to requirements.txt for improved form styling and customization.

These contributions have helped me gain familiarity with the codebase and prepare for the enhancements proposed in the project.

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Project Information

Sub-org name: PyLadiesCon

Project Abstract

The current PyLadiesCon volunteer and sponsorship portal lacks efficiency in managing volunteers, tracking sponsors, and automating key processes. This project aims to enhance the portal by improving UI/UX, integrating a sponsorship tracking system, and automating volunteer onboarding workflows. The improvements will enhance event organization, increase engagement, and streamline sponsorship management.

Detailed Description

The project will involve the following key areas:

• Volunteer Management:
  • Create a better system for registering and managing volunteers.
  • Add automated scheduling for volunteer shifts.
• Sponsorship Portal:
  • Develop a tracking system for sponsor commitments, benefits, and follow-ups.
  • Automate the sponsorship approval process.
• User Interface & Accessibility:
  • Improve the UI for an intuitive experience.
  • Ensure accessibility compliance.
• Automation & Notifications:
  • Set up automated emails and notifications for updates.
  • Implement real-time updates for sponsors and volunteers.

Tech Stack: Python, Django, JavaScript, React, PostgreSQL

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Revised Weekly Timeline

Community Bonding Period

• Understand the current PyLadiesCon portal architecture (Django views, forms, templates)
• Discuss feature scope and priorities with mentors
• Finalize designs for updated Volunteer and Sponsor dashboards
• Create a development plan for enhancements using existing tools (no external APIs)

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Coding Phase 1

Week 1

• Set up the development environment and sync with the upstream repo
• Create models and forms for improved Volunteer Registration
• Build templates with refined layout and validation messages
• Write unit tests for form validation and view logic

Week 2

• Implement Sponsor Onboarding: models, forms, and basic sponsor dashboard
• Add sponsor commitment tracking fields (tier, status, notes)
• Write tests for sponsor model logic and dashboard view

Week 3

• Begin development of Volunteer Scheduling Interface (date/time slots)
• Add logic to assign volunteers to tasks or sessions
• Test volunteer scheduling model logic and form behaviors

Week 4

• Build admin view for managing sponsor approvals and volunteer assignments
• Improve admin UX using Django admin customization
• Write integration tests for workflows (approval, assignment)

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Coding Phase 2

Week 5

• Introduce notifications: emails upon form submission or approval
• Use Django’s built-in send_mail and signals to trigger relevant updates
• Test email logic using Django’s test client and mail.outbox

Week 6 (Midterm Evaluation)

• Ensure all features built so far (volunteer, sponsor, admin workflows) are functional and tested
• Polish templates and add mentor feedback improvements
• Submit midterm report and present a demo of current progress

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Coding Phase 3

Week 7

• Refine volunteer dashboard: add status badges, shift overview
• Enhance sponsor dashboard to show fulfillment progress
• Continue writing tests for dashboard views and forms

Week 8

• Add search/filtering options for sponsors/volunteers using Django QuerySets
• Ensure usability and accessibility in dashboard UI
• Conduct manual testing and fix edge case behaviors

Week 9

• Finalize all form flows and approval logic
• Review all mentor suggestions and patch incomplete items
• Conduct cross-browser and responsive layout checks

Week 10

• Perform full regression testing across workflows
• Address any bugs or layout inconsistencies found
• Begin compiling user documentation

Week 11

• Freeze code and clean up templates/forms
• Prepare contribution and deployment documentation
• Final walkthrough with mentors

Week 12

• Submit final report
• Record and present final demo
• Assist in final merge or deployment if needed

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Request for Feedback

💡 I’d love to hear your thoughts!

• Does this proposal align with PyLadiesCon’s goals?
• Are there any features or improvements I should prioritize?
• Is the timeline realistic and well-distributed?

[Mariatta]

Thank you, I think this proposal is in the right direction.

Re: start backend API development: I don't think we plan to expose anything as an API, everything should be contained within the portal.

Regarding the timeline, I would prefer if testing are done as part of the development, eg in week 2, it could be implementing just the volunteer registration plus writing tests, instead of testing in week 3.

The proposal seem to include random unrelated ideas like mobile responsiveness, enhanced security. Would you like to elaborate more about the security improvements, of what you plan to implement? Otherwise I would suggest focusing on implementing the volunteer and sponsorship portal.

[vybhavg]

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Hey @Mariatta,

I’ve incorporated the feedback you provided and revised the proposal accordingly. Here’s a quick summary of the changes:

API Development Removed: All functionalities are now designed to be implemented directly within the Django portal. No external APIs are planned or used.

Testing Integrated Throughout: Testing tasks are now embedded in each development week, rather than separated into a dedicated phase. This ensures that features are tested alongside their implementation.

Streamlined Scope: I’ve removed unrelated items such as enhanced security and mobile responsiveness to focus purely on the Volunteer and Sponsorship Portal improvements.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could review the updated proposal and let me know if there’s anything else I should improve or clarify.

Thank you for your time and guidance!

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