I ought to know a lot about charities and non-profit organizations. My parents are career missionaries; and I grew up in an environment where everyone I knew was dedicated to improving the lives of others. My family moved around a bit, and I spent my childhood and teen years in several different missionary communities in Canada and Mexico, each of which organized their own charitable endeavors.

In Ontario, it was a literacy program. In Sinaloa, we brought healthier, organic food and donated goods of all kinds to orphanages and daycares in low-income communities. In Jalisco, there’s a free kitchen for the children of a very poor neighborhood, where they can get at least one good meal per day. In Nuevo León, there are good people going to children’s hospitals to try and cheer up the patients and their relatives alike.

As the resident nerd, it often fell to me to create promotional materials and websites for whomever I happened to be working with at the time. After all, these were low-budget operations staffed by few people. Who could afford to hire a professional?

Well, the universe loves a joke: I became a professional.

How is design for non-profits different from commercial work?

It isn’t all that different, if you’re doing it right. The same basic principles of design still apply, and you’re still selling something to your users.

That’s right, you’re selling something. All design is about selling. In this case, you’re selling a cause. You’re selling a reason for some people to send money to other people. Only it’s a bit harder sometimes, because most of the time, the people dropping the cash don’t reap any direct benefit. This is one reason why even most of the charitable campaigns on Kickstarter and IndieGoGo offer perks and rewards.

Just like in any other transaction, you have to convince your users that parting with their money, time, or other resources is a good idea. This is never easy, but it’s not impossible either.

State your goals up-front

I think that every website should be doing this, but in the charity world, transparency is paramount. You want your users to understand, at their first glance at the website, both what it is that you do and what you need from them.

You need to be able to describe — in a maximum of three sentences — who you’re helping, how you’re helping them, and how your users can help you. The rest of the content on the website is only there to support the veracity of your initial statements. 

The Community FoodBank of New Jersey provides an excellent example of this principle. Who are they, and whom are they helping? How are they doing it? Your first clue is in the name. How can you help them? The calls to action are right there, including a “donate” button. (That’s important.)

Simple, transparent, and most importantly, obvious.

Tell a story

Out of all of the many, many communication tools we have developed over time, there is one that has never been equaled: the story. Most people see their own lives as one big story, somehow seeing themselves at the center of everything that goes on. We are all protagonists in our own minds.

Because of this natural narrative — this first-person perspective — we connect with stories, and the characters in them, on a level that almost defies reason. Do you want your users to identify with the people you’re trying to help? Tell them a story that they can’t ignore. You have to bring them down into the dark places, through the pain, and then out on the other side. 

As a lover of stories myself, I often find myself going over them again and again in my head. I empathize with the pain the characters have gone through. I see the one little plot twist that, had it been explained to the right characters, could have saved them so much pain and heartache. Then, you can tell your users that they can, in fact, change the story. Wow. “Change the story” — somebody steal that from me.

The most memorable website that I have ever seen employing this tactic is Too Young to Wed. They don’t use too many words to tell the stories. Few people have the patience for that anymore. Instead, they use heart-wrenching, compelling imagery to tell the tale.

Use photos of the actual people you’re helping

Don’t ever use stock photos of people. Really… don’t. They already look fake on regular commercial sites. On a charity site, it makes the organization look very scammy. Sadly, there are quite a few scams that claim to be charities, so it’s a valid concern.

As a corollary, don’t use pictures of the volunteers or organization administrators in the design. Sure, you can have some on the “About Us” page, or something of the like — just don’t put them front and center. This isn’t about the volunteers. It’s about helping the people that they help.

As far as imagery goes, you just can’t compete with pictures of real individuals who have real needs. Get a photographer, or go take the pictures yourself if you have to.

Oh, you want examples? Scroll back up and check out Too Young to Wed again, or take a look at Smoking Takes Lives. Right now, they’re going all out and focusing specifically on one individual, and his story, to great effect.

Almost worse than stock photos are staged photos. You know the ones. There’s a bunch of people standing uncomfortably close to fit as many as possible. They’re all wearing death-grins. They may be holding some donated goods aloft. Or maybe one person is passing some food to another person, but they’re both looking at the camera. Then, there was the guy that tried to do all of that and give me the thumbs up while I took the photo.

Don’t let anyone pressure you into using those kinds of photos.

Charge money, and other notes on dealing with your charity clients

Dealing with charity and non-profit clients can be a bit different. They’re usually very nice people, with all the best of intentions. They’re also often very opinionated. This is especially true if they’re getting the website for free.

Don’t ask me why, but nine times out of ten, people to whom you give free work are much more demanding than the clients who pay you a lot. Maybe they see your time, efforts, and expertise as less valuable, since they’re getting it all for free. Maybe there’s some other reason.

This is not to say you shouldn’t try to help. A reasonable discount is often a good way to go, but try to avoid doing anything for free — even for charity.

The one notable exception, in my experience, is a project I’m actually still working on. I probably can’t give out details just yet, but I’m working with a team. We’re all volunteers from different parts of the world, including our project manager, who does all of the talking with the clients. This has made the experience much smoother overall.

Other than the money issue, you’re likely to run into other, more typical client quirks. In smaller organizations, your client may have done their own newsletters or other promotional materials for a long time. As a result, they might have a tendency to micromanage. 

One client actually criticized my work for being “too professional”. They thought having design that looked too good would give people the wrong impression about their organization. You know, the kind of stuff that makes for a good story when it’s all over.

Heck, aside from helping people, a good story almost makes it worth the trouble.

Have you designed for non-profits? What tips would you add? Let us know in the comments.

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Responsive Web design has transformed how websites are designed and built. It has inspired us to think beyond device classifications and to use media queries to adapt a layout to the browser’s viewport size. This, however, deviates from the hierarchical structure of CSS and characterizes elements relative to the viewport, instead of to their container.

Extensive use of media queries might be the answer for today, but it is not a viable long-term solution. Media queries do not allow for reusable modules that adapt based on their containers’ size.

What Is Responsive Web Design?

Responsive Web design is not limited to a set of technologies; rather, it is a different approach to designing and building websites. I, like many, took Ethan’s words about responsive Web design too literally and overlooked the essence of what was being said:

“Fluid grids, flexible images, and media queries are the three technical ingredients for responsive web design, but it also requires a different way of thinking.”

We have accomplished great things while embracing the stated “technical ingredients” for responsive Web design, but we have much room for growth when it comes to a “different way of thinking.” Thinking differently should affect not only how we design and build our websites, but also how we design and build the tools and technologies that our websites are founded on.

Modular Design

When I learned about how media queries could be used in responsive Web design, I was excited by the possibilities. However, it was not long before I learned of the limitations. Media queries are great for adapting layouts to various screen sizes, but terrible for creating modular designs. Modular CSS is already hard enough, and media queries provide very little to no help. Truly modular layouts need to respond to the sizes of containers, not just to the viewport’s size. Media queries, however, are based on the viewport, rather than an element’s container. There is some hope for standard CSS on the horizon, in the form of a W3C working draft, by allowing the cascade inheritance to be broken and resetting an element to its defaults. But what about media queries?

The @media Hack

Web developers are masters at taking something created for one purpose and using it to accomplish other things. The Web’s history is littered with examples of this, and media queries are no exception. Kudos to Ian Storm Taylor for writing down his thoughts in the article “Media Queries Are a Hack.” Hacks are necessary on the Web to provide desired functionality until proper support is achieved, as well as to provide support to older browsers. The W3C states, “By using media queries, presentations can be tailored to a specific range of output devices without changing the content itself.” The key word here is “can,” but just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should… But do we have any other choice?

The Element Query

Introducing the element query. An element query is similar to a media query in that, if a condition is met, some CSS will be applied. Element query conditions (such as min-width, max-width, min-height and max-height) are based on elements, instead of the browser. Unfortunately, CSS doesn’t yet support element queries, but that shouldn’t stop us from dreaming, hacking and pushing for new standards.

Conceptual Example

Consider the following example, in which the navigation menu should become visible when it reaches a minimum width of 500 pixels (representing one of many potential syntaxes):

nav (min-width: 500px) {
    	display: block;
    }
    

Compare this to a media query in which the navigation menu’s visibility depends on the viewport’s width and needs to account for the padding and other declarations of parent elements:

@media all and (min-width: 520px) {
    	nav {
    		display: block;
    	}
    }
    

Now imagine having to build a modular component that needs to be placed in containers of various sizes on a single page. One current approach is to provide different theme classes (like .module--large) to trigger CSS in media queries. This, however, adds a lot of complications and requires a module to know how its parent will react to various viewport widths.

Issues: Invalid and Looping Conditions

There are several cases in which the CSS of an element query would invalidate the element query itself or create recursion. Hopefully, the browser would be able to detect these conditions and respond appropriately.

Consider the following examples.

Once an element reaches 500 pixels wide, it’s resized to 200 pixels, at which point the rule would no longer apply:

.element (min-width: 500px) {
    	width: 200px;
    }
    

Once an element’s width reaches 31.250 ems, its font size would be decreased, which changes the definition of the em unit:

.element (min-width: 31.250em) {
    	font-size: 0.75em;
    }
    

Once a container’s width reaches 450 pixels, the size of its child changes to 400 pixels, which would shrink the size of the container:

.container { float: left; }
    .child { width: 500px; }
    .container (min-width: 450px) > .child {
    	width: 400px;
    }
    

There are many other such examples, but you get the point: Element queries are not as simple as we had hoped.

Element Query Polyfill

Element queries seem pretty awesome, but they also have some real issues. To help sort these out, I’ve written a proof-of-concept polyfill. The polyfill has enabled me to understand how a browser might react to various conditions. As I got further along, I realized that the polyfill could hold real value in the Web community’s debate on element queries, and that some developers could even start using element queries today.

The elementQuery polyfill script is available on GitHub for you to use, fork and contribute to.

Selector Syntax

The syntax used in the previous examples caused limitations, so I updated the polyfill to support an attribute selector syntax. The ~= attribute selector checks whether the value is contained in a space-delimited list (supported in modern browsers above Internet Explorer 6).

The following examples show CSS rules using the syntax required for the elementQuery polyfill.

This rule queries itself for a single condition:

header[min-width~="500px"] {
    	background-color: #eee;
    }
    

This rule queries itself for multiple conditions:

header[min-width~="500px"][max-width~="800px"] {
    	background-color: #eee;
    }
    

This rule queries a parent for a condition:

header[min-width~="31.250em"] nav {
    	clear: both;
    }
    

How It Works

Unfortunately, the elementQuery polyfill requires JavaScript and the Sizzle selector engine (which is embedded in jQuery). When the document object model (DOM) is ready, elementQuery scans the document.styleSheets collection for any CSS rules that use elementQuery. When it finds a match, it extracts the following information:

• Selector
  Such as header, ul > li.class
• Query type
  min-width, max-width, min-height, max-height
• Query value
  Such as 500px, 31.250em

elementQuery then uses this information to add or remove attributes from elements that match the given selector and query condition.

Expanded Support

Most browsers, but not Internet Explorer, don’t provide access to the contents of cross-domain style sheets, which causes issues when CSS files are served from a content delivery network. Additionally, parsing style sheets takes time (not much, though). So, I created two branches for elementQuery: master and prod. The master branch includes the code for extracting the necessary elementQuery information (selector, query type, query value), and it also provides a selectors() function to export the information. The prod branch requires the information to be declared in JavaScript, which avoids the cross-domain file issue and the time required to parse the style sheets.

Here is an example of how to export elementQuery information using the master branch:

console.log(JSON.stringify(elementQuery.selectors()));
    

And here is an example of how to import elementQuery information using the prod branch:

elementQuery({"header":{"min-width":["500px","31.250em"],"max-width":["800px"]}});
    

Working Examples

I’ve put together a few working examples on CodePen (using the master branch) that you can experiment with or fork. I would love to see what other examples people create (which will probably be much cooler than mine). Just be sure to tag them with #elementquery so that others can benefit.

• Grid: nested elements
• Menu: width-based elementQuery
• Blockquote: height-based elementQuery

Be Creative

I didn’t write this just to get you to jump on the element query bandwagon, but rather to encourage people to think about how we can solve the problems that are limiting our medium. Let’s keep the discussion going and make the Web a better place. So, go wild and make cool stuff!

• View elementQuery on GitHub.

Further Reading

• “Em values in JavaScript,” Tyson Matanich
• “Working Around a Lack of Element Queries,” Filament Group
• “Element Queries,” Tab Atkins Jr.

(Source of image on front page: Looking Beyond Common Media Query Breakpoints)

(al) (ea)

© Tyson Matanich for Smashing Magazine, 2013.

Researchers say that over a third of iPhone apps still access a device’s unique identifier.

In 2011, Apple advised that iPhone and iPad apps should stop logging the unique identifiers of users’ devices, a practice that can be exploited to build up profiles for ad-targeting purposes. But a new study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, suggests that many apps still do so.

A startup has developed software and smartphone tools for cataloguing the trees in forests.

In a small office near Central Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, just across from Starbucks, is a small startup with a big idea for balancing biodiversity with business. SilviaTerra has developed better ways to identify and quantify the trees in forests, using smartphones and satellite imagery. The company’s goal is to help landowners, conservation groups, and timber companies manage their inventory and preserve valuable natural habitats.

TO: The UMBC Community

FROM: Dr. Nancy Young, Vice President for Student Affairs

RE: Announcing the Appointment of Tim Hall as Athletic Director

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Tim Hall as Director of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation, effective July 8, 2013.

Hall joins the UMBC community from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), where for the past six years he has served as Director of Athletics. Prior to leading UMKC athletics, he served as Associate Athletics Director for Development at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Hall’s appointment builds on substantial UMBC momentum, including championships in seven different sports over 10 seasons in the America East Conference. He succeeds Dr. Charles Brown, who will retire June 30, completing a 24-year tenure that has elevated both the Retrievers’ athletic and academic performance.
On behalf of the entire campus community I would like to express my gratitude and thanks to all members of the Search Committee, chaired by Jack Suess. Their commitment and hard work constitutes an outstanding contribution to the future of the UMBC athletics program.

During his time at UMKC, Hall propelled the university to new heights at the NCAA Division I level in athletic competitiveness, academic success, fundraising and community service efforts. He led UMKC to conference championship wins in men’s soccer, men’s golf, men’s tennis and softball and, most recently, drove the UKMC athletics program into a new era, announcing that it would join the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) on July 1, 2013. Hall is also in a three-year term on the NACDA Division I-AAA Executive Committee and serves on the NCAA volleyball rules committee, as well as the NCAA committee on Women’s Athletics.

Hall will have direct responsibility for the UMBC’s NCAA Division I Intercollegiate Athletics program, all campus recreational programs (intramurals, club sports, recreational activities) and the Physical Education program. His primary responsibility will be to encourage and support the total development of all students and student-athletes at UMBC through competitive, recreational and educational sports programs and activities sponsored by the university.

We couldn’t be more enthused to welcome an athletic director with a competitive spirit, integrity and a proven track record of success. I know Tim Hall will be a valuable addition to our campus community. Please join me in welcoming and supporting him.

Search Committee Members:

• Jack Suess (Chair), Vice President for Information Technology and CIO
• Dale Bittinger, Director of Undergraduate Admissions
• Stanyell Bruce, Professional Staff Senate Representative
• Jesse Fox, Graduate Student Association Representative
• Aly Gazarek, Student Athlete Advisory Committee Representative
• Hannah Khan, Student Government Association Representative
• Cindy Kubiet, Director of Sports Medicine
• George LaNoue, Athletic and Recreation Policy Representative
• Kim Leisey, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
• Marvin Mandel, NCAA Faculty Representative
• Charles Nicholas, Athletic and Recreation Policy Chair
• Chase Plummer, Student Athlete Representative
• Greg Simmons, Vice President for Institutional Advancement
• Valerie Thomas, Associate Vice President for Human Resources
• Don Zimmerman, Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach / Pete Caringi, Head Men’s Soccer Coach (Co-Representatives)

As the 2014 Maryland gubernatorial race quickly takes shape, ABC7 interviewed UMBC political science professor Thomas F. Schaller on what the state can expect moving forward. Schaller’s comments focused on the strength of the Democratic party in the state. He noted, “The Republican party just has such a very short bench in Maryland.”

Schaller walked the reporter through the past several gubernatorial elections and the tactics candidates found successful. He suggested, “for a long time, Democrats maximized their votes in Baltimore City, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County.” For example, Parris Glendening (1995-2003) won those three areas and was elected, despite losing the state’s other 21 jurisdictions.

The metric gradually shifted to the point where Ehrlich won by doing sufficiently well (but not winning) in Montgomery and Prince George’s and garnering significant votes elsewhere. The Democrats learned from that experience, leading to an O’Malley victory. As for the Maryland GOP, Schaller remarked, “I’m not saying they can’t win – it depends on who they nominate, but I think the Democrats are favored.”