Inspiration

Donated technology can reduce electronic waste and improve access to affordable computers. We created GeekCycle to help Free Geek Toronto organize donations and understand the resources needed to turn retired devices into community value.

What it does

GeekCycle provides a responsive website with donation inquiry forms, equipment information, educational resources, and a protected staff workspace. Our next phase connects those inquiries to inventory tracking and financial analysis, helping staff understand what was received, what remains available, and what it costs to manage.

How we built it

We built the website using React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, and daisyUI, with server-side APIs and a SQLite database. We also prepared a Next.js build and Turso database adapter for deployment on Vercel.

Challenges we ran into

Preserving existing functionality while redesigning the website required careful inspection and testing. Moving between hosting platforms introduced differences in database connections and server behavior. We also recognized that donation inquiries cannot automatically count as received inventory.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We published a responsive website, implemented persistent donation inquiries and protected staff tools, and prepared the Vercel migration. The migration passed its production build, 14 automated tests, and local checks covering forms, receipts, validation, and downloads.

What we learned

Useful software depends on trustworthy data and clear workflows. Estimated value is different from actual savings, and receiving a donation does not guarantee a financial benefit. These distinctions shaped our inventory and reporting plans.

What's next for geekcycle

We plan to complete the Vercel deployment, add confirmed-receipt inventory tracking, and build transparent financial reports. Future improvements include duplicate-review tools, stock alerts, expense tracking, and exports—all connected to the existing donation records.