TBMU - The Boys - SideQuest

SideQuest Logo
Introduction to SideQuest
Your Metrics
Quest Board for finding new volenteer opprotunities and events

Inspiration

We noticed that while many people want to volunteer, opportunities are often scattered across different platforms or hidden within small organizations. At the same time, cities and nonprofits struggle to motivate consistent engagement. We thought - what if volunteering could feel more like a game? Something that tracks your growth, rewards your impact, and turns helping your community into an exciting challenge rather than a chore. That idea became SideQuest - a way to make doing good feel good.

What it does

SideQuest connects users with local volunteering opportunities and adds a gamified layer to community engagement.
Users can:

Browse nearby events and volunteer opportunities.
Track hours, earn points, and climb event leaderboards.
Collect sponsored rewards for their contributions.
Compete in time-limited community events with real-world prizes.

For organizations, it offers a quick way to post events and recognize dedicated volunteers which creates a stronger feedback loop between effort and appreciation.

How we built it

Our stack includes:

Frontend: React + Vite for a responsive and modern UI.
Backend: FastAPI (Python) for clean API routing and high performance.
Database: MongoDB for flexible document storage of users, events, and rewards.
Hosting: Deployed with Docker for easy cross-platform setup.

We designed modular data models (Users, Events, Rewards) and integrated a login system that authenticates users and dynamically loads their dashboard. The app is containerized to ensure a smooth dev experience and easy scalability.

Challenges we ran into

Database Persistence: Early on, our MongoDB connection wasn’t persisting across imports, causing NoneType errors when querying collections.
Docker Hot Reload: Achieving live backend reload with uvicorn inside Docker required multiple iterations of volume mappings.
Frontend-Backend Integration: Syncing CORS policies and ensuring consistent API responses between frontend and backend during rapid development was tricky.
Hackathon Time Constraints: Balancing feature completeness with polish in less than 24 hours was a challenge. Having to choose what features were core to the MVP and what are "want"s was really hard to narrow down.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Built a fully functional backend that connects users, events, and rewards.
Designed a clean, intuitive frontend that feels fun and motivating.
Created a gamification system that genuinely encourages engagement.
Learned and deployed Dockerized full-stack architecture within the hackathon timeframe.
Successfully collaborated across multiple roles — design, backend, frontend, and deployment — all in one sprint.

What we learned

We deepened our understanding of full-stack web development and learned how crucial good architecture and clear communication are under pressure.
We also discovered the value of gamification in social good — how points, progress, and recognition can transform volunteering from a one-time effort into a lasting habit.