Serve IT accepts applications from 501(c)3 or equivalent organizations on a rolling basis with start periods generally coinciding with the beginning of the Spring and Fall semesters (early January and late August, respectively). Selected clients will meet with the clinic staff to determine the full scope of the project and discuss timelines. There is no cost associated with participation in the program.
Serve IT Nonprofit Clients
$7 MILLIONestimated client savings
681 PROJECTS COMPLETED
215 CLIENTS
Our Services
The Serve IT Clinic can provide free technology projects for nonprofits and governmental agencies in Bloomington and Southern Indiana. While we do occasionally update our list, we are currently offering the following options:
Website Design or Re-design
Our student-led teams collaborate directly with clients to create or refresh websites that are visually engaging, intuitive and user-friendly.
We start with in-depth stakeholder research, applying top-tier user experience (UX) principles to craft a solid foundation. Every project is built with accessibility, mobile responsiveness, and security at the forefront, and will be accompanied by a style guide you can take with you to provide to future marketing professionals. Agencies may also request logo design/redesign.
Website Usability Testing, Training, and Recommendations
Serve IT helps our clients uncover what’s really happening on their websites and how to prioritize fixes. Through stakeholder research, usability analysis, user journey mapping, competition analysis, mobile usability testing, and performance testing, we identify friction points that impact engagement and conversions. Our insights translate into clear, actionable recommendations that improve user experience, increase efficiency, and drive measurable results. Clients will receive documents and graphics completed by students during the analysis process, including graphics and wireframes, user journey maps, and heuristic testing to better understand the current website experience for your users and prioritize and strategize fixes. This is a great first step before conducting any website re-design.
Apply for Website User Testing
Accessibility Assessment, Training, and Recommendations
Serve IT’s Accessibility Team provides comprehensive website accessibility assessments to help ensure your digital experience is usable for individuals with visual impairments. Guided by WCAG standards, we identify and prioritize critical issues that impact usability and compliance. Our team conducts a detailed review of your website, focusing on common accessibility barriers such as missing alt text, inaccessible tables, video and audio limitations, unclear hyperlinks, insufficient color contrast, small or inflexible typography, and limited keyboard navigation.
In addition to identifying issues, we deliver clear, actionable recommendations and practical guidelines to help your team implement improvements and maintain accessibility over time.
Apply for an Accessibility Assessment
Data Visualization Projects
Turning raw data into clear, actionable insights—that’s the power of data visualization. Our student teams leverage Tableau to transform complex datasets into dynamic dashboards, interactive charts, and compelling visual narratives. See Tableau Public for many examples of visualizations.
Tableau allows agencies to:
- Analyze agency data to help you explore and understand and report findings.
- Explore trends with interactive elements that let users drill down into key metrics.
- Tell impactful stories by exploring publicly available data sets to highlight critical issues (e.g., domestic violence rates, hunger, etc).
Whether for internal reporting, strategic decision-making, or mission-driven storytelling, our dashboards provide clarity in a world of information overload.
How clients are chosen
Clients are chosen by our Advisory Council, based on 6 factors:
- Whether the organization meets or is presumed to meet the IRS definition of a charitable organization under section 501(c)(3)
- Whether the proposed project matches offerings and student ability
- Willingness of agency to work with students (being available, having tolerance for student learning gaps, etc)
- Degree to which agency mission supports the neediest members of our local community
- The relative stability of the organization
- The apparent need for the technology services provided
"I really want to reiterate how nice it was working with Tommy and Mary this semester. They were so organized, responsive, and really listened to our needs. It was SO HELPFUL having them to work with."
Dayna A Thompson M.S., CDP, LMHC, PAC Trainer Alzheimer’s Educator Alzheimer’s Resource Service – Community Health Indiana University Health Bloomington
Client expectations
Clients must have at least one liaison staff member or volunteer who can meet with the team and should be empowered to make decisions on the project provided by the team. The number of required meetings differs by project and is specified in each application.