Today I published my new Flask side-project, volontiraj-etf!
This web application is supposed to help project organizers find volunteers and for students who have some spare time to apply and help with projects they find interesting.
You can check out the project at this link.
The idea for this project came from real needs at our faculty—there are so many cool initiatives, but it’s often hard to find enough people to help out, especially last minute. On the other hand, lots of students want to contribute and be part of something meaningful, but they just don’t know where to look. Volontiraj Etf aims to bridge that gap in a simple and intuitive way.
Designing the app
I started with a rough wireframe on paper, focusing on simplicity and usability. The most important feature was to allow volunteers to quickly browse open positions and apply without friction. At the same time, I wanted project organizers to have a clean and efficient way to post new projects and track interest.
I used a classic Flask backend, supported by WebSocket-based updates for real-time project display. The frontend is lightweight and responsive, with minimal JS and CSS to keep the experience fast even on older devices.
Writing the code
Coding this app was a fun challenge. I worked on a modular Flask setup, using Blueprints and SQLAlchemy for the backend. The most interesting part was implementing live updates for the list of open volunteer projects—getting Flask-SocketIO to work smoothly with the database took some tweaking, but it was worth it.
I also paid special attention to access control, form validation, and handling edge cases like multiple users editing the same project. It’s not production-level yet, but it’s solid for a public MVP.
Impact
Even in its early stage, I think this project has potential to make a real difference. It creates visibility for volunteer opportunities that would otherwise go unnoticed, and makes it easier for students to give back or gain experience outside the classroom. Long term, I’d love to see it used more broadly, maybe even beyond ETF.
If you’re curious or want to contribute, feel free to check it out or reach out!