PORTFOLIO CASE STUDY — BETTERPLANET CO‑OP ECOMMERCE & PAYMENTS PLATFORM TRANSFORMATION

Role: Founder & Strategic Product Leader
Organization: BetterPlanet Co‑op
Domain: FinTech, eCommerce Platforms, Digital Payments, Nonprofit Technology, Data‑Driven Growth

Executive Summary

At BetterPlanet Co‑op, I led the end‑to‑end transformation of the organization’s customer‑facing commerce platform—evolving it from a limited donation and content experience into a modern, payment‑enabled digital product capable of supporting sustainable revenue growth and mission‑driven scale.

The centerpiece of this effort was the integration of full credit‑card processing and modern checkout flows, which streamlined transactions, reduced friction for supporters, and enabled real‑time revenue operations.

Within five months of launch, the platform achieved:

• 350%+ increase in revenue

• 100% month‑over‑month growth in site engagement

Business Context

BetterPlanet Co‑op operates as a mission‑driven nonprofit focused on funding global initiatives across health, sustainability, financial inclusion, and human dignity.

Prior to the platform redesign:

• Revenue collection was fragmented

• Payment options were limited

• Customer journeys were inconsistent

• Analytics were minimal

• Growth efforts lacked reliable feedback loops

To scale impact, the organization needed a commerce and payments foundation that was both technically robust and aligned with its values‑driven mission.

Product Vision

Create a trustworthy, high‑conversion digital commerce platform where:

• Supporters can transact effortlessly

• Payments are secure, fast, and reliable

• Customer behavior informs product decisions

• Growth experimentation is built into the system

• Revenue directly accelerates mission outcomes

Solution Architecture (High Level)

Systems

• Customer Web Application – Public‑facing platform

• Payment Processing Layer – Credit card processing + transaction management

• API Layer – Commerce, user profiles, donations, subscriptions

• Analytics Stack – Funnel tracking, engagement metrics, cohort analysis

• Automation Layer – Email, fulfillment, financial reconciliation

Key Product Initiatives

1. Credit Card Processing Integration

Designed and delivered a modern payments layer that included:

• Secure credit‑card checkout

• Transaction state management

• Payment failure handling

• Refund and reconciliation workflows

• Donation and product purchase support

Impact: Removed the primary barrier to conversion and unlocked scalable revenue growth.

2. Conversion‑Focused Checkout Redesign

Rebuilt the transaction flow to emphasize:

• Fewer steps to completion

• Clear trust signals

• Mobile optimization

• Transparent pricing and impact messaging

Impact: Significant reduction in abandonment rates and increased completed transactions.

3. API‑First Commerce Platform

Implemented a modular API layer to support:

• Product catalog

• Donations

• Subscriptions

• Customer accounts

• Payment events

Impact: Enabled rapid iteration and future expansion without platform rewrites.

4. Analytics & Growth Instrumentation

Introduced comprehensive tracking across:

• Page views

• Checkout funnels

• Payment success/failure

• Repeat customers

• Campaign performance

Impact: Enabled data‑driven experimentation and contributed to 100% month‑over‑month engagement growth.

5. Operating Model & Product Culture

Applied modern product practices:

• Lean experimentation

• Agile delivery

• Outcomes‑over‑output prioritization

• Working Backwards methodology

• Servant leadership

• Continuous learning and iteration

Product Leadership Responsibilities

• Defined platform strategy and roadmap

• Designed payments architecture

• Authored product requirements and APIs

• Led UX and checkout redesign

• Built analytics and KPI framework

• Coordinated engineering and operations execution

• Oversaw rollout and revenue monitoring

Results & Business Impact

• 350%+ revenue increase in 5 months

• 100% month‑over‑month growth in customer engagement

• Higher transaction success rates

• Improved customer trust and retention

• Scalable foundation for future products and subscriptions

Skills Demonstrated

• Payments platform design

• eCommerce product leadership

• API‑driven architecture

• Conversion optimization

• Data‑driven product strategy

• FinTech integration

• Nonprofit technology scaling

Why This Matters

This work demonstrates the ability to:

• Build real financial infrastructure from zero to scale

• Design payment systems that directly drive revenue outcomes

• Lead product strategy in both commercial and mission‑driven environments

• Apply enterprise‑grade product discipline to early‑stage platforms

These capabilities directly translate to modern FinTech, B2B payments, and digital banking organizations where product execution and revenue operations are tightly coupled.

Detailed technical implementation available upon request, in accordance with organizational privacy requirements.