Custom Video Platform for Non-Profit Remote Services

The Challenge

A grant-funded non-profit providing mediation and conflict resolution services needed to extend its reach to underserved communities that couldn’t access in-person sessions. The organization required a video-conferencing solution with breakout rooms, strict privacy controls, and low bandwidth requirements, all on a limited grant budget. Commercial platforms like Zoom and Teams couldn’t meet the specialized needs: breakout rooms for private caucuses during mediation, strict confidentiality guarantees required by their funding, and reliable performance on the low-bandwidth connections common in rural areas they served.

Our Approach

CorrDyn worked closely with the non-profit’s leadership to define a minimum viable product aligned with the grant’s constraints and timeline. Rather than attempting to replicate a full-featured commercial platform, we focused on the specific workflows that mediators and counselors needed. We built a phased prototype using WebRTC for peer-to-peer video, which minimized server costs and improved performance on limited connections. The application included purpose-built breakout rooms that mediators could control, session recording with encrypted storage for compliance, and a simplified interface designed for participants with limited technical experience. Each phase was delivered incrementally, allowing the team to begin using the tool while development continued.

The Results

The custom application exceeded the non-profit’s requirements while staying well within the grant budget. The organization was able to provide remote mediation and counseling services to populations that had previously been unreachable, including rural communities and individuals with mobility limitations. The platform proved especially critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing the non-profit to continue all services without interruption when in-person sessions became impossible. The success of the project helped the organization secure new grant funding specifically earmarked for continued development and expansion of the platform’s capabilities.