GMF#34 | Dogfood Diaries: How We Test Our Own Kindness Tools
We Built It, We Use It—Why Dogfooding Is the Give.Asia Way
TL;DR:
At Give.Asia, we don’t just build tools for doing good—we use them too. It’s how we spot bugs, find the gaps, and make the experience better. Whether it’s volunteering on weekends, testing features mid-activity, or redesigning what doesn't feel right, we believe in rolling up our sleeves and living the mission ourselves. Because the best way to build something that works is to build it with people who actually care.
🚀 We dogfood everything—because building better tools starts with using them ourselves.
🐞 Real problems surface on the ground—like when Gena found a check-in bug while volunteering.
🎨 Design gets better with empathy—Alvin revamped the volunteer page after seeing how one image didn’t capture the full story.
💌 We prototype with purpose—like Gena’s “Letters to Strangers,” which showed how micro-volunteering can be joyful and meaningful.
💡 Mission-driven teams do the work—because when you care enough to be there, you build better for others too.
When I was working at Facebook many years ago, one of the most important lessons I picked up wasn’t found in any onboarding manual. It was something quietly but deeply embedded in how things were done:
The people who build the tools… should be the ones who use them too.
In the startup world, we’re all about moving fast and shipping when it’s “good enough.” But let’s be honest—sometimes “good enough” really isn’t. And unless we actually use what we build, we’ll never know why it doesn’t work.
That’s where dogfooding comes in.
Why We Dogfood Everything
If you’ve never heard the term, “dogfooding” means using your own product—warts and all—before expecting anyone else to. It sounds simple, but it’s not always comfortable.
People are nice. Too nice, sometimes. When something’s broken, or just clunky, most people won’t complain. They’ll tolerate it. And tolerate it. Until they start quietly avoiding it.
That’s the danger. If we’re not the ones using our own tools, we might never hear the truth until it’s too late.
At Give.Asia, we’ve learned the hard way that there’s no shortcut to figuring out what works. We have to be in the trenches. Using it. Breaking it. Fixing it. Improving it.
The People Who Use It, Build It
That’s why one of our unspoken hiring filters is this:
Will this person roll up their sleeves and actually try the product in the real world?
We bias towards people who don’t just talk about impact, but live it.
Here are a few small but powerful examples:
Gena’s Saturday Bug Report
This past weekend, Gena joined a community activity on her day off—because she wanted to understand how to make volunteering more fun and accessible.
While she was there, she noticed something strange: people couldn’t check in to the event using the app.
So what did she do?
She flagged the issue to the tech team on the spot.
No guesswork. No filters. Just a real user, in a real moment, giving real feedback. That’s how things get better.
Alvin’s Design Itch
The first version of our volunteer activity page was built with simplicity in mind. One banner image. Easy for organisers.
But Alvin, who’s been volunteering at events himself, kept feeling it wasn’t quite enough.
The vibe—the energy of the people—the story of each event?
One image just didn’t cut it.
He sketched a new version.
Not because it was on a roadmap. But because he felt it needed to be done.
His redesign gives organisers more room to share visuals that actually convey the spirit of the event—and it’s rolling out next month.
Letters to Strangers (and the Media Who Noticed)
We also believe that to build a platform where volunteering feels engaging and joyful, we have to start by making it feel that way ourselves.
So when Gena wanted to experiment with more meaningful micro-volunteering ideas, she didn’t stop at wireframes or concept decks.
She launched an activity called “Letters to Strangers.”
Participants gathered to write heartfelt notes for people they’ll never meet—just to offer kindness in words. The event was such a hit, it caught the attention of The Straits Times, and helped show that giving can be light, personal, and even playful.
It’s Gandhi’s Rule, After All
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
We take that quite literally.
If we want more people to give, volunteer, and create impact—we have to be the first ones to try.
Build it. Use it. Break it. Fix it. Repeat.
That’s the Give.Asia way.
And if you see any bugs while you're volunteering?
Chances are, the person next to you might be from the product team too. 😄