A Rewarding Hiring Process for CommonAlly, the App that Rewards Civic Action: A Working Not Working Case Study
Joe Visconti / Customer Success Manager at Working Not Working
According to an August 2020 Pew Research poll, 62% of Americans say that significant changes are needed in the fundamental design and structure of American government to make it work for current times.
Imagine if they were able to easily transform their desire for change into civic action. Aaron Lyles, founder and CEO of CommonAlly, sees his company as a way to do just that. By gamifying activities like registering to vote or participating in local groups, the CommonAlly app creates political capital for every citizen. “Millenials and Gen Z, they didn’t grow up with civics. Local politics is very fragmented and confusing, and they don’t really have budgets to explain themselves,” says Lyles.
By focusing on Millenials and Gen-Z, the two groups poised to become the largest voting demographics over the next decade, CommonAlly brings civic-tech to the masses. From previous work in financial-tech, Aaron brought experience educating audiences about obscure topics. “We would show them how financial markets work, so the model was already there.”
To secure funding back in early summer 2018, Aaron knew he needed a product that felt real and proved to investors why great design mattered. Like most startups, the budget and time for making the prototype was a challenge. He wireframed the first version himself and was promptly informed by his partner in development that he really needed a Product Designer.
The role was beyond just having the necessary skills to pull off a great product: the ideal candidate had to be ready to deliver quickly and come at the project aligned with the mission. “I needed someone who was impact-driven and had real design chops.”
After resource research, Aaron concluded, “the only real solution was Working Not Working.”
By creating the job post, searching through applicants quickly, and starting his conversations with them well-aware of their capabilities and experience, he was able to engage them more meaningfully. No asking if they were available or if they had ever used a certain software, just a deep focus on shared beliefs and vision for reshaping democracy. From post to hire, Aaron was able to sort through 40 applicants and land on one: WNW Member Greg Falconi, a Brooklyn-based Visual Designer skilled in responsive web design, motion graphics, social media campaigns, digital marketing, and branding.
Clearly, he found the right fit. Today, the CommonAlly app holds a 4.7/5 star rating in the App Store and is helping thousands of Americans build their political capital.
Working Not Working has helped the most creative name-brand companies both build their rosters and add freelance talent to existing fine-tuned teams. Our creative community is equipped to support you at any stage. If you're looking to design a new vision and make it real, WNW can help you do it faster and more affordably than a headhunter or staffing agency.
