The Partnership: Building Technology That Matters
At HeitechSoft, we spend most of our time helping businesses leverage AI to cut costs, move faster, and compete smarter. But every once in a while, an opportunity comes along that reminds you why you got into technology in the first place—not just to build systems, but to build something that matters for people.
That’s exactly what happened when HeitechSoft connected with the Locally Connected Community Hub.
Neighbors and professionals connecting at a recent LCCHub meetup.
Founded in 2017 by Jason Kipfer as a simple effort to bring neighbours together at a local bar and grill, the Locally Connected Community Hub (LCCHub) has grown into the largest and fastest-growing grassroots networking collective in Southern Ontario. Today, it operates seven chapters across Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woolwich, Guelph, Stratford, and Niagara Region, connecting over 2,500 participants through free, informal monthly meetups.
LCCHub’s mission is beautifully simple: make the communities they serve more inclusive, safe, and welcoming places to live, work, play, and shop. Beyond networking, LCCHub organizes food drives, toy drives, and supports school breakfast programs.
When LCCHub and HeitechSoft connected, the conversation naturally turned to how AI could help a volunteer-run organization operate more effectively. HeitechSoft was proud to step in as a volunteer technology partner to integrate AI across the organization.
The Challenge: A $60,000 Problem
One of the signature features of every LCCHub meetup is the door prize program. Local businesses donate prizes, gift certificates, products, service packages, and winners are drawn from attendees’ business cards. With prizes valued collectively at more than $60,000 per year, it’s a substantial program.
But the existing process had significant pain points:
- Winners notified by email often missed the notification.
- Redemption rates were low.
- Sponsors weren't getting the visibility they deserved.
- Manual management created a heavy administrative burden for volunteers.
The Solution: AI-Powered Door Prize Tool
We designed and built a mobile-first web application purpose-built for LCCHub’s needs. The tool leverages Generative AI and modern web technologies to transform the experience.
The mobile-first interface allows for instant check-in without app downloads.
How it works:
- For Attendees: Scan a unique QR code, enter quick details, and you’re checked in. No apps to download; no business cards to shuffle.
- Behind the Scenes: The system catalogs prizes, runs the draw, and notifies winners instantly via SMS. The AI component also enables intelligent prize matching based on attendee interests.
We debuted the tool at LCCHub’s 9th Anniversary Meetup, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Attendees loved the immediacy, and the team saw how technology can enhance personal connections.
Beyond Door Prizes: AI for the Whole Organization
The Door Prize tool is just the beginning. HeitechSoft is working with LCCHub to identify where AI can reduce administrative overhead across all chapters—from streamlining communications to improving event planning.
Partnering to give volunteers back their most precious resource: time.
Why This Matters
At HeitechSoft, we’ve always believed that AI isn’t just for large enterprises. It’s for anyone with a meaningful problem to solve. Community organizations like LCCHub run on volunteer energy. When AI can take hours of manual work off a volunteer’s plate, the impact is disproportionately large.
"This is AI for good, in the most practical sense: a real tool being used by real people."
Looking Ahead
We’re excited about what’s next. As our partnership deepens, we’ll continue building tools that help the LCCHub team focus on creating inclusive spaces for people to connect.
If your community organization is curious about how AI could help you, we’d love to hear from you.
Reach out to us at: [email protected]
And if you’re in Southern Ontario, come check out a meetup. Bring your phone, you might just win a door prize!