⚠️ PLANNING DOCUMENT - This describes features that are NOT YET IMPLEMENTED.
Prerequisite Complete: Authentication & Roles System — all 6 phases implemented. Champion Portal can now leverage the SSO foundation, role patterns, and Pundit policies established in that project.
📋 For stakeholders: See STAKEHOLDER-OVERVIEW.md for executive-level summary, value propositions, and release schedule.
The Champion Portal is the digital home for Alumni Champions, hosted at champions.bualum.co. It transforms the current one-way champion signup process into a full-featured community platform.
(Aligned with messaging pillars in the Verbal Style Guide and the four commitments of Champion roles.)
The Champion Portal is the external counterpart to the existing Lookup Portal:
| Portal | Domain | Users | Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lookup Portal | lookup.bualum.co | Internal Staff | Admin, Staff |
| Champion Portal | champions.bualum.co | External Alumni | CLC, Champion |
Key Design Principle: CLC is to Champion as Admin is to Staff.
See ARCHITECTURE.md for technical architecture details.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CHAMPION PORTAL (champions.bualum.co) - External Alumni │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ CLC (City Leadership Council) │
│ └─ City-level champion coordination │
│ └─ Elevated permissions within their city │
│ └─ Content moderation for city boards │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Champion │
│ └─ Standard external portal access │
│ └─ Profile management, directory, contributions │
│ └─ Discussion board participation │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Champions can temporarily “visit” another city to:
Use cases: Digital Ambassadors, frequent travelers, bi-city alumni, industry-based champions supporting multiple cities.
National (Engagement Team + National Boards)
└── City (CLC leadership)
└── ZIP codes (geographic assignment)
| Phase | Focus | Estimated Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Foundations: Auth, Profile, Directory, City structure, Dashboard | 8-12 weeks |
| Phase 2 | Contribution Tools: Events, Stories, Mentorship, Giving, Moderation | 6-8 weeks |
| Phase 3 | Discussion Boards: National + City | 4-6 weeks |
| Phase 4 | Messaging: Direct messages, notifications | 4-6 weeks |
| Phase 5 | Advanced Features: Visit mode, Map view, Advanced search | 4-6 weeks |
| Phase 6 | Reporting & Insights: Activity dashboards, city health metrics | 4-6 weeks |
Total Estimated Timeline: 6-12 months
Before starting Champion Portal development:
champions.bualum.co subdomain routing)ChampionSignupsController| Decision | Answer | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Design approach | Mobile-first | Phone browser is primary use case; future native app possible |
| Table naming | cp_ prefix |
Clear ownership, e.g. cp_champions, cp_profiles |
| Avoiding duplication | Unification patterns | Same concepts → unify; different concepts → document why separate |
| Location input | ZIP-first | ZIP → city/state with minimal friction |
| Profile changelog | Full tracking for CRM export | Enable “changes since X” export for Bruinquest |
| SSO integration | Google + Apple + Facebook | Reduces signup friction; Google covers most users, Apple for iOS, Facebook for alumni demographic |
| Account provisioning | Progressive Account Creation | Name + email first, password after email verification - feels like “getting started” |
| BUID requirement | Optional + Two-tier verification | Email Verified = basic access; Champion Verified (BUID linked) = full access |
| Account timing | Single cp_champions table with status |
verification_status enum: unverified → email_verified → champion_verified |
| Champion verification | Manual by Engagement Team | Team looks up BUID by name, links to account |
| Non-degree alumni | Supported | Can be Champion Verified without degree data showing |
| Regional default | Auto-assign by ZIP, allow override | Flexibility for edge cases |
| Visit mode | Yes, can “visit” other cities | Essential for Digital Ambassadors, travelers |
| Messaging approach | Email relay initially, in-app later | Validates demand before building complex feature |
| Multiple champion roles | Yes, can select multiple and change seasonally | No architectural downside |
| Photo ownership | Separate per portal | Staff photo for ID (Lookup); Champion photo for profile (Portal) |
| Name fields | Shared on alumni |
Champion can edit pref_name/maiden_name when verified |
| Contact fields | Separate on cp_champions |
Champion owns their contact info; no sync to CRM |
See development/DATA-ARCHITECTURE.md for data architecture and development/AVOIDING-DUPLICATION.md for development principles.
| Status | How Achieved | Access Level |
|---|---|---|
| Unverified | Account created, email not confirmed | Cannot log in |
| Email Verified | Clicked verification link, set password | Can log in, edit own profile only |
| Champion Verified | BUID linked by Engagement Team | Full portal access |
Turnaround: Email Verified users see messaging that verification typically happens within 1 business day.
See individual feature documents for detailed “Required Decisions” sections.
| Phase | Decisions | |——-|———–| | Phase 2 | Can Champions edit events after CLC approval? Should stories auto-publish? Budget request detail level? Self-service vs facilitated mentor matching? | | Phase 3 | Anonymous posting? Post edit time limit? Housing/roommate board? | | Phase 4 | Message retention policy? Group messaging? Read receipts? | | Phase 5 | Map view opt-in details? Search history/privacy? |