Switchboard TA | IRC Project
Elementor Development & Database Systems
Industry: Nonprofit, Humanitarian & Refugee Services
Platform: WordPress + Elementor Pro
Backend & Data: Pods (Custom Post Types, taxonomies, custom fields)
Filtering: Search and Filter Fields
Focus: Resource Library & Evidence Database, Filtering Systems, Design-to-Data Integration
Role: Elementor Expert (Contract)
Engagement: March 2023 – March 2024 (began as a 3-month contract, extended to a full year)
Switchboard TA | IRC Project
Switchboard is a national resource hub for the people who help refugees build new lives in the U.S. Funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement and run by the International Rescue Committee, it gives refugee service providers a single place to find research, learning resources, training, and evidence-based guidance.
At the heart of that hub are two things that have to work flawlessly: a large resource library and a research and evidence database. Both are only useful if a provider can actually find what they need, fast. I was brought on as a contract Elementor Expert for the relaunch of SwitchboardTA.org, focusing on the backend: building the data structure behind more than a thousand resources, making sure the filtering worked correctly, and connecting the designer’s front-end to all the right places behind the scenes.
The Challenge
A database is only as good as its ability to surface the right result. Switchboard’s libraries hold a large and growing body of resources and studies, over a thousand individual entries, organized across many overlapping categories. The real work lived in the connections underneath.
- More than 1,000 custom posts needed a clean, consistent data structure so nothing got lost
- Resources and studies had to filter cleanly across multiple facets at once: type, topic, population group, language, publication year, and more
- The designer’s front-end layouts had to connect correctly to the underlying data, so every filter, field, and listing pulled the right content
- The system had to stay manageable and scalable for a team publishing new resources continuously
- Filtering had to be reliable and intuitive for service providers who need answers quickly, not a fight with the interface
Scope of Work
My focus was the backend that makes the front-end work:
- Build the data architecture in Pods: custom post types, taxonomies, and the custom fields every resource needed
- Create tailored Elementor templates for each custom post type, so every kind of resource displayed correctly
- Build and refine the filtering systems for the resource library and evidence database
- Connect the designer’s layouts to the correct data sources, fields, and taxonomies
- Make sure every filter returned accurate, complete results across a growing library
- Support the internal team so they could keep publishing with confidence
Tools Used:
- WordPress
- Elementor Pro
- Elementor filtering add-on
- Pods (CPTs, taxonomies, custom fields)
- Custom post templates
- Custom search & filter fields
I worked as the technical backbone behind the designer’s vision, translating front-end design into a functional, filterable system of over a thousand resources that connected to the right data every time.
Data Architecture in Pods
- Built the backend structure in Pods: custom post types, taxonomies, and categories
- Set up the custom fields each resource needed, so when the team created a new post in the WordPress editor, every extra detail had a home
- Structured everything so more than 1,000 resources stayed organized, consistent, and findable
Tailored Templates for Every Post Type
- Created custom Elementor templates for each custom post type, so every kind of resource displayed the right way
- Wired the designer’s layouts to the correct Pods fields and taxonomies, so the design pulled real data dynamically
- Bridged the gap between how the site looked and how it actually functioned underneath
Filtering That Actually Works
- Built the faceted filtering across the resource library and evidence database
- Made resources findable by type, topic, population group, language, publication year, and more
- Made sure combined filters returned accurate, complete results, pulling the proper information from exactly where the data lived
- Tested and refined until the filtering was reliable and intuitive for end users
Collaboration & Support
- Partnered closely with the project’s graphic designer to turn design into function
- Stayed available to the internal development team, walking them through how the pieces fit so they could maintain and build on the site
- Worked with the Switchboard team across a full year, well beyond the original three-month scope
Results & Impact
I helped build the resource library and evidence database at the center of a program that has reached more than 25,000 refugee service providers since 2018. My work made sure the people relying on those tools could actually find what they needed, when they needed it, across a library of more than a thousand resources.
The proof I’m proudest of is quieter than a traffic stat: a three-month contract that became a full year, and the moment the filters finally worked exactly right, every one pulling the proper information from exactly the place its data lived. For a system this size, that’s the whole game.
In Their Words
Working with Alice on the IRC websites at Switchboard was fantastic. As our Elementor consultant, she nailed it with Custom Post Types, Search and Filter Fields, and Elementor Pro. Her dedication to creating tailored templates for each custom post type significantly elevated the functionality and user experience of our websites. Beyond her technical skills, Alice's collaboration with our graphic designer resulted in websites that not only looked stunning but were also intuitive and user-friendly. Her ability to translate design concepts into reality was remarkable. Alice's passion and teamwork made her a key part of our project. I highly recommend her for any role involving Elementor, web development, and project management.
Alice has been a pleasure to work with on our project. We recently revamped and relaunched SwitchboardTA.org and Alice was instrumental in building a complex WordPress website of over 1000+ custom posts, custom search, and custom templates. She was always available to assist my team and always went the extra mile to ensure our development team understood certain elements. I would HIGHLY recommend Alice for any job or project you may have!
Why This Project Matters
This is the project I point to when the work is invisible, and that’s exactly the point. When a refugee caseworker can filter to the right study or resource in seconds, none of the backend wiring shows, and that’s how it should be.
It’s also the work I’m most personally glad to have done. Getting to support a mission like Switchboard’s, and building the systems that quietly help the people doing that work, is the kind of project that stays with you. A three-month contract turning into a full year says the rest.