Websites That Work: What Social Impact Founders Should Know In Conversation with Shubbh Mehta
Co-authored by Shubbh & Samit
13 Jul 2025
Introducing Vantage - Discover & Define before Developing
Every idea starts with imagination. But what brings it to life is clarity.
Vantage is all about building brands with purpose and clarity. A series by Quawd, Vantage turns real conversations with founders, creative lead, strategists, and creators into clear, practical insights. We take raw experiences, information and shape them into stories and insights that help brands build with purpose.
Each edition explores focused questions with people who are building with purpose . This one spotlights voices from the social impact space - leaders shaping meaningful change through thoughtful action.
If you’re ready to bring your imagination to life, Vantage offers the clarity to move forward.
To begin, we spoke with Shubbh Mehta, Co-founder of Change Is Us and Risk Consultant at Marsh McLennan. What followed was a conversation about purpose, storytelling, and designing trust into everything you build.
We asked Shubh five core questions. Here's how he unpacked each, with clarity, structure, and honest takeaways that you can act on.
If someone lands on your website by accident, what’s one thing you’d want them to take away before closing the tab?
Quick Overview:
Show the problem you’re solving
Show the action you’re taking to solve it
Communicate your mission clearly and fast
Insight: Shubh emphasises that websites should immediately communicate two things: the problem you're solving and a transparent view of what’s happening on the ground. These aren’t two separate sections buried under submenus. They need to be visible the moment someone lands—right at the top of the page. He recommends using the landing screen to show this clearly through a headline, visual, or even a micro-interaction.
He explains that social impact websites often overcomplicate their narrative. They assume more information equals more clarity. In reality, founders must distill their mission into one powerful line of copy and pair it with evidence of execution. This could be a photo from the field, a real-time stat on volunteer hours, or a quick explainer video. As Shubh puts it, “Your mission should show up without needing an explanation.” In a world full of digital noise, simplicity makes you memorable.
Many social impact websites are content-heavy. How do you simplify navigation without losing depth?
Quick Overview:
Keep the homepage focused on the basics
Shift depth into reports or downloads
Avoid cognitive overload
Insight: Shubh urges founders to focus on the 4 Ws and 1 H – What, Why, Who, Where, and How. These should be answered right on the homepage, not scattered across different sections. “People want to understand your work, but not through dense data,” he says. Move complex detail—like financials, case studies, and impact stories—into downloadable PDFs or a structured insights page.
When it comes to blogs, Shubh is clear: they’re not enough. In today’s content-heavy environment, especially with AI-generated material, reports are more powerful than blogs. Reports feel intentional, backed by data, and are harder to fake. Blogs, on the other hand, only work when they deliver a strong emotional hook or help someone solve a very specific problem.
He also cautions against lead magnets for everything. “If someone’s coming to your site considering a grant or donation, they shouldn’t have to fill a form just to see a report. It breaks trust.” His advice: gate reports only when the user stands to benefit personally (like volunteers or students), but keep them open for donors and ecosystem partners where transparency builds credibility.
How do you build credibility without using just logos, numbers, or testimonials?
Quick Overview:
Use hyperlocal content and local language personalisation
Show faces and human interaction, not just impact imagery
Design emotionally relevant content
Use conversational, relatable copy to build trust
Insight: According to Shubh, credibility starts with relevance and emotional connection—not with partner logos or big stats. He advocates for hyperlocal personalisation, like showing geo-based visuals, regional stories, or content in local languages that feel familiar to the visitor. Translation isn’t just accessibility—it’s trust.
He adds that most social impact websites fall back on abstract impact visuals, but showing faces of people interacting with your work is far more effective. Humanising visuals builds empathy, and empathy builds trust.
Emotional relevance also plays a crucial role. “Talk about things that matter to them,” Shubh stresses. When your content reflects what your users actually care about, it becomes memorable.
And don’t overlook your words. Shubh believes copywriting is one of the most underrated trust-builders. A conversational tone isn’t just friendly—it makes your organisation sound approachable and clear. “If your content feels human, it earns attention. If it feels corporate, it gets skipped.”
What’s one feature that would help if your users had zero digital literacy?
Quick Overview:
Build separate funnels for digital vs. non-digital users
Don’t rely on forms and buttons—use intuitive triggers like calls
Offer audio content in local dialects or languages
Activate through real-world touchpoints (vehicles, vans, community spaces)
Use missed call systems to initiate contact and step-by-step guidance
Focus on empathy, not tech: translate behaviour into action
Insight: Shubh emphasises that users with zero digital literacy won’t scroll or click—they act based on instinct and habit. So instead of trying to force a standard digital journey, create an alternative funnel that mirrors their behaviour. For example, a missed call system can trigger a voice-led experience in their local language.
Forget forms and buttons—these users likely won’t know how to fill them. Instead, provide simple entry points they’re already familiar with: phone calls, physical instructions, or messages delivered by a known source. Shubh shares that even municipal vehicles or ice-cream vans can act as communication tools in rural areas. These familiar formats build comfort and trust.
Once connected, the journey shouldn’t be overwhelming. Provide step-by-step onboarding, guiding them clearly on what to expect next. It could be a call back with further instructions or an audio message with their next action.
“Don’t force digital. Translate behaviour into action,” Shubh says. With the right blend of empathy and structure, even the most digitally disconnected users can meaningfully engage with your mission.
If budget and tech weren’t a constraint, what feature would you build?
Quick Overview:
Create a virtual experience that mimics on-ground action
Let users digitally engage with real-world challenges
Prioritise emotional connection over functionality
Avoid complexity—simple, immersive storytelling is key
Insight: When asked about dream features with no budget or tech constraints, Shubh didn’t dismiss new-age tools like AI and VR—instead, he proposed using them with jugaad and accessibility in mind. His vision: a virtual experience that allows users to feel part of a beach cleanup, even if they’re thousands of kilometres away.
Imagine a user digitally entering a cleanup site, picking up different types of plastic, learning about their origins and environmental impact. “Gamified points are optional,” Shubh clarifies. “The real value lies in awareness and empathy.”
He suggests borrowing from simple POV video formats—where users only see their own arms in action—to simulate this experience. Whether it’s done through mobile gestures, basic scrolling, or even cardboard VR, the emphasis is on immersion, not interface.
AI, in this model, plays a role in delivering hyperlocal guidance—customised voice prompts in the user's language, region-specific facts, or community stories layered into the flow. All of it designed to emotionally connect a user to the cause.
“You don’t need a headset to create immersion,” Shubh says. “You just need to make people feel involved.” When someone emotionally experiences the mission, they’re far more likely to remember it, talk about it, and act on it.
Final Framework for Founders
To wrap up, Shubh shared a mental model to structure all digital communication:
Why are you doing this?
What do you want to say?
Who needs to hear it?
How will you reach them?
Your message is the source. Your audience is the delta. And your journey-the website, the campaign, the product-is the flow between them.
About Shubh Mehta
Shubh Mehta is a technology and finance professional deeply committed to social and environmental impact. He is the Co-founder of Change Is Us, a youth-led movement that has mobilised over 80,000 volunteers and diverted 800+ tonnes of waste from Mumbai’s coastline. He currently works as a Risk Management Consultant at Marsh McLennan, helping global clients navigate business uncertainty through analytics and strategy.
An alumnus of NMIMS, Shubh brings together experience across impact, operations, and business systems. Beyond his corporate and grassroots work, he also serves on advisory boards, contributes to sustainability platforms, and is actively building VAWE and Model COP—ventures designed to turn student ideas into scalable actions. Known for his clarity, candour, and systems thinking, Shubh represents a new generation of changemakers blending fieldwork with data-driven leadership.
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