I built 41 projects in 26 days

using Claude Code and a terminal

Most nonprofits run on spreadsheets and duct tape. Not because they want to. Because custom software usually starts around $50,000.

So I ran an experiment: what happens if one person uses AI like a software team?

The setup

I'm Andrew. I work in nonprofits and missions. Until January 2026, I had never shipped a website.

Then my friend Henry introduced me to Claude Code — Anthropic's AI that writes and runs code from your terminal. He sat next to me for the first few sessions. Not teaching syntax. Teaching how to think in prompts.

That changed everything.

26 days later

41 projects shipped. Not demos. Real tools people are testing.

Web apps. Directories. Dashboards. Data tools. Games. Built from a terminal.

What Claude Code actually does

You open a terminal. You type what you want. Claude writes the code, creates the files, runs commands, and fixes errors. You steer. It builds.

Think of it like pair-programming with someone who knows every framework. You don't need to know how to code. You need to know what problem you're solving.

My workflow

1. Describe the problem — in plain English. "Build a searchable directory of 553 therapists with filters for language, specialty, and state."
2. Claude builds the first version — usually 5–15 minutes.
3. Improve it — "Make cards expandable." "Add a map." "Fix the mobile layout." Each instruction takes 30–90 seconds.
4. Deploy — one command: npx wrangler pages deploy . and it's live.

Most projects took 1–3 hours.

What I built

Tools nonprofits actually need:

• CAMH Directory — 553 therapists searchable by language, specialty, and state
• Missions Search — 95K articles across 28 sources
• Care Navigator — answer 8 questions, see benefits you qualify for
• IFI Dashboard — weekly nonprofit team dashboard
• Uncover — photo conversation tool for small groups
• CLI Dojo — RPG-style terminal training game

What surprised me

• Speed compounds. After ~10 projects, patterns appear. Projects 30–42 shipped 3× faster than projects 1–10.
• Iteration becomes free. Want a new design? 2 minutes. So you test 5 ideas instead of debating one.
• Single-file HTML goes far. Most projects are one HTML file with inline CSS and JS. No framework. No build system. Open the file and it works.
• Deployment is trivial. Cloudflare Pages: npx wrangler pages deploy . — 10 seconds. The real challenge isn't deployment. It's knowing what to build.

10 lessons after 41 projects

1. Solve a real problem. "My team needs a dashboard" beats "I want to learn React."
2. Be specific in prompts. Clarity → better output.
3. Ship ugly first. Working beats perfect.
4. Talk to Claude like a coworker. Explain the problem. Let Claude pick the fix.
5. Use single-file HTML. Less complexity. Faster builds.
6. Deploy early. Working links change conversations.
7. Use a CLAUDE.md file. Claude reads it every session. Huge productivity boost.
8. Learn the workflow, not the framework. Describe → build → review → refine → deploy.
9. Pair with someone early. Saved me days of confusion.
10. Build 10 things, not one perfect thing. Patterns appear around project 10.

My stack

• Frontend — HTML, CSS, vanilla JS. React only when necessary.
• Hosting — Cloudflare Pages. One command to deploy.
• AI — Claude Code for all development.
• Data — Python scripts + Cloudflare D1.
• No Docker. No CI/CD. Add complexity only when needed.

~/Documents/Claude/
├── camh-directory/
├── care-navigator/
├── claude-portfolio/
├── crossings-mario/
├── ifi-dashboard/
├── missions-search/
├── uncover/
└── ... 34 more

Each project gets its own folder.

The real productivity hack

Every project includes a CLAUDE.md file. Claude reads it at the start of every session. 10 seconds and Claude knows the whole project.

# CAMH Directory

## Stack
- Static HTML + vanilla JS

## Deploy
npx wrangler pages deploy . --project-name=camh-directory

## Current State
- 553 counselors, 40 states, 26 languages

Claude instantly understands the project.

I also built slash commands — custom skills Claude runs on demand:

• /deploy — commit + deploy
• /roast — 10 expert personas critique the project
• /resume — Claude finds the next task
• /wrapup — commit, docs, summary email

After enough projects, starting a new one takes 5 minutes.

The bigger idea

Nonprofits shouldn't need a dev team to build useful software. Now they don't.

The hard part was never code. It was knowing what to build. AI just made that obvious.

See all 41 projects →