Testing a big idea carefully: designing the exchangeABLE pilot

The Work Behind the Work

The Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund has long stood beside families caring for children with complex medical needs. Its work is grounded in practicality and compassion. When families are navigating surgeries, appointments, and uncertainty, even basic logistics can become overwhelming.

Over time, Danielle Griffith and her team began noticing a persistent gap. Families needed mobility and adaptive equipment quickly. At the same time, other families and institutions had high-quality equipment sitting unused once children outgrew it. The system was fragmented. Access depended on timing, luck, and informal networks.

The exchangeABLE emerged from a simple but powerful question: what if there were a safe, structured way to keep that equipment moving to where it is needed most?

The long-term vision is ambitious. A coordinated, technologically supported network connecting families, healthcare professionals, and donors. A system that reduces waste, lowers financial barriers, and improves equity in access to mobility equipment.

But before building infrastructure, the team chose to start with a more disciplined question.

Can this model operate safely and sustainably in practice?

Choosing to Pilot Before Scaling

Launching a full-scale platform would require meaningful investment and long-term commitments. Rather than rushing toward a large build, Danielle and the Board made a deliberate decision to design a contained pilot.

The purpose of the pilot is straightforward: to test whether a reuse model for mobility equipment is valuable to families, supported by donors, and operationally feasible within real capacity constraints.

This was not about proving the idea emotionally. It was about validating it operationally.

Turning an Idea into a Responsible Pilot

In Fall 2025, the focus shifted from concept to execution. The challenge was to build something testable without putting the broader organization at risk.

The full journey from donor outreach to family pickup was mapped step by step. Intake, inspection, matching, documentation, and handoff were designed as one connected system rather than isolated tasks. This surfaced friction points early and clarified what the team could realistically manage.

Ownership and decision rights were defined from the outset. Who reviews donations. Who approves matches. How incidents are documented and escalated. Clear lines of responsibility reduced ambiguity and protected staff bandwidth.

The pilot was intentionally limited in scope and duration. It operates within existing staff capacity and current tools. There is no new technology build and no expansion beyond what the team can responsibly manage. These constraints are deliberate. A controlled pilot makes learning possible.

Governance was structured from day one. During the pilot phase, the exchangeABLE operates as a separate entity under fiscal sponsorship with the Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund. Distinct documentation, tracking systems, and formal waivers reinforce that separation while allowing the program to move forward.

Success is defined in measurable terms. Demand, donor participation, match completion, turnaround times, compliance, and safety are tracked consistently. The objective is not activity. It is evidence. By the end of the pilot period, leadership and the Board will have the data needed to decide whether to scale, refine, or stop.

The result is more than a promising concept. It is a structured, testable model designed to answer the right questions before larger commitments are made.

Protecting the Core While Exploring the Future

The exchangeABLE reflects thoughtful expansion. It extends the Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund’s commitment to families in a way that is practical, structured, and accountable.

For Danielle and her team, the process created clarity and confidence. A promising idea became a disciplined test.

For Two Five One, this engagement reflects a core belief: responsible growth starts with operational honesty. Big ideas deserve guardrails. New programs deserve structure. And more often than not, pilots should answer real questions before scale decisions are made.

The exchangeABLE may one day become a broader regional or national platform.

But first, it will prove itself carefully, one safe and well-documented match at a time.