Non-Profits: Technology is The Biggest Donation You Aren’t Leveraging

Any non-profit COO or CTO will tell you that finding the technology that appropriately addresses their needs is tough to come by. The existing platforms with the non-profit in mind often cost upwards of $25,000 to engage. There are several problems with this situation. First, it is impossible to know that a CRM/donor database/360° fundraising platform will meet your needs long-term. Second, these platforms will lock you in for a year at least, and the much-needed updates will never come. Lastly, these platforms are insular systems without API or any means of connecting them to other solutions. (San Francisco, feel free to help us out here.)

I’m lucky to work in a non-profit vertical that spans from the tiny side-project to the multi-million dollar behemoth fundraising machine. In a space where we’re all working towards the same goal, it’s interesting how organizations leverage technology to carry out their mission.

Over the past six years at Stupid Cancer, we have stopped and started with so many different platforms my staff now cringes any time I tell them I’ve found something new. It’s true that I’ve probably worn out my welcome by having them help me test new things, but old habits die hard. When it was just Matthew and myself, we had to compensate for the lack of staff. It was the wild west of free trial exploration, and I learned a lot from it.

As we’ve grown over the past few years and hired staff to help us, my instinct remains to take a tech-forward approach.

I am also a big believer in putting automated systems in place where appropriate and removing the human element. There is no reason to try to do things better than computers. I see it way too often in this community of limited resources. It will only reduce your capacity for upward growth.

We recently did an internal exercise where we measured how much time each staff member spent on their respective duties. While they mostly landed as we thought they would, there were some instances where outside forces were pulling us away from getting out jobs done. In any company — especially a growing one – this is bound to happen. Ultimately, we took a look at the results and have begun to figure out how to mitigate these distractions by adding articles to our Zendesk FAQ, for example.

In this world of highly scrutinized non-profit budgets, there is so much time and money that can be saved by utilizing low-cost platforms like Zapier or IFTTT (Which doesn’t cost anything at all). I actually find most SaaS-based companies are willing to give deep discounts just based on your merit.

Google and Slack are two examples of companies that reward 501(c)(3) organizations with a lifetime subscription to their platform for free. If a platform doesn’t offer free or discounted services, offer to create compelling content for them that will be mutually beneficial.

We recently received a lovely donation from a platform we had used in the past that was in transition. The temporary separation was a mutual agreement, as they changed their core product offering. When the dust settled on their end, we jumped right in line to sign up.

As the maturation of Stupid Cancer continues from a tiny startup non-profit to million dollar organization, I remain vigilant in making sure we stay nimble and unburdened by the unnecessary.

Zendesk, a Non-Profit's Dream.

I’ll generalize a bit: most nonprofits just aren’t set up to experiment with their tech stack. That’s not a knock—it’s just the reality. They’re busy doing the work, and let’s face it, most aren’t super nerdy.

As I write this from a JetBlue gate at San Diego International Airport, I find myself daydreaming about... closing tickets. The kind that get triaged to my team and me through our helpdesk. It's second nature now. Any time I check my iPhone, I might see a Zendesk notification waiting for me.

Wait—what’s Zendesk?

Back in 2012, when our team doubled from two to four, I pitched Zendesk as our helpdesk solution. It's simple: an inquiry comes in, a ticket is created, we get notified, we respond, and eventually, we resolve it. It also doubles as a powerful FAQ platform—customizable and user-friendly—with the added bonus of blog-style conversations at the bottom of each article.

But can’t we just stick with a shared Gmail account?

Sure, you can. We did. In fact, we had multiple shared inboxes and aliases, all leading into a messy Gmail catchall. If that sounds familiar, you’re not doing it wrong—but you could be doing it better. Zendesk brings structure, clarity, and scalability to your inbound chaos.

And if your setup is even more duct-taped than that... well, you might already know you need help.

So, why Zendesk?

Here’s what I was hoping for when we signed up:

• A single inbox to rule them all. I wanted a central place for inquiries that wasn’t my personal or work email.

• Smarter routing. No more time-wasting email threads—just reassign a ticket to the right person with a click.

• Better service. We run an online store and get plenty of “Where’s my order?!” messages. Zendesk helps us respond faster and with fewer dropped balls.

• A real, dynamic FAQ. Finally, a place to post policies and reduce repetitive questions.

And here’s what we’ve learned:

• It’s worth the investment. Zendesk isn’t free, but it pays off.

• You still have to drive. It’s not a magic wand. You’ll need to create macros, set rules, and stay on top of it.

• Know your users. Some people won’t love getting a ticket number. Legacy folks might be confused. Communicate the shift clearly.

• Don’t overuse it. We once tried scheduling a meeting via Zendesk. Ten messages later... we switched to email. Know when to step outside the system.

• Use the feedback. Zendesk can automatically send follow-up surveys after tickets are closed. Critical feedback helps us improve fast.

• Crowdsource your FAQs. Don’t write them in a vacuum. What seems obvious to you might be confusing to others.

• Make your FAQ pages fun. They don’t have to look like a dusty helpdesk relic.

• Track performance. Zendesk gives great data—who’s crushing it, who’s not, and how fast your team responds.

Bottom line: Zendesk isn’t a silver bullet, but it’s been a game-changer for us. Like anything else in your tech stack, you get out what you put in.