The Complete Tech Stack: Why You're Probably Overpaying (And How to Fix It)

The case for consolidation: How one unified platform beats juggling 7-12 expensive tools

Let me show you something that will probably make you angry.

Meet Organization A (this might be you):

Monthly Software Costs:

• Donor database/CRM: $125/month
• Email marketing platform: $29/month
• Donation processing platform: $49/month
• Event management system: $79/month
• Volunteer coordination tool: $39/month
• Website/landing page builder: $25/month
• Accounting software: $50/month
• Calendar/scheduling tool: $15/month

Total: $411/month = $4,932/year

Plus the hidden costs:

• 15 hours/week managing multiple systems
• Manual data entry (donations don't auto-update CRM)
• Exporting from one tool, reformatting, importing to another
• Eight different logins to remember
• Training staff on eight different interfaces
• Data inconsistencies across platforms
• Donors falling through cracks between systems

True cost: $4,932 + 780 hours of staff time annually

Now meet Organization B:

Monthly Software Costs:

• One unified platform with donor management, email marketing, online giving, event registration, volunteer coordination, website builder, and financial tracking built