Mission-Driven Tech Strategy Retainer
Ongoing, executive-level partnership to keep your
nonprofit innovative, effective, and future-ready.
Overview
Our retainer packages give your organization continuous access to expert technology strategy, innovation guidance, and executive support.
We work directly with your leadership team, board, and key stakeholders to ensure every technology decision advances your mission, maximizes your impact, and supports sustainable growth—without creating enterprise-level overhead.
What You Walk Away With
Roadmap & Priorities
A maintained roadmap + priorities that stay current as needs change
Decision Support & Governance
Decision support and a governance rhythm so choices don’t stall or splinter across teams
Smarter Investments / Innovation
Smarter investments + innovation with guardrails (budget-aligned planning, vendor decisions, risk reduction, practical/ethical AI guidance)
Who Benefits Most
Essential Innovation Retainer is a fit if you:
- Need a trusted advisor for quarterly strategy, risk review, and board-level Q&A
- Want steady progress without adding internal strategic tech leadership headcount
- Have a Technology Director/IT lead, but need executive-level prioritization + governance<
Growth Partner Retainer is a fit if you:
- Need monthly strategy and ongoing prioritization across programs/systems
- Want support with vendor evaluation, integrations, and cross-team alignment
- Need help translating strategy into execution plans, adoption, and measurable outcomes
Impact Accelerator Retainer is a fit if you:
- Are running multiple major initiatives (data/CRM, reporting, AI, multi-site programs) and need tighter oversight
- Want deeper analytics/reporting and stronger operating cadence (not just advice)
- Need a partner to help leadership manage complexity: governance, portfolio tradeoffs, and change management
Not sure which partnership is right for you? Schedule a discovery call and we’ll recommend the best fit.
Retainer Packages
We offer three partnership tiers to fit your needs—whether you want foundational support or a fully immersive innovation experience
Essential Innovation Retainer
Best for: executive teams who want a steady strategic advisor and quarterly clarity.
Core cadence: quarterly reviews + board/executive Q&A.
Includes:
- Quarterly tech reviews + strategy sessions
- Executive and board Q&A / decision support
- Foundational AI + emerging tech guidance
Growth Partner Retainer
Best for: organizations that need monthly strategy, coaching, and ongoing decision support.
Core cadence: monthly strategy sessions + on-demand advisory.
Includes:
- Everything in Essential
- Monthly strategy sessions
- Executive coaching
- Vendor selection + integration advisory
Impact Accelerator Retainer
Best for: complex orgs that want deeper oversight, analytics, and hands-on innovation enablement.
Core cadence: everything in Growth + added oversight and an annual innovation workshop.
Includes:
- Everything in Growth
- Project management oversight
- Custom reporting and analytics
- Hands-on AI enablement
Grant Support Add-On: available for any tier, starting at $500/month or $2,000/project.
Learn from Real-World Experience: Building a Silo-Busting, Organization-Wide Tech Roadmap
When we began working with this mid-sized nonprofit, only one product team operated with a clear process and agile support. The rest of the organization was struggling:
- One department clung to a no-code app that never launched, despite spending tens of thousands on failed integrations.
- Others had web applications built pro-bono, only to abandon them due to poor performance, workflow mismatches, and security issues.
- High-level C-suite leaders were frustrated that public-facing products failed to reflect the organization’s strategic direction—and were often unaware of these issues until stumbling upon them after launch.
The core challenge:
Technology decisions were isolated, with no unified strategy, cross-departmental alignment, or executive oversight.
Our approach:
We led a strategic technical roadmap process that:
- Identified all key stakeholders and conducted in-depth discovery sessions with each group to understand needs, challenges, and priorities across the organization
- Established a holistic, cross-organization support model for all tech projects
- Designed meeting cycles and decision-making structures, ensuring the right leaders were at the table
- Facilitated cross-departmental sessions and provided hands-on templates and guidance to help teams create a unified, actionable product plan
- Supported ongoing alignment and accountability for stakeholders, product owners, and teams
Key breakthroughs:
- During facilitated C-suite meetings, leadership discovered an entire product was being managed by a coordinator with no executive access—explaining persistent content and KPI misalignment. By assigning a VP-level stakeholder, they quickly corrected course and improved outcomes
- The organization identified costly duplication in core systems and, through regular strategy meetings, addressed a failed merger by incorporating a crucial security review—getting the project back on track
- Marketing and business development, previously left out of tech planning, were integrated into the roadmap. This enabled the product team to support organization-wide campaign strategies, resulting in an immediate boost in engagement and volume
The result:
Today, the organization uses its strategic technical roadmap to drive initiatives across every department. Their newest achievement? Launching an AI Innovation Lab that reports directly to governance, delivering agile, mission-aligned solutions that support KPIs and organizational objectives.
FAQs
Who is this for?
Our retainer partnerships are designed for nonprofit executive teams, boards, and leaders who want ongoing, high-level technology strategy and innovation support. If you’re scaling, modernizing, or seeking to future-proof your organization, our retainers are ideal for those who value proactive guidance and a trusted, mission-aligned partner.
What’s included at each level?
Each partnership tier offers a tailored mix of strategy, tech audits, executive support, and innovation guidance:
Essential Innovation Retainer: Quarterly tech reviews and strategy sessions, executive and board Q&A, and foundational guidance on AI and emerging technology adoption.
Growth Partner Retainer: Everything in Essential, plus monthly strategy sessions, executive coaching, and on-demand advisory support for vendor selection and integrations.
Impact Accelerator Retainer: Everything in Growth, plus project management oversight, an annual innovation workshop, custom reporting and analytics, and hands-on AI enablement.
How do we choose the right tier?
We’ll help you assess your organization’s needs, goals, and current tech landscape during a free consult. Smaller or early-stage organizations often start with Essential, while those seeking deeper engagement, transformation, or oversight benefit from Growth or Impact tiers. We’ll recommend the best fit based on your mission, budget, and strategic priorities.
What’s the commitment?
Retainers are typically structured as annual partnerships, with quarterly reviews, monthly strategy sessions, and monthly executive/board Q&A and support to ensure alignment and results. In the Impact Accelerator Retainer, you will also attend an annual innovation workshow. This approach provides stability and allows us to deliver meaningful, lasting impact. Flexible arrangements are available if you have unique needs or timelines.
Can we upgrade/downgrade as our needs change?
Absolutely. As your organization evolves, you can move between tiers to match your current priorities and capacity. We’ll review your engagement regularly and recommend adjustments to ensure you’re always getting the right level of support.
What if we need development or implementation support?
Our retainers focus on strategy, planning, and executive guidance, but we also offer “strategy-led delivery” as an add-on for select projects. If you need hands-on implementation—such as system integration, migration, or custom development—we’ll scope this separately and manage the work to align with your strategic goals.
Connect With Us
Ready to Align Your Technology With Your Mission?
Book a discovery call to see how our executive-level, strategy-first partnership can help your organization lead with confidence, clarity, and impact.
- Phone: (435) 264-9323