The Ideal Tech Stack for Nonprofits: Tools That Work Well Together

Managing a nonprofit takes time, coordination, and tools that make life easier. Your tech stack should help you stay organized, raise funds, and communicate effectively with your team and supporters. Here’s a streamlined, budget-friendly setup designed for impact.

1. Shopify (Website, Donations, and eCommerce)

Shopify is more than a store. It can serve as your main website, donation portal, event ticketing system, and merch shop. Add apps like Pledge or Give & Grow to accept donations directly during checkout. Use landing pages to highlight campaigns, volunteer programs, or annual reports.

2. Google Workspace (Email, Calendar, Docs, and Drive)

With Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Calendar, you can handle everything from daily operations to major donor communications. Create shared drives by department, use Google Forms for volunteer signups, and take advantage of the Google for Nonprofits program to access premium features at no cost.

3. Notion (Project Management and Knowledge Hub)

Use Notion to document your internal workflows, track events, manage grant applications, and store key documents. Build an internal dashboard for your team, and consider publishing an impact report or transparency hub to the public using Notion’s shareable pages.

4. Slack (Communication for Teams and Partners)

Slack is ideal for keeping your team connected. Create dedicated channels for donors, volunteers, events, and board updates. Integrate Slack with Google Calendar, Notion, and Shopify alerts to streamline notifications and reduce email clutter.

5. Canva (Designs and Visual Storytelling)

Design compelling social media graphics, flyers, pitch decks, and reports using Canva. Create a brand kit with your colors, fonts, and logo. Canva for Teams makes collaboration simple and ensures your visuals stay consistent.

• Zapier – Automate tasks between tools like Shopify, Slack, Gmail, and Google Sheets
• Klaviyo or Mailchimp – Manage donor emails, newsletters, and impact storytelling campaigns
• ChatGPT - Assist with donor database management, drafting grant applications, summarizing reports, and streamlining program tracking through conversational AI support
• 1Password – Securely store and share login credentials with your team
• Loom – Record short training videos for onboarding or explaining internal processes
• Cloudflare – Protect your website, improve load times, and boost overall security
• This tech stack is designed for lean teams focused on mission, impact, and storytelling.

Each tool plays a key role and integrates with the others to reduce busywork and improve outcomes. Whether you're scaling up or just getting started, this setup can help your nonprofit stay organized and powerful behind the scenes.

Don't forget about ChatGPT