Pricing and payment
Every engagement is a fixed fee for a defined outcome. No hourly billing, no surprise invoices. You always see the price before any work starts.
Published ranges
Engagement
Price
Payment
Donor Intelligence Snapshot
Price
Free
Gap Session
Price
From $1,500
Payment
100% when you sign
Operations and AI Readiness Assessment
Price
Typically $5,000 to $15,000, set after our first conversation
Payment
100% when you sign
Build
Price
Typically $20,000 to $50,000 per phase, priced from what the assessment finds, with three options
Payment
50% at signing, 25% at the midpoint demo, 25% at go-live
Care plan
Price
From $750 a month
Payment
Monthly in advance, 12-month term
Fractional technology leadership
Price
From $8,000 a month
Payment
Monthly in advance, three-month minimum
The Gap Session fee is credited in full toward an Assessment bought next.
What sets the assessment fee
The fee reflects how much there is to look at: how many departments and systems are involved, how many people we interview, how sensitive the data is, and whether you need a formal report for your board or a funder. A single department with a few systems sits near the low end. A whole organization, several sites, a stalled AI project or regulated data such as health information sits near the high end. Dr. Herrera confirms the exact fee after your first conversation.
How builds are priced
Builds are priced from the scope the assessment defines, never before. You see three options in one proposal: a foundation, a recommended option, and a full option. Each one includes the one before it. If the full option is more than you need, choose less scope. We do not lower the price of the same work; we change the work.
What your investment covers
Your investment is a fixed fee for a defined outcome, not an hourly estimate. It covers senior strategy and engineering from Dr. Herrera, any specialist developers we bring in under his direct oversight, the professional development tools and secure infrastructure we use to build quickly and safely, testing and safety review, training for your team, and 30 days of post-launch fixes. Because the fee is fixed, you will not see surprise hourly bills; any new request goes through a simple written change order before work starts. Ongoing hosting and AI usage are billed at cost through your own accounts, or through a care plan if you prefer one monthly bill.
Phase
Share
What it covers
Discovery and design
Share
15%
What it covers
Interviews, process mapping, data review, solution design, success measures
Build and integration
Share
45%
What it covers
Development, integrations, AI configuration, security setup
Testing and safety review
Share
15%
What it covers
Functional testing, AI output testing, privacy and access review, fixes
Launch and adoption
Share
15%
What it covers
Deployment, staff training, documentation, handover
Project leadership
Share
10%
What it covers
Weekly check-ins, decision logs, risk management, board-ready updates
Payment terms
- Bank transfer (ACH) is the default. Cards are accepted. We never add a card surcharge.
- Your start date is reserved when the signed agreement and deposit are received. We do not begin any work before then.
- If an invoice is more than 10 days past due, work pauses until it is paid, and the timeline shifts.
- Prices in a proposal are held for 30 days.
- Your systems and accounts stay in your name. You own what we build for you once it is paid for.
Options that help nonprofits
- Pay in full by ACH and save 5%.
- Phase it: start with the foundation now and add the rest when funding arrives.
- Grant-timed billing: we can match invoices to your grant disbursement dates. The deposit comes from unrestricted funds.
- Installments: a deposit of at least 30%, the rest over three to six monthly payments, at a small premium.
- Hold the price: lock a proposal with a deposit and start when your funding lands, within 90 days.
- A board-ready package with every proposal: a one-page summary, the value estimate and the risk section.