What Russ to the Rescue costs
Updated October 2026
The first 30-minute chat is free, and so is the one-page plan. Builds are a fixed price, starting at $1,000 for a first system, and they come with training, a plain-English handover guide and free fixes for anything I built that breaks in the first 90 days. After that, optional support for new features and upgrades is $500 a month, and you can cancel anytime. It's never required.
Texts come straight to my phone.
The four steps and what each costs
| Step | What happens | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1. We chat for 30 minutes | You tell me what's hard. I ask about your week, your tools and what you'd love to stop doing. In person, by phone or by video. | Free |
| 2. You get a one-page plan | What I'd fix first, how long it takes and exactly what it costs, on one page you can hand to your board. | Free |
| 3. I build it, you check it | I build in stages and train your team as we go. You get a handover guide and free fixes for 90 days. | Fixed price, from $1,000 |
| + Optional: new features | If you want me to keep adding features and upgrades as you grow. | $500 a month, cancel anytime |
Founding partners. My first 5 organizations get first priority on my calendar, and in return I'll ask if I can share your story once the work is done.
Why fixed prices?
Because a small nonprofit can't sign a blank check, and shouldn't have to. A fixed price means the number in your one-page plan is the number you pay. If a build takes me longer than I expected, that's my problem, not yours.
Fixed prices also make the conversation with your board easy. You can show them one page with the work, the timeline and the cost, and they can say yes or no to something specific. Nobody has to watch an hourly meter.
What's included in a build?
Everything it takes for your team to actually use what I build:
- The build itself, made around how your team already works, not someone else's template.
- Setting up and connecting the tools you already have, when they fit. If a good tool you already pay for does the job, I'll use it rather than reinvent it.
- Training for the people who'll use it, including volunteers, at a pace that suits them.
- A plain-English handover guide, so the next person can pick it up without calling me.
- Free fixes for 90 days. If anything I built breaks in the first 90 days, I fix it free.
- Your ownership. The accounts, the data and everything I build belong to your organization.
Some tools have their own small fees, like website hosting or a domain. Those are in your organization's name, paid by you directly, and your plan lists them up front.
Payment is simple: half to start, half when it's working.
Do we have to pay every month?
No. Everything I build is designed to run on its own once your team is trained. The optional $500 a month is only for organizations that want me to keep adding new features and upgrades as they grow. You can start it later, stop it anytime, or never use it at all.
How do bigger projects get priced?
In your one-page plan. A first system starts at $1,000. Bigger projects, like a full website plus several systems, get a fixed price for the whole job, broken into stages so you see progress along the way. You'll know the total before any work starts, and nothing gets added without your OK.
Many teams start with one chore, the one that drives them craziest, and add more once the first fix is working.
Can grants pay for this?
Often, yes. Many foundations fund "capacity building," meaning projects that help an organization run better, and work like this usually fits. A fixed price and a one-page plan with clear before-and-after goals are the kind of thing funders like to see. I'm happy to help you describe the work and its impact for a funding request or report.
I can't promise a grant will be approved. That's up to the funder.
How does this compare with the other options?
Each option fits someone. Here's an honest look:
| Option | Where it shines | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| A web or software agency | Big projects, large budgets, full design teams | Pricing and processes are often built for larger clients; small organizations can end up paying for more than they need |
| Off-the-shelf software | Common jobs with a standard process; often low monthly cost | Your team has to adapt to how the software works, and monthly fees add up; if nobody uses it, it doesn't help |
| A volunteer with tech skills | Generous, knows your organization, free | When they move on, the know-how often leaves with them |
| Russ to the Rescue | Small organizations that want tools built around how they already work, at a fixed price | I'm one person, so I take on a limited number of projects at a time |
Sometimes the honest answer is that you don't need me. If a free tool or a simple change will fix it, I'll tell you in our first chat.
Questions about cost
Is there a discount for nonprofits?
Every price on this page is already set for small nonprofits.
Do you charge by the hour?
No. You get one fixed price for the work in your plan.
How do payments work?
Half to start, half when it's working.
What if we need changes after the 90 days?
You can ask me for a fixed price for that piece of work, or use the optional monthly support if you expect regular changes. Either way, there's no obligation.
What happens to our tools if we stop working with you?
They keep running. They're in your accounts, and the handover guide shows your team how they work.
Next step
Text me what's hard, and we'll find 30 minutes to talk. You'll leave with a few ideas you can use, whether or not we work together.