For nonprofits & churches · Grand Rapids, MI · Nationwide
Your mission deserves technology that works.
We help nonprofits and churches fix the systems that slow them down — websites, donor data, custom software, and honest technology guidance — with published pricing and no vendor agenda.
No pitch. No pressure. Keep the advice either way.
Sound familiar? It's not a you problem — it's a systems problem.
- Donor data scattered across spreadsheets that never match
- A website nobody on staff can update
- Software subscriptions nobody remembers choosing
- Manual processes eating hours your mission needed
How we help
Four ways in — all starting with the same free conversation.
Technology Assessment
A fixed-scope evaluation of your systems with a prioritized roadmap — what to claim free, what to fix, what to ignore.
Websites that staff can run
Fast, modern sites your own team updates — typically $5K–$15K, done in 4–8 weeks, trained at handoff.
Custom software & integrations
When off-the-shelf doesn't fit: tools built around your actual workflow, from $5K, fully owned by you.
Fractional CTO partnership
Ongoing technology leadership at nonprofit budgets — month to month, no lock-in.
Full detail on our nonprofit technology consulting and published pricing.
Start with the problem
Tell us what's broken. We'll point you at the right fix — even when it's free.
Most nonprofits don't need “a technology strategy.” They need one specific thing to stop hurting. These are the six problems we hear most, and where each one leads.
Something else? Every guide we've written is organized by problem in the nonprofit technology guide, including how to budget for technology and fixing data silos.
Why nonprofits pick us
- Published pricing — fixed-scope, fixed-price blueprints you can take to your board or a funder
- Vendor-neutral — we sell no software and take no commissions
- You work directly with the engineer, start to finish
- You own everything at launch: code, accounts, training
The person you talk to does the work
Lifehouse Development is run by Nathan VandenHoek in Grand Rapids, Michigan. There is no sales team and no handoff to junior staff: the person on the free call scopes the work, does the work, and trains your team at handoff. We serve West Michigan in person and nonprofits across the United States remotely.
About Lifehouse DevelopmentRecent work
Published with permission, across every kind of client.
Not every project we ship is for a nonprofit. The one below is a small-business website, shown here because it is real, it is live, and the client agreed to be named. Nonprofit work is shared on the same terms when the organization consents.
“Working with Nate was a wonderful experience. He created a beautiful and user-friendly website that has helped me showcase and market my book business with confidence. I truly appreciate his professionalism, creativity, and dedication to bringing my vision to life.”
Sherri Prins
Independent author (small-business website)
Straight answers
What does it cost to work with you?
Our pricing is published: focused tools and MVPs run $5,000–$15,000, larger applications $20,000–$60,000+, websites typically 4–8 weeks within the first range, and ongoing partnerships are month-to-month retainers. Every project gets a fixed-scope blueprint with a fixed price before any code is written.
Do you only work with big nonprofits?
The opposite. We specialize in small and mid-sized nonprofits and churches — organizations with lean staff, tight budgets, and technology that grew up by accident. Our minimum project size is $5,000, far below what most studios will take on.
Can grants pay for this?
Often, yes. Capacity-building grants routinely fund defined technology projects — websites, database implementations, systems work. Our fixed-scope blueprint is written so you can attach it directly to a grant application.
Are you tied to any software vendor?
No. We sell no software and take no referral commissions. If the honest answer is a free tool or 'don't buy anything,' that's the answer you'll get — on the free call, before you've spent a dollar.
What happens on the free discovery call?
Thirty minutes with the person who would actually do the work. You describe what's slowing your organization down; we tell you honestly what it would take to fix — whether that involves us or not. No pitch, no pressure, and you keep the advice either way.
Before you call
Everything you'd want to check first, in one place.
Thirty minutes. Honest answers. Zero pressure.
Tell us what's slowing your mission down. We'll tell you what it takes to fix it — with real numbers — whether or not that involves us.