How much does a nonprofit website cost? $2,500 once, then nothing.
The honest answer is a flat, one-time fee. We build your nonprofit a complete, accessible site for $2,500, then charge $0 a month. Agencies bill thousands upfront and a retainer every month after. That monthly line is the one that quietly adds up.
How much does a nonprofit website cost?
A nonprofit website should cost a flat, one-time fee. We charge $2,500 CAD, once, with hosting and quarterly updates included after that. A full agency build typically runs $15,000 and up, then $200 to $1,000 every month on top. Over five years, the monthly fee alone can outgrow the build. It’s also the part you don’t need.
The build is the small number. The monthly fee is the big one.
Ask what a website costs and you picture one figure: the build. But the build is a one-time hit. The monthly retainer runs for as long as you own the site. So add up five years, not just the invoice on day one.
- $15,000 to build the site
- $500 a month after that
- $30,000 in retainer alone
- 60 invoices you can’t skip
- $2,500 to build the site
- $0 a month after that
- Hosting and updates included
- One line in your budget
We used a $15,000 build, the low end of a full agency quote, and $500 a month for the retainer. The going rate runs $200 to $1,000. Pick your own number, multiply it by 60, and watch what it does to the total. That’s the number nobody puts on the quote.
Why nonprofit web design gets expensive
It’s rarely the design that empties the budget. It’s what happens after launch. You need one small change, you can’t make it yourself, so you file a ticket and wait, or you pay by the hour. Do that for a few years and the “affordable” site turns out to be the expensive one.
- The quote looks fine until you spot the monthly fee under it, with no end date
- You want to change a phone number, so you file a ticket and wait a week, or pay by the hour
- The site goes stale between program seasons because nobody on staff can touch it
- You own it on paper, but it’s built so you can’t move it without starting over
- $2,500 once. $0 a month for hosting and content updates
- Send your changes each quarter and we make them, included
- Built on open tools you own outright and can take anywhere
- 30 days of support after launch, plus a plain-language walkthrough of how it all works
Built by people who actually run nonprofits
You’re not too small to matter here. The people who build your site serve on nonprofit boards and run nonprofits, so we already understand your budget, your funders, and the constraints you work under.
We run nonprofits too
The people who build your site sit on nonprofit boards and run nonprofits. We’ve filled out the same grant reports and worked to the same tight budgets, so we scope to what you can actually spend, not what we’d like to bill.
A flat fee your board can approve
A one-time $2,500 is a single line in a budget or a grant application. A $500-a-month retainer is a recurring cost someone has to defend every year. Some funders will even cover a website as digital infrastructure, and a fixed number is far easier to put in that application.
You own it, so you’re never stuck
Your site is built on open tools and it’s yours outright. There’s no proprietary platform you can only leave by rebuilding from scratch. If you ever want to move on from us, you take the whole thing with you.
Accessible from the first line
Every site meets WCAG 2.1 AA as a baseline: readable with a screen reader, usable by keyboard, decent colour contrast. Most small nonprofits aren’t legally required to meet it yet, but funders increasingly expect it, and building to it now beats retrofitting later.
Already have a site and not sure where it stands? Our accessibility audit checks it against WCAG →
What the $2,500 actually buys
A flat fee only counts if it covers the real work. The $2,500 pays for the full design and build. Hosting and quarterly content updates are included ongoing, with no monthly subscription and no surprise invoices.
Full design and build
Complete site design and development, no page or section limits. Up to three major revisions during the build. The price doesn’t change because you have eight pages instead of four.
Quarterly content updates
Once you’re live, you send batched changes at the start of each quarter and we handle them. Program listings, staff changes, event dates, anything that isn’t a structural rebuild.
Hosting included
Your site is hosted at no charge for as long as you’re a client, in exchange for a small “Designed by Cascadia South” footer credit. No monthly hosting invoice.
Built to load fast
Sites are kept light so they open quickly on old phones and slow connections. A lot of the people your nonprofit serves are on exactly that, and a slow site loses them before it finishes loading.
SEO foundations
Title tags, meta descriptions, clean heading structure, and page speed built in from the start, so people searching for what you do can actually find you.
Domain setup and deployment
We handle deployment and connect your domain. If you don’t have one yet, we’ll help you choose and register it.
One price. Everything included.
What EDs usually ask about cost
How much does a nonprofit website cost?
$2,500 CAD, once. Hosting and quarterly content updates are included after that, with no monthly fee. A full agency build typically runs $15,000 and up, then $200 to $1,000 a month on top. Over five years the retainer can cost more than the build itself, and it’s the part you don’t need.
Why is nonprofit web design so expensive?
Usually it isn’t the design. It’s the ongoing fees. Much of the cost is a monthly retainer for hosting and “maintenance” that runs with no end date, plus an hourly charge every time you need a small change. Our flat fee covers the build, and hosting and quarterly updates are included, so that meter never starts.
Do I have to pay monthly for a website?
No. It’s the industry norm, but it isn’t required. We host your site and make your quarterly updates at no monthly charge, in exchange for a small footer credit. Urgent changes outside the quarterly cycle are billed hourly at a rate you see before you agree to it.
Is $2,500 too cheap? What’s the catch?
There’s no catch, but there are limits. $2,500 covers a complete, accessible marketing site: your pages, your content, your branding, done properly. It doesn’t include custom-built features like online donations, event registration, or a full members area. Those are real work and we scope them separately. We’ll tell you on the first call which bucket you’re in.
What should a nonprofit website include?
For most nonprofits: who you are, what you do, how to reach you, how to give or get involved, and your latest programs or news, all readable on a phone and by a screen reader. You rarely need more than that to start. We’d rather build you a clean site you keep current than a big one you can’t maintain.
How does working together actually work?
It’s all remote, over email and a few short calls, on your schedule. That’s how we keep the price down, and it works the same whether you’re down the road or across the country.
Do you only work with nonprofits in BC?
No. We’re a BC-based team and we work with nonprofits across Canada. The whole service is remote, so where you are doesn’t change the price or the process.
The build is a number you pay once. Make sure it’s the only one.
Book a free call. We’ll look at what you actually need, give you a straight price, and tell you honestly whether this fits. No pressure, no retainer waiting at the end.