Services
We build the technology your mission requires.
From API design to AI-powered integrations to cloud infrastructure—we implement the roadmaps we help you create- or architect solutions that fit the strategy you already have. Either way, your technology actually serves your mission.
Program Overview
What It Is
You have a clear tech roadmap. You know what needs to happen next. But building it takes more than developers—it takes partners who understand nonprofit complexity, AI governance, and the difference between a solution that works today and one that scales with your mission.
We design and build custom technology that works with your strategy, not against it. We've spent years integrating legacy systems, architecting APIs, building AI-powered workflows, and helping nonprofits move data where it needs to go. We don't build for the sake of building. We build to reduce chaos, unlock insight, and free your team to focus on mission.
What We Build
Marketing-Enabled Websites – Custom sites built for discovery and conversion, with search engine optimization (SEO) and answer engine optimization (AEO) built in from day one. Integrated with your email tools (such as Mailchimp, ConvertKit), CRM, analytics, and payment systems. A website that actually connects to your marketing flywheel instead of sitting dormant.
API Design & Implementation – Custom REST and GraphQL APIs that let your systems talk to each other: financial data integrations, CRM-to-database pipelines, e-commerce configuration and integration, and vendor connectors that actually work.
AI-Powered Integrations – Agentic workflows, AI assistants embedded in your existing portals, intelligent data extraction, financial analysis tools that run without manual intervention.
Custom Web & Mobile Applications – Built in Rails, React, Spring Boot, or Laravel, with governance and scalability in mind from day one.
Data Pipeline & Automation – ETL workflows, cloud integration (AWS S3, cloud storage), automated reporting, data movement that keeps pace with your mission.
CRM & System Integration – Salesforce customization, data consolidation, reporting automation. Making your tools talk to each other instead of creating silos.
Cloud Infrastructure & DevOps – AWS, containerization, CI/CD pipelines, and security. The infrastructure that keeps your applications running and your data safe.
How We Work
1. We Start With Your Roadmap (Not Ours)
Before we write a line of code, we make sure we understand why you're building it. What problem does it solve? How does it fit your mission? What does success look like?
If you've already completed a Blueprint or Retainer with us, we build exactly what your roadmap says. If not, we spend time upfront making sure we're building the right thing.
2. We Architect for Your Reality
Most dev shops build for technical perfection. We build for nonprofit reality: limited IT staff, governance requirements, AI data considerations, and the need to hand off maintenance to people who aren't engineers.
That means:
- Clean, idiomatic, maintainable code in whatever language fits (Ruby, Java, JavaScript, Python, or PHP/Laravel).
- Domain objects and separation of concerns from day one.
- Documentation that your team can actually use.
- Security and compliance built in, not bolted on after.
3. We Integrate AI Thoughtfully
AI is everywhere, and every vendor is adding it to their product. But most nonprofits don't yet have clear governance around it—and they should.
When we integrate AI, we do it with your mission and data security in mind:
- Agentic workflows that automate repeatable processes (data extraction, financial analysis, reporting).
- Clear governance: What data does the AI see? What decisions does it make? How do you audit it?
- Integration into your existing systems, not a separate tool that collects dust.
- Real-world testing before it touches your mission-critical data.
4. We Hand It Off Well
At the end of every project, your team owns the code, the infrastructure, and the knowledge to run it. We document everything and train your staff. We don't leave you dependent on us for maintenance—unless that's what you want via a retainer.
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Financial Risk Assessment Platform with Real-Time Data Ingestion & Automated Reporting
The Challenge: A financial services nonprofit helping low-income clients build financial stability wanted to show each client a clear picture of their financial risk. But risk data lived in multiple places: bank accounts, credit files, and scattered financial records. The organization used Link Money to aggregate bank data, but the raw JSON updates weren't useful to clients or coaches. The team needed clean, analyzed financial snapshots delivered to clients automatically, to spark conversations in coaching sessions.
What We Built:
- A custom ETL pipeline that ingests raw account data from Link Money APIs, transforms it into structured financial data (income patterns, spending categories, account balances), stores it in a PostgreSQL database, and ultimately pushes rolled up reporting to a Data Warehouse.
- Automated financial analysis that flags risk factors: irregular income, overdraft patterns, high expense ratios, debt-to-income problems.
- A scheduled report generation system that creates PDF financial snapshots for each client, highlighting their specific risk profile and progress over time.
- Integration into their existing client portal so coaches can pull reports on-demand and send them to clients automatically before their first meeting.
The Result: Clients now have a clear picture of their financial risk before their first coaching session. Coaches spend less time gathering data and more time giving guidance. The nonprofit tracks each client's financial progress over time without manual spreadsheet work. Reports that used to take hours to compile are now generated and sent automatically.
Technologies: Python (ETL), AWS (Lambda for scheduled jobs, RDS for database, S3 for report storage), Link Money API, PostgreSQL, PDF generation, React portal front end.
Example 2: AI Agent Eligibility Screening with Secure Credit Report API
The Challenge: A financial services nonprofit was building an AI-powered eligibility screening system to guide low-income clients through their loan qualification process. The system needed to have real conversations about eligibility, but it couldn't access sensitive credit data directly. It needed a way to ask structured questions about a client's credit profile (FICO score, bankruptcies, chargeoffs, collections accounts) without ever seeing a raw credit report. All client and credit data had to live securely in Salesforce, and queries had to be auditable.
What We Built:
1. Secure Authorization Portal – A client-facing form where clients authorize credit report pulls. The form captures consent, routes the pull request, and stores the result in Salesforce.
2. Credit Report Query API – A secure REST API that asks eligibility questions and returns only the answer, never the raw credit data:
- Questions like "Is FICO above 700?" return only yes/no answers.
- "Are there accounts in collections in the last 24 months?" returns only true/false.
- "How many months since the most recent bankruptcy?" returns only the number.
- All queries are authenticated, auditable, and filtered through Salesforce data governance.
3. Query Status Endpoint – Check pull request status (pending, completed, failed) so the system knows when credit data is ready before asking qualification questions.
The Architecture:
- Client completes the authorization form, which triggers the credit bureau pull. The data lands in Salesforce.
- Eligibility system calls the Query API with a client ID and a specific question.
- API queries Salesforce credit report objects (FICO scores, trade accounts, public records) securely.
- Only the answer (never the raw data) returns to the system.
- All queries logged for compliance and audit.
The Result: The eligibility screening system makes smart qualification decisions without ever accessing sensitive credit data. Clients stay in control of their data. The nonprofit has a complete audit trail. Clients are qualified accurately and instantly with no manual credit report review needed. The system is ready to expand to additional questions and to integrate with loan decisioning workflows.
Technologies: Java REST API, Salesforce Force.com API, PostgreSQL, Bearer token authentication, OAuth 2.0, full audit logging, Java Spring Boot, React.
When Custom Development Makes Sense
You should consider custom development if:
- Your roadmap calls for it. You've done strategy work (with us or someone else) and identified a gap that no off-the-shelf tool fills.
- Off-the-shelf tools are costing you money or time. You're paying for features you don't need, or building workarounds because tools don't talk to each other.
- You need AI integration, not AI hype. You have a real problem that AI can solve (data extraction, analysis, automation) and want it built into your existing systems.
- Governance matters. You care about security, data control, audit trails, and knowing exactly what's happening with your data.
- You want to own the result. You want code you control, not locked into a vendor or dependent on ongoing developer-for-hire relationships.
Pricing & Engagement
Custom development projects vary widely. A simple API integration might be $15,000–$30,000; a larger application or AI workflow could be $50,000-$150,000. Implementation timelines typically range from two to six months, depending on scope.
Pricing is based on:
- Scope of work and complexity
- Integration with existing systems
- AI components and governance requirements
- Your team's capacity to participate in the process
How to start: Book a free 30-minute consultation and tell us what you're trying to build. We'll ask questions to understand the scope and give you a realistic estimate—no surprises, no pressure.
Why Choose Coat Rack for Custom Development?
1. We understand nonprofit tech reality. We've worked in the nonprofit space for more than 12 years. We know your constraints, your board dynamics, and why scaling without chaos matters.
2. We build strategy-aligned solutions. Most dev shops start by asking "What's technically cool?" We start by asking, "What does your mission need?" and build from there.
3. We integrate AI thoughtfully. Not hype, not a separate tool, not a governance nightmare. AI that's embedded, auditable, and genuinely useful.
4. We hand off well. Your team owns the code. We document it. We train your staff. You're not dependent on us for maintenance unless you want to be.
5. We've solved the hard problems. Financial data APIs, CRM integrations, agentic workflows, cloud infrastructure, ETL pipelines. We've built the systems that keep nonprofits running.
Next Steps
Ready to talk about what you need to build?
30 minutes, no pitch, just clarity on scope and next steps.
FAQs
How long does a typical project take?
It depends on scope. A simple API integration: two to three months. A larger custom application with AI integration: four to six months. We'll give you a realistic timeline once we understand your specific needs.
Do we need to do a Blueprint first?
No. If you already have a clear roadmap, we can go straight to implementation. But if you're unsure what you need to build, the Blueprint gives you that clarity first.
What if we want to keep building after the initial project?
We can move to a Retainer, or combine a Retainer with ongoing development work. Most of our long-term clients eventually have a mix: ongoing strategy (via the Retainer) plus custom development for new initiatives.
How do you handle security and compliance?
Security is built in, not an afterthought. We do PCI compliance when needed, encrypt sensitive data, follow HIPAA principles for any health-related data, and ensure all APIs and systems are auditable. We also help you think through AI governance: what data the AI can access, how it makes decisions, and audit trails.
What if our team wants to maintain the code after you're done?
Perfect. That's the goal. We document thoroughly, train your team, and the code is yours to own. We're happy to stay on for bug fixes or future features, but you're never locked in.
Can you integrate with our existing tools?
Almost certainly. We've integrated with Salesforce, Stripe, Plaid, Wicket, Calendly, Veriff, Link Money, Higher Logic, Mailchimp, and dozens of other platforms. If a tool has an API, we can integrate it.