Glossary of custom app and nonprofit terms

Plain definitions of the words we use, so nothing on this site needs a translator.

Terms

Discovery: The first stage of most Sarasoris projects. We sit with the people who do the work, in person in Colorado Springs or by video elsewhere, and write down how it actually runs. It costs $1,500 and ends with a written plan and a fixed price for the build. More on discovery
Module: One self-contained piece of a custom app that solves one problem, such as volunteer shifts, field job logging, inventory or reporting. A project can start with one module, and further modules are added as they are needed. More on module
Fixed price: A price agreed in writing before the build starts. It covers everything in the written plan; new features are quoted separately, in writing, before any work. More on fixed price
Build, Deploy and Outcomes: The three stages after Discovery. Build: working software on your own devices, usually every week. Deploy: data moved and staff trained, on site in Colorado Springs or by video elsewhere. Outcomes: supported live running and a results report. More on Build, Deploy and Outcomes
Custom app: Software designed and built for one organization’s way of working, rather than bought as a product. It can run on phones, tablets and the web. More on custom app
Off-the-shelf software: A product you subscribe to or buy that is built for many organizations at once, such as SignUpGenius, Airtable or Jobber. More on off-the-shelf software
No-code tool: Software such as Airtable that lets people build databases, forms and simple apps without writing code. More on no-code tool
Per-seat pricing: A subscription priced by the number of people who use or edit the product, so the cost grows with your team. More on per-seat pricing
Hosting: The servers a web app runs on. For a Sarasoris app it is usually $50 to $200 a month, paid directly to the provider in your name. More on hosting
Donor system (donor CRM): The software a nonprofit uses to track donors and gifts, such as Bloomerang, Salesforce Nonprofit, DonorPerfect or Little Green Light. More on donor system
Impact report: A report for a nonprofit’s board or funders showing what its programs achieved: people served, volunteer hours, goods distributed and outcomes. More on impact report
Capacity-building grant: A grant that funds an organization’s own operations, such as technology, training or systems, rather than a specific program. More on capacity-building grant
In-kind donation: A gift of goods or services instead of money, such as food, clothing or supplies. More on in-kind donation
Volunteer check-in: Recording when a volunteer arrives for a shift, from a phone or tablet at the door, so hours served are counted automatically. More on volunteer check-in
Dispatch: Assigning crews to jobs and keeping track of where everyone is during the day. More on dispatch
Field service: Work done at the customer’s site rather than in a shop or office, such as HVAC, plumbing, landscaping, cleaning or inspections. More on field service
Offline mode: An app that keeps working without a signal and sends its information when it reconnects. More on offline mode
Integration: A connection that lets two pieces of software share information automatically, so nobody retypes it. More on integration
UX/UI design: User experience and user interface design: research with the people who will use the software, wireframes, screen design and testing. More on UX/UI design
Frontend: The part of an app people see and touch: screens, buttons and forms. Sarasoris builds frontends in React and Next.js for the web and React Native for phones. More on frontend
Full-stack: Building both the frontend and the backend (the servers, database and connections behind the screens). More on full-stack
White-label: Work done for an agency under the agency’s brand, for the agency’s client. More on white-label

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Last updated October 23, 2026