Why We Built Ember, and Who It's For

What is Ember, in short?

Ember is a set of simple tools for running a nonprofit, made by the same team behind AYNI. Volunteers sign themselves up from one link, your programs and grants sit in one place, and your impact report gathers from the work you already recorded. It's free if your yearly budget is under $50K. It fits a team whose week lives in spreadsheets and inboxes. It's the wrong pick if you need a full fundraising database, a way to take payments, or case records.

Why did the team behind AYNI build Ember?

A website check rarely stops at the website. Ask where a volunteer sign-up goes, and the answer is often an inbox, then a spreadsheet only one person understands, then a reminder text sent from someone's own phone on a Friday night.

A better website can't fix that. The work behind it needs a home too, and most tools for that work are made for sales teams and priced per person. So we built Ember: simple tools that speak a nonprofit's language and are priced by your budget, not your headcount, so your whole team can use them.

What does Ember do for a nonprofit?

Each part takes one job off your plate, so the hours go back to the people you serve.

• Volunteers. People sign up for a shift from one link with just a name and an email, get a reminder email 3 days before, and their hours record when you check them in. Saturday gets covered without a round of texts.
• Programs and Impact Reports. Each program keeps its goals and how many people it reached, and your report gathers reach, hours and goals from the apps you already use. You see the good your work did, and you can share it with a funder in minutes.
• Grants. Every application and report deadline sits in one list, so nothing comes due by surprise.
• Stories. Staff save the moment behind a number the day it happens, tag it to a program and record who gave permission. The story is ready when the appeal or report is.
• Giving. You record gifts however they arrive, and Ember helps you thank each donor and send year-end giving statements, so the people who give feel seen.
• Web. A starter page with your logo, your mission, a donate button and impact numbers that stay current. A group with no website yet finally has somewhere to send people.

There are tools for tasks, staff time, budgets, board meetings and filing deadlines too. You can start with one app and add the rest when you're ready.

What does Ember cost?

It's free if your yearly budget is under $50K, with no credit card and no trial clock. Above that you pay one flat monthly price set by your budget. Every price includes every app and unlimited users, so nobody gets left out to save a seat. The current prices are on Ember's pricing page.

Who is Ember a good fit for?

Nonprofits of any size whose work runs on spreadsheets, sign-up sheets and memory. It fits best when:

• Volunteers keep your programs running, and scheduling them eats your week.
• You report to funders and dread pulling the numbers together.
• A few people wear every hat and need one place to see what's due.
• You're a grassroots group, a fiscally sponsored project or still getting set up. No 501(c)(3) paperwork needed to start.

Who should choose something else?

We'd rather you pick the right tool than the one we make. Look elsewhere if you need:

• A full fundraising database. Ember Giving is lighter than a donor CRM. It keeps each donor's giving history and helps you say thank you, but it isn't a fundraising tool.
• A way to take donations. Ember never touches the money. Keep your donation platform; your Ember page can carry a Donate button that points to it.
• Case records about the people you serve. Ember counts how many people you reached and keeps no personal records about them, on purpose.
• Payroll. Ember records where staff time went and hands approved hours to your payroll provider. Your provider still pays people.
• A full custom website. Ember Web is a starter page, not a website builder. If your site needs to do more, that's a different job.
• Someone to file for you. Ember tracks your filing dates and links you to the right portal where it knows one, but you still do the filing, and it isn't legal or tax advice.

Do you need Ember to work with AYNI?

No. AYNI's work never depends on it. When we run a free website check, we say upfront that the same team makes Ember, and we suggest it only where it fits. And whatever you put into Ember is always yours to export.

So here's the question we'd ask your team: what would you do with the hours the spreadsheets take each week? If the answer makes you smile, take a look at Ember.