--- title: Build it or Buy it? Making the Right Technology Decision for your Organization description: Discover how to strategically decide whether to build or buy tech solutions for your organization to maximize efficiency and impact. image: https://hub.fundminer.com/hubfs/Blog%20Cartoon%20Frustration%20(2).png --- [Skip to content](https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog/build-it-or-buy-it-making-the-right-technology-decision-for-your-organization#main-content) [![](https://hub.fundminer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Design%20Images/Horizontal%20Logo.png?width=150&height=50&name=Horizontal%20Logo.png)](https://hub.fundminer.com) - Platform - [Manage | Fund Management](https://www.fundminer.com/fund-management) - [Report | Fund Stewardship](https://www.fundminer.com/fund-stewardship-module) - [Engage | Donor Portal](https://www.fundminer.com/engage-donor-portal) - Industries - [Education](https://www.fundminer.com/education) - [Healthcare](https://www.fundminer.com/healthcare) - [Foundations](https://www.fundminer.com/community) - Resources - [Benchmarking Survey](https://www.fundminer.com/benchmarking-survey-2026) - [Case Studies](https://www.fundminer.com/case-studies) - [Maturity Assessment](https://www.fundminer.com/maturity-assessment) - [Tools and Guides](https://www.fundminer.com/industry-resources) - [The Mine Community](https://fundminer-community.circle.so/join?invitation_token=d125a3ccb5fba0a65964217281ce2b75e18636b6-5a74bd5f-4098-4f56-816c-004fdcd108cc) - Education - [Conference 2026](https://www.fundminer.com/fofm2026) - [Events & Webinars](https://www.fundminer.com/events-and-webinars) - [Newsletter: The Impact Brief](https://www.fundminer.com/the-impact-brief) - [Fund Management Masterclass](https://www.fundminer.com/masterclass) - [FundMiner Blog](https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog) - Company - [About Us](https://www.fundminer.com/about-the-company) - [Partnerships](https://www.fundminer.com/partners) - [Careers](https://hub.fundminer.com/job-board) - [Login](https://fund-miner.com) - [Schedule a Call](https://www.fundminer.com/schedule-a-call-to-learn-more) # Build it or Buy it? Making the Right Technology Decision for your Organization by [Lori Stirling](https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog/author/lori-stirling) on July 31, 2025 #### **Why Tech Strategy Is More Than a Technical Choice** For fundraising operations teams the decision to build solutions internally or take a market approach goes far beyond the technical specifics of the need. It’s a strategic crossroads that impacts everything from [ROI](https://fundminer.com/blog-%26-news/f/a-new-model-for-revenue-generation-at-nonprofit-organizations) and scalability to staffing and stewardship.   [**Lori Stirling**](https://www.bwf.com/team/lori-stirling/), a Senior Managing Vice-President at [**BWF**](https://www.bwf.com/), has spent her career helping organizations navigate that decision, knowing it can shape the success or stagnation of teams for years ahead. Choosing the wrong path can lock teams into systems they can’t maintain or afford. Choosing the right one? It can [unlock capacity, transform user experiences](https://fundminer.com/blog-%26-news/f/making-the-case-for-a-high-performance-operations-team?), and still fit within the existing ecosystem to ensure technical continuity.    #### **Build vs. Buy: What Are You Really Solving For?** The first question Lori poses is a big one: *Does your technology need to differentiate your organization, or just deliver core functionality?*  Rather than diving into features, Lori encourages teams to start with **strategy**. Align your tech with what you’re trying to accomplish as an institution, not just what you think you need today. Build vs buy is less about an absolutist approach but rather represents two extreme ends of a decision-spectrum.   #### **A Framework for Deciding** To help teams make the right decision, Lori outlined a simple framework:  - **Start with strategy, not software specs:** What is the purpose of this tech? Who are the users? What impact do we want? - **Consider more than short-term costs:** Total cost of ownership includes staff time, maintenance, and hidden trade-offs. - **Assess your internal capacity:** Do you have the staff and tech expertise to build and maintain it long term? - **Think about scale and sustainability:** Will the choice support you three years from now or slow you down? - **Reality check with your peers:** Look at what similar institutions are doing and what they’ve learned. #### **Learning Lessons from the Field** Lori shared that many institutions default to building tools out of necessity or frustration. But too often, they later find that maintaining these custom solutions becomes unsustainable, especially as institutional priorities shift and staffing changes. What may have started out as an innovative endeavor driven by a small need can quickly metastasize into a high technical sunk cost that can trap an organization and staff.  On the other hand, buying isn’t a silver bullet either. [Some vendor solutions are too rigid or misaligned with an organization’s internal processes.](https://fundminer.com/blog-%26-news/f/fundminer-announces-a-new-strategic-partnership-with-almabase?) The key is choosing platforms that allow for some level of flexibility while offloading backend complexity.    #### **Stewardship Starts with Strategy** The big takeaway from Lori's session is that software alone is not the solution. Tools thrive when the right structure, workflows, and reporting mechanisms are in place, regardless of whether they’re built or bought.   When it comes to fund management and donor reporting, teams need tools that do more than just track data. They need to empower staff to be proactive, automate compliance flags for deeper conversations, and help scale communicating impact to donors.  With the right mindset and decision-making framework, advancement teams can choose the path that delivers long-term impact, not just short-term fixes.  **As Lori put it:** ***“This isn’t just a tech decision. It’s an operations and leadership decision.”***  #### **(Download)** → [**Build It or Buy It?** A Tech Strategy Assessment Guide](https://hub.fundminer.com/build-it-or-buy-it) **Evaluate your readiness and decide if building or buying your next tech solution is the right move.** #### Continue the Conversation ##### → **Explore FundMiner Tools** [**Book some time with our team**](https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-demo?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9aRG8ep_zS6LiT7Zzkj3hH7kNSexL-zx4mvHcE_zsiTVcKgjKHzlH5g1d4BUjAX_U6INRZ)**.** See how leading institutions are simplifying fund management and amplifying impact. ##### → **Check Out Our Events** [**Visit our events page**](https://fundminer.com/upcoming-events) for more sessions like this. And find us at in-person conferences to connect and continue the conversation. Spread the word: [Share this blog post on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=I+found+this+interesting+blog+post&url=https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog/build-it-or-buy-it-making-the-right-technology-decision-for-your-organization) [Share this blog post on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog/build-it-or-buy-it-making-the-right-technology-decision-for-your-organization) [Share this blog post on LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog/build-it-or-buy-it-making-the-right-technology-decision-for-your-organization) ![Lori Stirling](https://hub.fundminer.com/hubfs/Lori%20Stirling.jpg) #### Lori Stirling Follow me on my website Follow me on LinkedIn Lori Stirling is an accomplished and results-driven professional with over 30 years of expertise in the philanthropic and higher education industry. Lori is a seasoned implementation powerhouse and strategic thinker. Her passion for the philanthropic spirit has fueled a career marked by transformative leadership, creative problem-solving, and innovative approaches to addressing challenges. As the associate managing vice president overseeing implementation services, Lori specializes in optimizing CRM implementations and leading high-performing teams. She demonstrates exceptional proficiency in addressing clients’ challenges, streamlining complex processes, advising on technical challenges, and bringing creative and innovative solutions to bear. ### Leave a comment: ## Related Articles [![](https://hub.fundminer.com/hubfs/Blog%20Cartoon%20Cart%20(5).png)](https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog/building-donor-trust-that-brings-donors-back-a-fund-management-framework) ### [Building Donor Trust That Brings Donors Back](https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog/building-donor-trust-that-brings-donors-back-a-fund-management-framework) Giving is voluntary and donors make gifts because they choose to, not out of obligation. 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All rights reserved *“We are grateful to FundMiner for their innovation, vision, and creativity in delivering exceptional customer service to our donors and alleviating the workload on our small but mighty staff.”*  Vice President - Development ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Lori Stirling", "url" : "https://hub.fundminer.com/fundminer-blog/author/lori-stirling" }, "dateModified" : "2025-09-22T17:24:32.135Z", "datePublished" : "2025-07-31T14:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Build it or Buy it? 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