Airtable for Nonprofits
Still tracking donors in spreadsheets that break when someone accidentally deletes a formula? Airtable combines the familiarity of spreadsheets with the power of a database—linking your donors to their donations, volunteers to their shifts, and grants to their deadlines. With a 50% nonprofit discount and no coding required, it's the operational backbone that growing nonprofits need to stop drowning in scattered data.
What It Does
Your volunteer coordinator maintains a spreadsheet of volunteers. Your development director has a separate spreadsheet of donors. Your program manager tracks participants in yet another spreadsheet. When someone asks "which donors also volunteer?", everyone scrambles to cross-reference files manually. Sound familiar?
Airtable is a no-code database platform that solves this by letting you create connected, relational data systems without any programming knowledge. Think of it as a spreadsheet that actually understands relationships—where a single donor record can link to all their donations, event attendance, volunteer hours, and communications. Change a donor's email address once, and it updates everywhere automatically.
Beyond storing data, Airtable automates routine tasks: send automatic thank-you emails when donations are logged, notify your team when grant deadlines approach, or update your website when event details change. You build these workflows visually—no coding required. Organizations like One Tree Planted use Airtable to coordinate 42 million tree plantings across a 50-person team, screening 1,000 project proposals efficiently after switching from Google Sheets.
Best For
Organization Size
Small to mid-sized nonprofits (5-100 staff) that have outgrown spreadsheets but don't need (or can't afford) enterprise CRM systems like Salesforce. Also excellent for larger organizations that need flexible, custom solutions for specific programs or departments.
Best Use Cases
- Organizations tracking donors and donations without a full CRM
- Volunteer programs managing schedules, hours, and communications
- Grant teams tracking applications, deadlines, and reporting requirements
- Event planners coordinating logistics, vendors, and attendees
- Program managers tracking participants, outcomes, and impact data
- Marketing teams managing content calendars and brand assets
Ideal For
Operations Managers, Development Directors, Volunteer Coordinators, Program Managers, and anyone who spends too much time updating multiple spreadsheets or copying data between systems.
Key Features for Nonprofits
Relational Databases
Connect data like never before
Link donors to their donations, volunteers to their events, grants to their requirements—and see connections instantly. One update ripples through all related records automatically.
- Linked records between tables
- Rollup and lookup fields for summaries
- No duplicate data entry
Automations
Set it and forget it workflows
Build visual automations that trigger when data changes. Send emails when donations arrive, create tasks when grants are due, or post to Slack when volunteers sign up.
- Trigger-based workflows (like Zapier)
- Email, Slack, and webhook actions
- Scheduled runs for recurring tasks
Custom Interfaces
Build apps without coding
Create custom dashboards and data entry forms for different team members. Your volunteer coordinator sees volunteer data; your development director sees donor insights—from the same underlying system.
- Drag-and-drop interface builder
- Role-based views and permissions
- Mobile-friendly forms
Nonprofit Templates
Start fast with pre-built solutions
Don't build from scratch. Airtable offers templates for grant tracking, donor management, volunteer coordination, and more—designed specifically for nonprofit workflows.
- Grant tracker with status and deadlines
- Donor and donation database
- Event planning and RSVP tracking
Integrations
Connect to your existing tools
Airtable connects directly to Slack, Google Drive, and more—plus thousands of apps through Zapier and Make. Sync data between systems automatically.
- Native Slack, Google, and Salesforce
- 1,000+ Zapier connections
- API for custom integrations
Views & Reports
See your data your way
Switch between grid, calendar, kanban, gallery, and timeline views instantly. Filter, sort, and group data to answer any question about your operations.
- Calendar view for events and deadlines
- Kanban for workflow stages
- Charts and summary blocks
Airtable's AI Features
Important: AI Features & Nonprofit Discount
Airtable's advanced AI features (Omni) are not available on discounted nonprofit and educational plans. However, nonprofits paying full price can access all AI capabilities. Here's what's available and what to consider.
In 2025, Airtable relaunched as an "AI-native app platform" with powerful new capabilities. While nonprofits using the 50% discount won't have access to these features, organizations willing to pay standard rates—or those exploring Airtable for the first time—should understand what's possible.
Omni: Conversational App Builder
Build apps through natural language
Describe what you need in plain English, and Omni creates complete applications with tables, interfaces, and automations. Instead of learning how to build, just explain your goal: "Create a volunteer scheduling system with shift sign-ups and automatic reminders."
- Generates production-ready apps from conversation
- Iterative refinement ("add a status field")
- Building and iteration included at no extra cost
Nonprofit use case: "Build a grant tracking system with deadline alerts and funder contact management" → Complete solution in minutes.
Field Agents: AI-Powered Automation
Autonomous AI for repetitive tasks
Deploy AI agents that work at the cell level—automatically researching, analyzing, or generating data as records are created or updated. Field agents pull information from the web, analyze documents, and perform tasks that would otherwise require external tools.
- Auto-enrich records with web research
- Analyze documents and extract key data
- Detect sentiment and route issues automatically
Nonprofit use case: Add a funder name → Agent researches their giving history, priorities, and contact info automatically.
Data Analysis & Insights
Ask questions, get answers
Ask Omni questions about your data in natural language: "Which donors gave last year but not this year?" or "What's the average time between volunteer sign-up and first shift?" Get insights without building complex reports.
- Natural language data queries
- Pattern detection across large datasets
- Analyze feedback, transcripts, and documents
Cost: 10 credits per data analysis response
AI Plays: Pre-built Workflows
Ready-to-use AI templates
Pre-configured AI workflows for common tasks—campaign concept generation, event attendee research, PDF data extraction, and customer feedback analysis. Deploy sophisticated AI capabilities without custom development.
- Generate campaign concepts from briefs
- Extract data from PDFs and documents
- Research and personalize outreach
Nonprofit use case: Upload grant guidelines PDF → AI extracts requirements, deadlines, and eligibility criteria into structured fields.
Should Your Nonprofit Pay Full Price for AI Features?
The decision depends on your organization's needs and resources. Here's a framework:
Consider full price ($24/user/mo) if:
- You're building complex systems from scratch
- Staff lack technical expertise to configure Airtable manually
- You need automated research and data enrichment
- Time savings from AI would exceed the cost difference
Stick with nonprofit discount ($12/user/mo) if:
- You can use templates and manual configuration
- Your team has time to learn Airtable's standard features
- Budget is tight and the 50% savings matters
- You can use external AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude) for content generation
Pro Tip: Start with the nonprofit discount to learn Airtable's core features. You can always upgrade to full price later if you find the AI capabilities would provide significant value. The core database, automation, and interface features are powerful on their own.
Real-World Nonprofit Use Case
A youth mentorship nonprofit with 15 staff members was struggling to coordinate their program. Mentors were tracked in one spreadsheet, mentees in another, match information in a third, and meeting logs scattered across Google Forms. When board members asked "how many hours of mentoring happened last quarter?", it took hours to compile the answer.
After implementing Airtable with the 50% nonprofit discount, they built a connected system where mentors link to their mentees, and each mentee links to their meeting logs. When a mentor logs a session, it automatically updates both the mentor's and mentee's records, calculates hours for reporting, and triggers a Slack notification to the program coordinator.
Custom interfaces give mentors a simple mobile form to log sessions (no spreadsheet access needed), while program staff see dashboards showing engagement trends. Board report generation went from 4+ hours to 5 minutes—just apply filters and export.
The automation alone saved 6 hours per week in manual data entry and follow-up. At $12/user/month with the nonprofit discount, their 15-person team pays $180/month total—less than one hour of the program coordinator's time.
Pricing
Free
Good for testing and small projects
- 1,000 records per base
- 1GB attachment space per base
- 100 automation runs/month
- Up to 5 editors
- 14-day revision history only
Best for: Testing Airtable or very small organizations with limited data needs.
Team (Nonprofit)
50% OFFBest value for nonprofits
- 50,000 records per base
- 20GB attachment space per base
- 25,000 automation runs/month
- 1-year revision history
- 10 synced tables per application
- Airtable AI not included
Best for: Most nonprofits. 50% discount brings this to $144/user/year.
Business
For larger organizations
- 125,000 records per base
- 100GB attachment space per base
- 100,000 automation runs/month
- 2-year revision history
- Admin panel and SAML SSO
Best for: Large nonprofits (100+ staff) with complex data needs and security requirements.
Enterprise Scale
Custom enterprise solutions
- 500,000 records per base
- 1TB attachment space per base
- 1,000,000 automation runs/month
- Dedicated customer success manager
- 3-year revision history
Best for: Very large organizations or multi-national nonprofits with specialized needs.
Hidden Costs to Consider
Airtable's base pricing is straightforward, but plan for these additional time investments:
- • Data migration: 2-5 hours to move existing spreadsheets into Airtable
- • Initial setup: 5-10 hours to build your first useful bases
- • Team training: 1-2 hours per team member for basic proficiency
- • Automation building: 2-4 hours to set up your first workflows
Nonprofit Discount
Qualified nonprofits pay $12/user/month instead of $24/user/month on the Team plan. That's $144/user/year—substantial savings for organizations with multiple team members.
How to Apply:
- 1.Create a standard Airtable account
- 2.Go to your account settings and find the nonprofit application
- 3.Submit your 501(c)(3) IRS determination letter
- 4.Airtable responds within 2 business days
Important Limitations
- • Airtable AI (Omni) is NOT available with the nonprofit discount
- • The discount applies only to the Team plan (not Business or Enterprise)
- • Discounted plans must be paid via credit card
- • Annual payment discounts don't stack with nonprofit discount
Eligibility Requirements:
Organizations must:
- • Be a registered 501(c)(3) or equivalent international nonprofit
- • Not engage in political or legislative activity
- • Not be a government office, church, or hospital
- • Not discriminate based on protected characteristics
*Pricing information is subject to change. Please verify current pricing directly with Airtable.
Learning Curve
Airtable is more complex than spreadsheets but far simpler than building a custom database. Most nonprofit staff achieve basic proficiency in 1-2 hours and can build useful solutions within a day. Advanced features like automations and custom interfaces take more time to master.
Time to First Value
Account creation: 5 minutes
Sign up with email or Google account
First useful base: 30-60 minutes
Start from template or build simple tracker
Basic proficiency: 1-2 hours
Understand tables, views, linked records
Advanced features: 1-2 weeks
Automations, interfaces, complex formulas
Technical Requirements
- No coding required for basic use
- Spreadsheet experience helpful but not required
- Works on any device with internet
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
Support Available
- Extensive help documentation and guides
- Airtable Community forum for questions
- YouTube tutorials and webinars
- Priority support on Team plans and above
Quick Win: Your First 30 Minutes
- 1.Sign up at airtable.com (free)
- 2.Choose the "Nonprofit Grant Tracker" template
- 3.Add 3-5 of your actual grants to see it in action
- 4.Switch between grid, calendar, and kanban views
What you'll learn: Within 30 minutes, you'll understand how Airtable's relational structure and multiple views can transform how you track complex information.
Integration & Compatibility
Native Integrations
Airtable connects directly to popular tools without needing third-party automation:
Communication & Collaboration:
- • Slack (notifications, commands)
- • Google Drive (file attachments)
- • Microsoft 365 (file sync)
Business Tools:
- • Salesforce (two-way sync)
- • Jira (project management)
- • Zendesk (support tickets)
Automation Platform Connections
Through Zapier, Make (Integromat), and n8n, connect Airtable to thousands of other apps:
- Email marketing: Mailchimp, Constant Contact, MailerLite
- Donation platforms: Stripe, PayPal, Donorbox
- Forms: Typeform, Google Forms, JotForm
- Websites: WordPress, Webflow, Squarespace
Platform Availability
- Web browser: Full-featured app on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
- Mobile apps: iOS and Android with offline access
- Desktop app: Mac and Windows applications available
- API: Full REST API for custom integrations
Data Portability
- CSV export: Export any view or entire base to CSV
- No vendor lock-in: All data exportable at any time
- Attachment downloads: All files can be downloaded
- Automations: Not exportable (would need to be rebuilt elsewhere)
Security & Compliance
- • SOC 2 Type 2 certified
- • ISO 27001 certified
- • HIPAA compliant (Business and Enterprise plans)
- • GDPR compliant with EU data residency options
- • Data encrypted in transit and at rest
Pros & Cons
Pros
Excellent 50% nonprofit discount
At $12/user/month, it's one of the best values in no-code databases
Relational data eliminates duplicate entry
Update once, reflected everywhere—unlike spreadsheets
Powerful automation without coding
Build workflows visually that save hours every week
Nonprofit-specific templates
Start with grant tracking, donor management, and more—don't build from scratch
Extensive integrations
Connects to Slack, Salesforce, and thousands more through Zapier
Mobile-friendly for field work
iOS and Android apps with offline access
Cons
Airtable AI excluded from nonprofit discount
The AI features (Omni) aren't available on discounted plans
Record limits can be constraining
50,000 records per base may not be enough for large donor databases
Not a true CRM replacement
Lacks built-in email marketing, donation processing, and fundraising workflows
Per-user pricing adds up
Large teams get expensive even with the 50% discount
Steeper learning curve than spreadsheets
Relational concepts take time for spreadsheet-native users to grasp
Automations can break unexpectedly
Need to monitor and maintain workflows over time
Alternatives to Consider
If Airtable doesn't feel like the right fit, here are comparable no-code database tools worth exploring:
Notion
All-in-one workspace
Combines databases, documents, wikis, and project management. Free for personal use, 50% nonprofit discount on paid plans.
Free tier; Plus from $8/user/mo
Best if: You need documentation and knowledge bases alongside databases.
Monday.com
Visual project management
More focused on project and workflow management with colorful, visual interfaces. Has nonprofit pricing available.
From $9/user/month
Best if: Your primary need is project tracking and team collaboration.
Baserow
Open-source alternative
Open-source Airtable alternative. Can self-host for free or use cloud version. Good option for budget-conscious organizations.
Free self-hosted; cloud from $5/user
Best if: You want maximum control or have no budget for software.
Why Choose Airtable Instead?
- Best relational database: More powerful linked records and rollups than competitors
- Strongest automation: Built-in automation rivals dedicated tools like Zapier
- Largest integration ecosystem: More native and Zapier connections than alternatives
- Proven nonprofit adoption: Used by thousands of nonprofits with extensive community support
Getting Started with Airtable
Your first week with Airtable: a practical roadmap for nonprofit teams.
1Sign Up and Apply for Nonprofit Discount (15 minutes)
Go to airtable.com and create a free account. Then immediately apply for the 50% nonprofit discount through your account settings—you'll need your IRS determination letter ready.
Pro Tip: Apply for the nonprofit discount before upgrading to a paid plan. The discount applies within 2 business days.
2Start with a Template (30 minutes)
Browse Airtable's template gallery for nonprofit-relevant templates. Try the "Grant Tracker," "Donor Management," or "Volunteer Sign Up" templates to see how experts structure nonprofit data.
Pro Tip: Even if a template isn't perfect, it's faster to modify an existing structure than build from scratch. Add your actual data to see how well it fits your needs.
3Migrate One Spreadsheet (1-2 hours)
Pick your most problematic spreadsheet—probably donors, volunteers, or grants. Import it into Airtable (CSV upload is easy), then start adding the relational structure you've always wanted.
- Clean your data before importing (remove duplicates, fix formatting)
- Create linked record fields to connect related data
- Set up different views for different use cases
4Build Your First Automation (30 minutes)
Start simple: create an automation that notifies you in Slack or email when a new record is added. This teaches you the trigger → action pattern while providing immediate value.
Common Pitfall: Don't try to automate everything at once. Start with one simple, high-value automation and add more as you become comfortable.
Quick Win: Try This First
Want to experience Airtable's power in under 10 minutes? Try this:
- 1.Create a new base with two tables: "Donors" and "Donations"
- 2.Add a "Link to Donors" field in the Donations table
- 3.Add a Rollup field in Donors to sum each donor's total giving
- 4.Add a few test records and watch the totals calculate automatically
What you'll learn: The magic of relational data—once you see totals update automatically as you add donations, you'll never want to use spreadsheets again.
Need Help Setting Up Airtable?
While Airtable is approachable, getting the most value requires thoughtful database design. Which tables do you need? How should they connect? What automations will save the most time? Getting these decisions right from the start prevents painful migrations later.
One Hundred Nights helps nonprofits implement Airtable strategically—from designing your data architecture to building automations to training your team on best practices. We've helped organizations reduce data entry time by 70% and finally get answers to questions they couldn't ask before.
Resources
Learning Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Airtable offer a nonprofit discount?
Yes! Airtable offers a 50% discount on their Team plan for registered 501(c)(3) organizations. This brings the cost down to $12/user/month ($144/user/year) instead of the standard $24/user/month. You'll need to submit your IRS determination letter through their application process, and approval typically takes 2 business days.
Can I use Airtable's AI features with the nonprofit discount?
Unfortunately, no. Airtable AI (Omni) is not available for discounted nonprofit and educational plans. However, you still get access to all the core features including relational databases, automations, custom interfaces, and integrations that make Airtable valuable for nonprofits.
Is Airtable better than spreadsheets for nonprofits?
Yes, for most nonprofit use cases. Unlike spreadsheets, Airtable offers relational databases (linking donors to donations, volunteers to events), automations that trigger actions automatically, custom views for different team members, and integrations with 1,000+ other tools. Organizations like One Tree Planted switched from Google Sheets to Airtable and were able to screen 1,000 project proposals efficiently.
What are the best uses for Airtable at a nonprofit?
Common nonprofit uses include: donor and donation tracking with linked records, volunteer scheduling and hour tracking, grant application management with deadline reminders, event planning and attendee registration, program participant tracking, inventory management, and content calendars. Airtable's relational structure lets you connect all these data points together.
How long does it take to learn Airtable?
Basic proficiency takes 1-2 hours. You can create your first useful base within 30 minutes. More advanced features like automations and custom interfaces may take 1-2 weeks of regular use to master. Airtable provides templates specifically for nonprofits that can get you started immediately without building from scratch.
Does Airtable integrate with our existing nonprofit software?
Yes. Airtable integrates directly with Slack, Google Drive, Salesforce, Jira, Zendesk, and many other tools. Through Zapier and Make, you can connect to virtually any software your nonprofit uses. There's also an API for custom integrations if you have developer resources.