No-Code & Low-Code

Noloco for Nonprofits

Your donor data lives in scattered spreadsheets. Your volunteer coordinator can't access program information. Your team asks "Can we build an app for that?" but custom development costs $50,000 and takes six months. Noloco solves this. Transform your existing spreadsheets and databases into beautiful, secure applications in hours, not months. Build donor CRMs, client portals, volunteer management systems, and internal tools—no coding required, and with a 50% nonprofit discount on all plans.

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What It Does

Tired of paying for expensive software that doesn't quite fit your nonprofit's needs? Or wrestling with spreadsheets that crash when too many people access them at once?

Noloco turns your existing data—whether it's in Google Sheets, Airtable, PostgreSQL, MySQL, or other databases—into fully functional business applications. Instead of spending tens of thousands on custom development or settling for one-size-fits-all solutions, you build exactly what your organization needs using a drag-and-drop interface.

The result? Secure donor databases, volunteer portals, program management tools, and client-facing applications that look professional, work on any device, and adapt as your mission evolves. Your team gets custom software without the custom development timeline or budget.

Best For

Organization Size

Small nonprofits (2-10 staff) needing affordable custom tools
Mid-sized organizations (10-50 staff) outgrowing spreadsheets
Larger nonprofits needing internal tools to complement enterprise systems

Best Use Cases

Building custom donor or volunteer CRMs
Creating secure client or member portals
Replacing clunky spreadsheet processes with apps
Managing programs, inventory, or case management workflows
Building internal tools for operations and reporting

Ideal For

Executive Directors needing centralized data access
Development Directors building donor management tools
Program Managers tracking participants and outcomes
Operations staff replacing manual workflows

Key Features for Nonprofits

Connect Any Data Source

Bring together data from Airtable, Google Sheets, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Xano, and REST APIs into one unified application. Stop juggling multiple spreadsheets—centralize everything in a single, secure interface your whole team can access.

Enterprise-Grade Permissions

Control exactly who sees what with role-based permissions at the record and field level. Your Executive Director sees all donor data, program staff see only their participants, and volunteers access only what they need. Perfect for protecting sensitive information while enabling collaboration.

AI Assistant (Nola) for Faster Building

Describe what you want to build, and Nola helps you structure data, design interfaces, and set up workflows. No need to learn technical jargon—just explain your process in plain English and let the AI guide you through building the app.

Workflow Automation

Automatically send email reminders when grant deadlines approach, notify team members when volunteers sign up, or trigger thank-you messages after donations. Eliminate repetitive tasks and reduce manual errors with condition-based workflows.

Beautiful Pre-Built Components

Drag and drop lists, tables, forms, calendars, maps, timelines, and action buttons to build exactly the interface you need. Every component works perfectly on desktop, tablet, and mobile without extra configuration.

40+ Integrations

Connect with tools your nonprofit already uses—Zapier, Make, Slack, HubSpot, Stripe, Monday.com, Jira, and more. Sync data automatically across platforms so your team always works with up-to-date information.

How This Tool Uses AI

What's Actually AI-Powered

🤖 AI Assistant (Nola) for App Building

Type of AI: Natural language processing combined with generative AI for interface design and data structuring.

What it does: You describe your workflow in plain English (e.g., "I need to track volunteer hours and send monthly reports"), and Nola suggests database structures, interface layouts, and workflow automations to match your needs.

How it learns: Trained on thousands of no-code app patterns and best practices. Doesn't learn from your specific organization's data but uses general knowledge about common business workflows to make relevant suggestions.

Practical impact: Cuts app-building time significantly—especially for non-technical users who might spend hours figuring out how to structure data or build forms. Nola provides a starting point that you can then customize.

🤖 Smart Suggestions for Data Relationships

Type of AI: Pattern recognition and recommendation algorithms.

What it does: When you connect data sources or create tables, Noloco's AI identifies likely relationships between data (e.g., "This column looks like it connects to your Donors table") and suggests how to link them.

How it learns: Analyzes column names, data types, and common database patterns to infer connections.

Practical impact: Saves time setting up complex relational databases. Instead of manually defining every link between tables, the AI detects patterns and offers shortcuts—you just confirm or adjust its suggestions.

What's NOT AI (But Still Useful)

Pre-Built Components: The forms, tables, calendars, and maps are human-designed UI elements, not AI-generated.
Workflow Automation: Automations ("send email when X happens") are rule-based logic, not AI-driven predictions.
Permissions System: Role-based access control is standard security configuration, not AI.
Data Syncing: Real-time data sync with external sources (Airtable, Google Sheets) uses APIs, not machine learning.

AI Transparency & Limitations

Data Requirements

Nola's AI assistant works immediately—no data accumulation required. However, suggestions improve when your data is well-organized (clear column names, consistent formatting). Messy or inconsistent data may result in less accurate recommendations.

Human Oversight Still Required

Nola's suggestions are starting points—you need to review and customize them for your nonprofit's specific context.
AI can't understand your organizational culture, mission nuances, or stakeholder preferences—those decisions remain yours.
Permissions and data access must be configured manually; AI doesn't automatically set security rules.

Known Limitations

AI suggestions work best for common business workflows (CRM, project management). Highly specialized or unusual processes may require more manual configuration.
Nola doesn't learn from your organization's usage over time—it provides general best practices, not personalized recommendations based on your team's behavior.

Data Privacy

Your data is not used to train AI models for other organizations—your donor information remains private.
All data is encrypted in transit and at rest with enterprise-grade security.
Full data portability—export all your data and AI-generated configurations at any time.

When AI Adds Real Value vs. When It's Just Marketing

✅ Genuinely Useful AI:

Suggesting database structures and relationships saves hours of planning for non-technical users
Natural language app building (describe workflows in plain English) dramatically lowers the learning curve
Smart data relationship detection prevents common database setup mistakes

⚠️ AI That's Nice But Not Essential:

Interface suggestions from Nola are helpful but you can easily build interfaces manually with drag-and-drop
AI-detected patterns in data relationships are useful shortcuts, but you could set these up yourself if needed

❌ AI You Don't Need:

If you're already comfortable with database design, the AI suggestions might not add much value
For extremely simple apps (basic forms or lists), the manual approach is just as fast

Bottom Line: Noloco uses AI where it genuinely helps—reducing the learning curve for non-technical users and accelerating app development. The AI isn't making autonomous decisions about your data or workflows; it's a smart assistant that guides you toward best practices while you retain full control. This is a responsible, practical use of AI for no-code development.

Real-World Nonprofit Use Case

From Spreadsheet Chaos to Centralized Donor Management

A regional youth development nonprofit with 3 program sites was managing 2,800 active donors across six different Google Sheets—one for each program manager, one for the Executive Director, and one for the board. Staff duplicated data entry. Reports took days to compile. Nobody knew the full donor picture.

The Development Director tried expensive CRM platforms, but they cost $400+/month and required extensive customization that the 3-person development team couldn't manage. They needed something affordable, customizable, and simple enough that program staff would actually use it.

Using Noloco, they built a custom donor CRM in two afternoons. They connected their existing Google Sheets as the data source, designed forms for logging interactions, created dashboards showing giving trends by program, and set permissions so each program manager saw only their donors while the Development Director and ED saw everything.

With the 50% nonprofit discount, they paid $59.50/month for the Pro plan—85% less than commercial CRMs—and got exactly the tool they needed. Within three months, they eliminated duplicate data entry, cut reporting time from days to minutes, identified 140 lapsed donors for re-engagement, and increased overall retention by 18%. The program managers, who initially resisted "another new system," now rely on it daily because it actually solves their problems rather than creating new ones.

Pricing

Free Plan

Perfect for small nonprofits testing the platform

$0/month

3 team seats, 7 client seats
2,000 rows
Unlimited apps
100 workflow runs/month
Nola AI assistant

Starter Plan

For small teams getting started

$39/month

(Annual billing, ~20% savings)

4 team seats (+$4 per extra)
10 client seats (+$0.50 per extra)
10,000 rows, 5,000 synced rows
1,000 workflow runs/month
5GB file storage

RECOMMENDED

Pro Plan

Business Plan

For larger organizations with complex needs

$255/month

(Annual billing, ~20% savings)

30 team seats (+$10 per extra)
100 client seats (+$1 per extra)
200,000 rows (+$75 per 25k additional)
100,000 synced rows (+$75 per 25k additional)
10,000 workflow runs/month
100GB file storage
Unlimited user roles
Priority syncing

Enterprise Plan

Custom pricing for organizations needing advanced features:

Up to 10M rows with Scale Databases
Dedicated support
Custom terms and SLAs
Advanced security and compliance

Free Trial: Free plan available forever. 14-day trials of paid plans available anytime with full feature access—no credit card required upfront.

Note: Pricing information is subject to change. Please verify current pricing directly with Noloco.

💰 NONPROFIT PRICING

50% discount on all paid plans for eligible 501(c)(3) organizations and registered nonprofits.

How to Access:

Sign up for a Noloco account (free to start)
Fill out the nonprofit discount application form after creating your account
Provide business details and proof of nonprofit status (501(c)(3) determination letter, charity registration, or equivalent)
Discount applied once verified (typically within 1-2 business days)

With Nonprofit Discount (Annual Pricing):

Starter: $19.50/month (regularly $39/month)
Pro: $59.50/month (regularly $119/month)
Business: $127.50/month (regularly $255/month)

Estimated Annual Savings:

Starter: Save $234/year
Pro: Save $714/year
Business: Save $1,530/year

This substantial nonprofit discount makes Noloco one of the most affordable professional no-code platforms for mission-driven organizations.

Learning Curve

Rating: Beginner to Intermediate

Noloco is designed for non-technical users, but building robust applications with proper security and workflows requires some learning.

Time to First Value

Initial setup: 30 minutes - 1 hour (connecting data sources, exploring interface)
First simple app: 1-2 hours (basic list/form/detail views)
Production-ready app: 4-8 hours (with permissions, workflows, and polish)
Proficiency: 1-2 weeks of regular use for comfort with advanced features

Technical Requirements

Comfort with spreadsheets (Google Sheets, Excel) helpful but not required
Understanding of basic database concepts (tables, relationships) beneficial
No coding required for standard features
Optional custom code for advanced users (Pro plan+)

Support & Learning Resources

Documentation: Comprehensive guides and tutorials in Noloco's help center
Video Tutorials: Step-by-step video walkthroughs for common use cases
AI Assistant (Nola): In-app guidance for building apps and solving problems
Email Support: Responsive support team for troubleshooting
Community: User community and forums for sharing best practices
Templates: Pre-built app templates for common nonprofit use cases

Integration & Compatibility

Data Sources

Noloco Tables (native database)
Airtable
Google Sheets
PostgreSQL
MySQL
Xano
REST APIs (custom integrations)

Third-Party Integrations

Automation: Zapier, Make (Integromat)
Communication: Slack, Gmail, Outlook
CRM/Sales: HubSpot, Salesforce
Payments: Stripe
Project Management: Monday.com, Jira
Productivity: Google Workspace
40+ total integrations available

Platform Availability

Web-based: Works in all modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
Mobile: Responsive design works on iOS and Android mobile browsers
Progressive Web App: Can be installed on mobile home screens for app-like experience
No desktop application required

Data Portability

✅ Full data export: Export all data as CSV files at any time
✅ API access: Pro tier and above include API for programmatic data access
✅ External data sources: If using Airtable or Google Sheets as backend, your data remains accessible outside Noloco
⚠️ App structure: Interface configurations and workflows are not portable (vendor lock-in consideration)

Pros & Cons

Pros

Exceptional nonprofit discount: 50% off all plans is one of the best in the no-code space—makes professional tools genuinely affordable
Enterprise-grade permissions: Record- and field-level access control is uncommon in affordable no-code tools—critical for nonprofits managing sensitive donor data
Database flexibility: Connects to real databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL), not just spreadsheets—scales better for growing nonprofits
Generous free plan: Unlimited apps on the free tier means small nonprofits can build multiple tools without paying
AI assistant lowers learning curve: Nola helps non-technical users get started quickly—reduces implementation time significantly
Beautiful default UI: Apps look professional out of the box without design skills
Workflow automation included: Automate emails, notifications, and data updates—saves time on repetitive tasks

Cons

Steeper learning curve than Glide or Softr: More powerful features mean more complexity—expect 1-2 weeks to become proficient
Client seat costs add up: Extra client/external users cost $0.50-$1 each—can become expensive for public-facing portals with many users
Not ideal for simple use cases: If you just need a basic form or directory, simpler tools like Tally or Carrd are faster and easier
Workflow limits on lower tiers: 100-1,000 workflow runs/month may feel restrictive for automation-heavy processes
No native mobile apps: Apps work in mobile browsers but aren't published to app stores—may feel less "native" to users
Limited offline functionality: Requires internet connection; not ideal for field work in areas with poor connectivity

Alternatives to Consider

If Noloco doesn't feel like the right fit, consider these alternatives:

Airtable

What it offers: Powerful database platform with app-building features, 50% nonprofit discount, exceptional for data management and collaboration.

Best if: You prioritize database flexibility and need a tool that's also excellent for project management, not just app building. Airtable's discount is slightly better, but Noloco creates more polished user-facing apps.

Why you might choose Noloco instead: Better for building client portals and external-facing applications. Noloco's interface builder is more intuitive for non-technical users, and permissions are more robust.

Glide

What it offers: Mobile-first no-code app builder that turns Google Sheets into apps, faster to learn than Noloco, great for simple use cases.

Best if: You need a simple app quickly and don't require enterprise-grade permissions. Glide is easier to learn but lacks Noloco's robust access controls and database options.

Why you might choose Noloco instead: Noloco handles complex permissions better, connects to professional databases (not just spreadsheets), and offers a 50% nonprofit discount (Glide has no nonprofit discount).

Softr

What it offers: No-code platform focused on building websites and portals from Airtable, with simpler interface than Noloco and faster setup.

Best if: You're using Airtable as your backend and want to build a public-facing website or member portal quickly. Softr's website-building features are stronger than Noloco's.

Why you might choose Noloco instead: Noloco supports more data sources (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Google Sheets), offers better workflow automation, and has more robust permissions for internal tools and CRMs.

Bottom line: Choose Noloco if you need enterprise-grade permissions, want to connect professional databases, and value the 50% nonprofit discount. Choose Airtable if database management is your priority. Choose Glide if you need something simpler and mobile-first. Choose Softr if you're building primarily public-facing websites from Airtable.

Getting Started

Your first 48 hours with Noloco: A practical roadmap to building your first nonprofit app.

1Sign Up and Connect Your Data (15-30 minutes)

Create your free Noloco account at noloco.io. No credit card required to start.

Pro tip: Before connecting data, clean your spreadsheet or database—remove duplicates, standardize column names, and ensure consistent formatting. This makes AI suggestions more accurate.

Connect your first data source (Google Sheets, Airtable, or create Noloco Tables from scratch). If you're new to databases, start with Google Sheets—it's familiar and easy to edit.

2Use Nola to Build Your First App (1-2 hours)

Click "Create New App" and describe what you want to build in plain English to Nola, the AI assistant. For example: "I want to track donor interactions and send thank-you emails automatically."

Nola will suggest a database structure, interface layout, and workflows. Review the suggestions and customize as needed using drag-and-drop components.

Pro tip: Start simple. Build a basic list view and detail view first. Add complexity (workflows, permissions, custom components) once you're comfortable with the basics.

3Set Up Permissions and Test (30-60 minutes)

Define user roles (e.g., Admin, Staff, Volunteer) and configure who can view/edit which records and fields. This is critical for protecting sensitive donor or client data.

Invite 1-2 team members to test the app. Have them try creating records, editing data, and using the interface on both desktop and mobile to catch any usability issues.

Pro tip: Test with the least technical person on your team first. If they can use it comfortably, everyone else will too.

4Apply for Nonprofit Discount (10 minutes)

Once you've confirmed Noloco meets your needs, fill out the nonprofit discount application form in your account settings.

Upload proof of nonprofit status (501(c)(3) letter, charity registration, etc.). The discount is typically approved within 1-2 business days, reducing your costs by 50%.

Next steps: Upgrade to a paid plan (Starter, Pro, or Business) based on your team size and data needs. With the discount, even the Pro plan is affordable at $59.50/month.

🤝 Need Implementation Support?

Building custom apps—even with no-code tools—can feel overwhelming when you're managing a nonprofit with limited staff and resources. If you'd like expert guidance setting up Noloco, designing your database structure, or training your team, we're here to help.

One Hundred Nights offers implementation support, from quick setup consultations to full-service onboarding and ongoing training. We'll help you build exactly what your nonprofit needs without the stress of figuring it out alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Noloco offer a nonprofit discount?

Yes! Noloco offers a 50% discount on all paid plans for eligible nonprofits. Organizations need to provide business details and proof of nonprofit status through a form after creating their account. With this discount, the Starter plan costs $19.50/month, Pro costs $59.50/month, and Business costs $127.50/month (annual pricing).

What data sources can Noloco connect to?

Noloco connects to 6+ data sources including Airtable, Google Sheets, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Xano, and REST APIs. You can also use Noloco Tables to store data directly within the platform. Integration with external databases enables real-time data sync across your organization's tools.

How long does it take to build an app with Noloco?

With Noloco's drag-and-drop interface and AI assistant (Nola), many users create functional apps in 1-2 hours. Simple client portals or databases can be built even faster. More complex applications with custom workflows, detailed permissions, and multiple integrations typically take 1-2 days to build and refine.

Is Noloco suitable for small nonprofits?

Absolutely. Noloco's Free plan includes 3 team seats, 7 client seats, unlimited apps, and basic AI assistance—ideal for small nonprofits testing the platform. With the 50% nonprofit discount, the Starter plan costs only $19.50/month (annual), making it highly affordable for organizations with limited budgets.

What's the difference between Noloco and Airtable or Glide?

Airtable is primarily a database with app-building features, while Glide focuses on mobile-first apps from spreadsheets. Noloco is specifically designed for building comprehensive internal tools and client portals with enterprise-grade permissions, workflows, and database flexibility. Noloco offers more robust access control and works with professional databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL) beyond just spreadsheets. Many organizations use Airtable or Google Sheets as the backend and Noloco as the front-end application layer.

Can I build a donor CRM with Noloco?

Yes. Noloco is excellent for building custom donor CRMs without developer resources. You can create donor profiles, track interactions, manage donations, segment supporters, automate follow-ups, and generate reports. The platform's role-based permissions ensure that staff, volunteers, and board members see only the data they need. Connect it to your existing donor database or start fresh with Noloco Tables.

Does Noloco require coding knowledge?

No coding is required for most features. Noloco's drag-and-drop interface, pre-built components, and AI assistant (Nola) enable non-technical users to build functional apps. The Pro plan and above include a custom code option for advanced users who want to add custom logic or integrations, but it's entirely optional.