Billing and Plans

NeedBridge offers multiple plan tiers to match your organization's size and needs. All plans include every NeedBridge feature -- the tiers differ only by the volume of needs, volunteers, users, areas, categories, and storage your organization can use. This guide covers plan tiers, usage tracking, upgrading, payment management, and what happens when you reach plan limits.

Plan Tiers

NeedBridge offers three plan tiers:

Starter

Designed for small organizations just getting started with need matching. Includes lower limits on the number of needs, volunteers, team users, areas, categories, and file storage.

Pro

Designed for growing organizations with more volume and a larger team. Includes higher limits across all usage categories.

Enterprise

Designed for large organizations with high volume. Includes the highest limits and is suited for organizations serving multiple regions with large volunteer bases.

All features are available on every plan. The difference between tiers is the number of needs your organization can post, how many volunteers and team users you can have, how many areas and categories you can create, and how much file storage is available.

What Is Included in Each Tier

Every plan includes the full set of NeedBridge features:

  • Need creation and management
  • Volunteer email notifications and claim workflow
  • Service areas and categories
  • Team roles (case workers, coordinators, admins)
  • Email communications and engagement tracking
  • Stories and impact tracking
  • Tax receipts
  • Public volunteer signup page and homepage
  • API access and integrations
  • Branding and terminology customization
  • Reporting

The only thing that changes between tiers is the volume limits.

Usage Tracking

Navigate to Settings then Billing to see your current usage against your plan limits. The billing page displays:

  • Needs -- How many needs your organization has created versus your plan limit.
  • Volunteers -- How many active volunteers versus your plan limit.
  • Users -- How many team members (case workers, coordinators, admins) versus your plan limit.
  • Areas -- How many service areas versus your plan limit.
  • Categories -- How many categories versus your plan limit.
  • Storage -- How much file storage (images, attachments) is used versus your plan limit.

Each usage metric shows a progress bar or indicator so you can see at a glance how close you are to your limits.

Viewing Your Current Plan

The billing page shows your current plan tier, billing interval (monthly or yearly), and the next billing date. You can also see your plan's specific limits for each usage category.

Upgrading

If your organization needs higher limits, you can upgrade your plan:

  1. Navigate to Settings then Billing.
  2. Click Upgrade or Change Plan.
  3. Review the available tiers and their limits.
  4. Select the tier that fits your needs.
  5. Confirm the upgrade.

Upgrades take effect immediately. If you are on a monthly plan and upgrade mid-cycle, you will be charged a prorated amount for the remainder of the current billing period.

Managing Payment Method

NeedBridge uses Stripe to process payments. To update your payment method:

  1. Navigate to Settings then Billing.
  2. Click Manage Payment or Billing Portal.
  3. You will be taken to the Stripe customer portal where you can update your credit card, view payment history, and manage your subscription.

All payment information is handled securely by Stripe. NeedBridge does not store your credit card details.

Billing Intervals

NeedBridge offers two billing intervals:

  • Monthly -- Pay each month. More flexible if you want to adjust your plan frequently.
  • Yearly -- Pay once per year. Annual billing typically includes a discount compared to paying monthly.

You can switch between monthly and yearly billing from the billing portal.

Viewing Invoices

Past invoices are available in the Stripe billing portal:

  1. Navigate to Settings then Billing.
  2. Click Manage Payment or Billing Portal.
  3. View and download PDF invoices for each billing period.

Invoices are useful for accounting, expense reports, and grant documentation.

What Happens When You Hit Plan Limits

When your organization reaches a plan limit (for example, the maximum number of needs or volunteers), you will see a notification prompting you to upgrade. The specific behavior depends on which limit is reached:

  • Needs limit -- You will not be able to create new needs until you upgrade or until existing needs are completed/archived to free up capacity.
  • Volunteer limit -- New volunteer signups may be paused until you upgrade.
  • User limit -- You will not be able to invite or approve new team members until you upgrade.
  • Area or category limit -- You will not be able to create new areas or categories until you upgrade.
  • Storage limit -- You will not be able to upload new images or files until you upgrade or delete existing files.

In all cases, a clear message explains what limit was reached and provides a link to the upgrade page.

Tips

  • Monitor usage before you hit limits. Check the billing page monthly so you are not surprised by a limit at a critical moment.
  • Consider yearly billing for cost savings. If your organization plans to use NeedBridge for the long term, annual billing reduces your overall cost.
  • Keep invoices for grant reporting. Many funders want to see how technology costs are allocated. Download and file your invoices with your financial records.
  • Upgrade proactively. If you are running a campaign or seasonal drive that will increase volume, upgrade before the rush so your team is not blocked.