Nonprofit Storytelling

Autumn Manifesto

Autumn exists to give overstretched teams leverage.

It was born from a simple reality: important work is often held back by tools that are slow, fragmented, and not designed for how teams actually operate.

What we believe

• Most nonprofits are not short on purpose—they are short on time, staff, and focus.
• A web presence should adapt to moments, not just exist as a static destination.
• Consistency and accessibility matter more than unlimited customization.
• Speed without structure creates chaos; structure without speed creates stagnation.
• Small teams deserve tools that multiply their impact.

The problem we started with

Most nonprofits already have a website.

The problem appears when something new happens: a fundraiser, a campaign, a partnership, or an impact story. Each new moment demands a fast, credible web experience, and most teams are forced to scramble for designers, developers, or volunteers.

This results in delays, inconsistency, and missed opportunities.

What we set out to build

Autumn was conceived as a nonprofit-native web-presence platform.

A single system to manage:

• A donor-ready flagship site
• Branded campaign and event microsites
• Donations, RSVPs, and email capture
• Analytics and performance data

All without code—and without adding headcount.

How Autumn works

Autumn combines three core ideas:

1. Story-first structure — focused, narrative-driven pages designed to guide attention.
2. Design as a system — design tokens ensure every experience stays on-brand by default.
3. AI as leverage — built-in assistance for drafting copy, donation appeals, and accessible content.

Together, these allow teams to go live in hours instead of weeks.

Accessibility by default

Accessibility was treated as infrastructure, not a checklist.

Autumn was designed to meet accessibility standards by default, removing the burden from teams and making inclusive experiences the baseline rather than the exception.

The market thesis

Autumn began with a clear vertical focus:

• 1.8M+ registered nonprofits in the U.S.
• The majority operating under $5M in annual revenue
• Tech-capable, but underserved by both enterprise software and custom development

We believed that a domain-specific platform—one that packaged the workflows, constraints, and conventions nonprofits actually face—could outperform generic site builders.

What this version represents

This manifesto captures the seed of Autumn:

• Nonprofit-first
• Web presence over websites
• AI as a force multiplier for small teams
• Structure as the path to speed

It is a snapshot of where Autumn began—not a limit on where it could go.