Research desk

Independent briefs on the sector we serve.

We publish original research because the conversations in this sector improve when participants work from the same evidence base. Each paper is standalone — citable, shareable as a PDF, and useful in board or funder conversations even if you never become our customer.

We disclose openly: Bothy is a vendor in the segment several of these papers describe. We've published them anyway, with every claim sourced and every source linked. We invite scrutiny.

01May 2026 · ~12 min read

The Grant Management Software Market in 2026

An independent analysis of the small-to-mid nonprofit segment

Verified 2026 pricing and positioning for every major vendor in the category — Instrumentl, GrantHub, AmpliFund, Submittable, Foundant GLM, Bloomerang, DonorPerfect, Salesforce NPSP, Bonterra, LiveImpact, and Avid. Documents the three structural openings of 2026 (GrantHub sunset, Salesforce NPSP retirement, Instrumentl's strategic narrowing) and what they mean for buyers.

Audience: Nonprofit operations leaders, ED/CFOs, fundraising consultants, sector funders

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02May 2026 · ~14 min read

The Burnout Tax

How disconnected software is costing nonprofits their people

Synthesizes the 2026 evidence on nonprofit workforce burnout, with a focus on the under-discussed role of disconnected technology systems in driving turnover. Provides a quantified framework for treating tool consolidation as a retention intervention — not a productivity intervention.

Audience: Executive directors, nonprofit board members, sector funders, HR + operations leaders

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03May 2026 · ~18 min read

Human-Centered Design for Mission-Driven Software

A working definition + field guide

A precise treatment of "human-centered design" grounded in ISO 9241-210, Don Norman, IDEO, and the Design Justice critique. Translates abstract principles into concrete process guidance, 5 marketing authenticity tests, 8 anti-patterns to avoid, and a 10-question self-assessment any software team can run.

Audience: Product builders, founders, technologists serving nonprofits, sector advisors, design educators

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Reuse + corrections

You're welcome to

· Cite these papers with attribution
· Share PDFs with your board or funders
· Adapt the frameworks for your planning
· Disagree publicly — we'd like to hear it

You're asked not to

· Republish in full without attribution
· Strip sources to repackage as your own analysis

Spotted an error or have data we should consider? Email hello@bothy.so. Corrections are tracked publicly with dates.

Independent briefs on the sector we serve.

The Grant Management Software Market in 2026

The Burnout Tax

Human-Centered Design for Mission-Driven Software

Reuse + corrections

You're welcome to

You're asked not to

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