Veldun vs. DIY Tools
You stitched together Mailchimp, Google Sheets, Stripe, and Squarespace because there wasn't a better option. That resourcefulness kept your org running. But the integration overhead — the exports, the imports, the four logins, the manual reconciliation — costs more than any monthly subscription.
The four-tool math
What the patchwork actually costs — in dollars and in hours.
| Tool | Monthly cost | Time/month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | $13–20 | 2–3 hrs | Free tier caps at 500 contacts. Essentials plan starts at $13/month for 500 contacts, grows with list size. |
| Google Sheets | $0 | 1–2 hrs | Free, but someone has to maintain the roster, track renewals, and reconcile payments manually. |
| Stripe | $0 base | 1–2 hrs | No monthly fee, but no member management. Someone tracks who paid, who didn’t, and follows up. |
| Squarespace | $16–33 | 1–3 hrs | Business plan at $33/month for forms and integrations, or Personal at $16/month with limited features. |
| DIY total | $29–53/mo | 5–10 hrs |
Veldun
$79/month. Zero integration overhead. One login.
More than the cheapest DIY combination — but without the 5–10 hours of stitching it all together every month.
What changes when it's one platform
The DIY combination works. But every task that crosses tool boundaries — syncing a member list, connecting an event to an email, tracking who paid — falls on someone's shoulders. Usually the board secretary's.
Member directory
DIY
Google Sheet shared with the board. No member self-service, no search, no profile photos.
Veldun
Searchable directory with member profiles. Members update their own info.
Dues collection
DIY
Stripe payment link emailed manually. Board treasurer tracks who paid in the spreadsheet.
Veldun
Automated invoicing, online payment, and status tracking. No spreadsheet reconciliation.
Renewal reminders
DIY
Board member checks the sheet, writes individual emails. Renewals slip through the cracks every quarter.
Veldun
Automatic 30-day reminders. At-risk members flagged with AI-drafted outreach ready for review.
Event management
DIY
Squarespace form or Eventbrite embed. RSVPs land in a separate system from the member list.
Veldun
Events with registration, payment, and attendance — all connected to the member record.
Newsletter
DIY
Export contacts from the sheet, import into Mailchimp, build from blank, send. Every month.
Veldun
Newsletter auto-assembles from the month’s activity. Add the board message and send.
Event-to-email connection
DIY
Copy event details from Squarespace, paste into Mailchimp template. Update both if anything changes.
Veldun
Events automatically appear in newsletters and email updates. One source of truth.
Public website
DIY
Squarespace site. Event calendar, member directory, and dues portal are all separate links.
Veldun
Integrated org website with events, directory, and member portal. One domain, one login.
Single login
DIY
Four separate logins. Four separate passwords. Four separate billing accounts.
Veldun
One platform, one login, one bill.
You already have the data
Your member list lives in a spreadsheet. Your events are on a calendar. Your payment history is in Stripe. Moving to Veldun doesn't mean starting over — it means bringing everything into one place.
- 1
Export from Google Sheets
Download your member spreadsheet as a CSV. You already have the data — this takes 30 seconds.
- 2
Import into Veldun
Upload the CSV, map your columns (name, email, dues status), and confirm. Two minutes.
- 3
Set up dues and events
Describe your events in a sentence each. AI fills in the details. Configure your dues tiers.
- 4
Send the announcement
Email your members from Veldun with their new login. They can update their own profiles from day one.
Import your member list from Google Sheets in two minutes. Most orgs are fully set up within a single afternoon.
Start your free 60-day trial. No credit card required.
Start your free 60-day trial