Why we do this
Magnolia Development exists to give small businesses and mission-driven organizations the kind of technology support that usually only shows up inside companies with a dedicated engineering team.
Accessible, well-built technology is what lets an organization serve its community, communicate credibly, and grow without breaking itself. Most of the teams we meet know that already. What they do not have is the hours, or a person whose job it is to keep the site honest.
We take that off their plate. Not as a vendor who delivers and leaves, but as the team they call when something changes.
Where we are trying to get to
We want a small business or a nonprofit to be able to expect the same standard of technology work that a large company takes for granted. That is a long project, and this is how we are working at it.
Make accessibility ordinary
Not a premium tier, not a remediation project after a complaint. Built in from the first wireframe, on every engagement, at no extra charge.
Keep expertise reachable
The teams who most need good technical judgment are usually the ones who cannot afford to hire it full time. A retainer should put it within reach.
Leave clients more capable than we found them
Training, documentation, and editable content are deliverables, not favors. If you decide to leave, you should be able to.
Say the uncomfortable thing early
Bad news gets more expensive the longer it waits. We would rather lose the project than let you buy something that will not work.
Stay long enough to see the results
A redesign that nobody maintains is worth less than a modest site somebody looks after. We build for the second one.
What those commitments look like in practice
Values are only worth reading if they show up in the invoices and the backlog. Here is where ours do.
Accessibility is not an upgrade tier
It is written into how we design and how we test, so there is no version of an engagement where it gets cut to protect a deadline.
No hourly invoices
Retainers are paid upfront. That reserves our time for you and removes the reason clients hesitate before asking a question.
Relationships outlast projects
Foster Arizona came to us for WordPress maintenance and never became a past client. That is the shape most of our work takes.
The part we cannot write ourselves
Marvin S.
Program & Community Engagement Director, Rosie's House
Grayce M.
Brand & Community Manager, Rootless
Lisa G.
Founder, LGN Collaborations
Honest answers to the questions we get most
- Why don't you bill by the hour?
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Because hourly billing makes clients ration the thing that helps them most, which is asking questions. Retainers are paid upfront, which reserves our time for you and means a quick call or a second opinion never turns into a line on an invoice.
It also means we have skin in the game. If we scope something badly, that is our problem to solve, not an excuse to send you a bigger bill.
- What happens to hours I don't use in a given month?
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Unused hours roll forward for up to twelve months. If your site is quiet for a stretch, those hours are still yours when something bigger comes up.
- Can we pause the retainer?
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No. The retainer is what reserves our time and keeps us available when you need us, including for emergencies. Pausing breaks that arrangement, and we'd rather you adjust to a smaller tier than pause entirely.
- Is accessibility legally required for my business?
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It depends on your business and where you operate. The ADA applies broadly to places of public accommodation, and courts have increasingly interpreted that to include websites, but the specifics matter. We can give you a general read in a free consultation. For certainty specific to your situation, talk to a lawyer.
- What's the minimum engagement?
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Retainers start at $2,500 per month, on the Steady tier. We don't take on smaller engagements as retainers because the relationship doesn't have room to be useful at that size. If you have a one-off project, an audit or page build is probably a better fit (see Audits or Page Building).
If any of this sounds like the partner you have been looking for
Tell us what you are trying to do and what is in the way. We will be straight with you about whether we can help, what it would cost, and what we would start with.
The consultation is free and nobody follows up with a sales sequence.