Custom development
Hello World's custom development practice ships block-first WordPress sites, headless front-ends, and integrations against the CRMs, payment systems, and program platforms mission-driven organizations actually run. Builds are senior-engineered, accessibility-audited, and handed off with the documentation and training your staff need to maintain them.
How we approach it
Block-first by default
The block editor + custom patterns are the starting point. Editors compose pages without engineering; brand changes propagate through theme.json without rebuilds.
Senior engineering throughout
No junior labor billed at senior rates. The engineer on the call is the engineer writing the code.
Accessibility at every milestone
WCAG 2.1 AA isn't a final QA gate. It's audited at each phase so problems get caught early.
Documentation editors actually read
Plain-language runbooks, recorded walkthroughs, and pattern docs so future staff can ship without us.
What's included
- Information architecture + content model
- Block-first WordPress theme with custom patterns
- CRM / AMS / payment integrations (Salesforce NPSP, EveryAction, Stripe, Donorbox)
- Headless / API-first builds where the use case justifies them
- Accessibility audit (WCAG 2.1 AA) at each milestone
- Content migration from Drupal, Squarespace, or hand-coded sites
- Performance optimization (Core Web Vitals + edge caching)
- Editor training, documentation, runbook for ongoing patches
Who it's for
Nonprofits + B Corps
New marketing sites, member portals, multilingual publications, donation flows tied to a CRM.
Orgs migrating off legacy CMS
Drupal 7/9 â WordPress, Squarespace â WordPress, custom PHP â modern block-first WordPress.
Teams that already have a CMS that's outgrown them
Editorial workflows that no longer match the org, integrations to add, performance problems to fix.
What it costs
Projects typically range $30Kâ$150K+ depending on scope. After Discovery and Define, you walk out with a fixed-price build budget you can take to your board.
Common questions
Do you only build new sites, or also work on existing ones?
Both. Many engagements are upgrading, migrating, or extending an existing WordPress site rather than starting from scratch. We scope what's coming, what's getting retired, and what's staying as-is during Define.
Can our team take over after launch?
Yes. That's a design goal. Editorial training, plain-language documentation, and runbooks for security + accessibility are part of every engagement. Most clients continue with us on a monthly retainer for security and feature additions, but the platform is built to survive without us.
What hosting do you recommend?
Most builds ship on Pantheon. WP Engine, Pressable, and Kinsta are also fine. We don't recommend shared hosting for any production engagement.
Ready to talk through it?
Book a free discovery call. We'll talk through what you need, what we'd recommend, and whether we're the right fit.