Fractional CTO Services for Nonprofits, Schools & Small Businesses
Every expensive technology mistake has one thing in common — no expert in the room when it mattered.
You approved the software that nobody uses. You signed the contract that locked you in for three years. You trusted the vendor who oversold and underdelivered. None of that happened because you made bad decisions — it happened because you made them without the right voice at the table. That voice exists. You just haven't had access to it. Until now.
Book a Discovery CallOn-Call Technology Leadership
The technology leader your organization deserves — without the six-figure salary.
A full-time Chief Technology Officer costs north of $150,000 a year. Most small businesses, nonprofits, and school districts don't need that — and can't afford it.
What they do need is exactly what S-FX delivers: senior technology leadership available when it matters, personally invested in your outcomes, and backed by a full team of specialists ready to execute.
Shane leads every advisory engagement directly — bringing nearly two decades of experience across education, healthcare, municipal government, and small business.
The rest of the S-FX team is already behind him, which means when a decision requires more than advice, the people who can act on it are already in the room.
Fractional CTO Services
Not a consultant. Not a vendor. Your technology leader.
The difference between a consultant and a Fractional CTO is accountability. We don't hand you a report and disappear. We stay involved, stay accessible, and stay responsible for the outcomes — for as long as your organization needs us.
On-Call Technology Leadership & Guidance
When a decision comes up — a vendor pitch, a contract renewal, an unexpected system failure, a board question you don't know how to answer — you have someone to call. Not a help desk. Not a ticketing system. Shane, directly, with the full weight of the S-FX team behind him. That access is the core of what this engagement delivers.Vendor Evaluation & Negotiation
Vendors are very good at selling. We're better at buying. Before you commit to any significant technology contract, we evaluate the options independently, pressure-test the claims, and negotiate terms that protect your organization — not the vendor's renewal rate. Having an expert in the room changes every conversation.Board & Leadership Technology Briefings
Your board and leadership team need to make informed technology decisions — but they shouldn't need a computer science degree to do it. We prepare and deliver clear, confident technology briefings that translate complexity into context your leadership can act on, vote on, and stand behind. You show up to the meeting prepared. We make sure of it.Budget Planning & Technology Investment Advice
Every budget cycle, organizations overspend on the wrong things and underspend on the right ones. We sit alongside your leadership during budget planning — identifying where technology investments will generate the most return, where costs can be reduced without risk, and how to build a technology budget that actually reflects your priorities.Strategic Planning Between Formal Engagements
The period between major technology initiatives is where organizations drift. Decisions get deferred, small problems become large ones, and institutional knowledge walks out the door. Our advisory engagements are designed to keep your technology direction consistent and intentional between projects — so you're never starting from scratch when the next initiative arrives.Staff Technology Coaching & Enablement
Technology only delivers value when the people using it know how to use it well. We work directly with your staff and department leads — helping them get more from the tools they already have, building their confidence in technology decisions, and reducing the organizational friction that slows everything down. A well-enabled team is one of the highest-return technology investments you can make.
Client Feedback
The right call, before it was too late.
Having the right advisor in place changes how your organization makes decisions. Here's what that looks like in practice.
I am thrilled to write this review because I am not even a client of Shane’s which makes this even more special. He was literally doing me a favor because a mutual friend asked him. He was patient and so extremely helpful. Shane- I am thinking you need to have workshops if you don’t already. You are a great teacher and found myself wanting to ask you so many more questions. Thanks again for your help. I am truly appreciative.
Just got the referral to work with Shane after my web person suggested him to take over my website .. Quick response ..very helpful ..everything else feeling very completely taken care and looking forward to working with in the future!
During this pandemic life at a house of worship has been challenging to say the least. Our synagogue hired Shane and his company to do all of our pre-recording production and there aren’t enough words to express our thanks for the time, effort, patience and outstanding quality work we were provided with. We will most definitely work with him again and would strongly recommend S-FX.com Small Business Solutions! Thanks Shane!
Shane and his team at S-FX are wonderful to work with and can tackle a myriad of requests ranging from website development to api integrations and so much more. Always professional and quick to respond, I couldn’t recommend a better company than S-FX.
Working with S-FX has been a great experience! In just a few months they have provided digital insight to our team that has improved our web presence from both a technical and user perspective. Additionally, they have brought new ideas to the table that gives our digital campaigns a competitive edge. The team is amazing to work with. S-FX goes above and beyond to ensure that clients are not only satisfied, but thrilled with the finished product! 5 stars from a very happy client. Keep on doing what you are doing!
An organization that values its clients 100% and very big on communication.
Since the internet is available to so many of us, companies who say they will help with web design or computer related concerns come by the dozens, but it’s hard to know who you can trust and who is really good at what they say they can do. Shane of S-FX was extremely helpful and took the time to explain things so that even I could understand them. I couldn’t be more satisfied with every encounter I have had with S-FX and I highly recommend them to anyone in the market!
I cannot begin to say how amazing Shane and his team is. I work for a business that had a turnover of two web developers that we outsourced, and through the procurement process, could not find a web developer to clean up the backend of this website. I can’t even begin to say How Many places we have looked into before finding S-FX. Shane’s team fixed it in less than a week. They are so quick to get back and they are just the best customer service, too.
S-FX not only made the site exactly as we envisioned, but the turn around was fast! If we ever have questions about something, we get a fast response and never are left wondering. I’ve referred several to them and will continue to do so!
Working with Shane and S-FX Small Business Solutions was a pleasure. He is a professional and a very pleasant person to work with. The process went smoothly and the end product was outstanding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Honest answers to your advisory questions.
We believe in transparency over sales. We’re here to cut through the jargon and give you the clarity you need to actually own your digital future.
If you've never worked with a Fractional CTO before, these are the questions worth asking before you decide whether it's right for your organization.
Technology Strategy is a focused engagement — we build your roadmap, develop your plan, and deliver a clear direction forward. Fractional CTO & Advisory is an ongoing relationship. It’s the access you have between projects — the person you call when a decision comes up unexpectedly, when a vendor shows up with a pitch, or when the board asks a question you can’t answer alone. Think of Strategy as the plan and Advisory as the partner who helps you execute it.
That depends on the engagement level you choose. Advisory retainers are structured around your organization’s needs — ranging from a defined number of monthly touchpoints to more embedded, always-available access. We scope every engagement honestly and don’t oversell availability we can’t deliver. You’ll always know exactly what you’re getting.
If you’re making any technology decisions — software purchases, vendor contracts, budget allocations, infrastructure changes — you benefit from having an expert in the room. The organizations that need this most are often the ones that think they’re too small for it. One avoided mistake typically covers the cost of an entire year of advisory.
Most engagements include regular check-ins with your leadership team, on-call availability for time-sensitive decisions, and proactive monitoring of your technology landscape for issues worth your attention. We also participate in board meetings, budget sessions, and vendor conversations as needed. The cadence is built around your calendar, not ours.
Technology and operations are increasingly inseparable — and our advisory engagements reflect that. When a technology decision has operational implications (which most do), we bring both lenses to the conversation. For organizations that need deeper operational support, our Business Operations & Support engagement runs alongside advisory seamlessly.
Managed IT providers are built to keep your systems running. They’re reactive by design and focused on the technical layer. A Fractional CTO operates at the leadership level — evaluating strategy, advising on investment, navigating vendor relationships, and representing your technology interests in rooms where decisions get made. It’s a different function entirely, and most organizations need both.
Let’s Get Started
You don't need another vendor. You need S-FX
Book a free discovery call and we'll show you exactly where your technology is costing you time, money, and sanity — and what to do about it.
- Your own technology department — without the salaries
- Strategy, support, and security under one roof
- Transparent, all-inclusive pricing; no hidden fees
- Flexible agreements built around your budget
- Built for nonprofits, schools, municipalities & small business
