Veteran-Led Nonprofit Warns of HubSpot's Exploitative Pricing Model
The Californer/10314163

LOS ANGELES - Californer -- GREEN VALLEY LAKE, CA, — After six years of partnership, Assuaged Foundation, a nationally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit led by a 100% service-connected disabled U.S. Marine Corps veteran and his caregiver wife, is warning small businesses, nonprofits, and veteran-led organizations about what it calls "a dangerous and exploitative pricing model" used by HubSpot, a globally dominant CRM and marketing platform.

In 2019, Assuaged received a 90% military discount to adopt HubSpot. Grateful for the opportunity, the nonprofit committed—investing over $100,000 in its first year, with support from HubSpot platinum partner HubSnacks. Their website was selected for HubSpot's DEMO Days, but COVID cancellations erased the opportunity. The investment left the nonprofit in post-pandemic debt, but the team pressed on to train marginalized college students in SEO, digital marketing, and public health content through a virtual internship program.

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That promising start soon became a financial trap.

"We were unknowingly roped into tiered packages with features we didn't use," said Cynthia Cherise Murphy, co-founder of Assuaged. "We only needed the meeting scheduler from the Sales Hub—but had to pay for the full package. Every 1,000 CRM contacts added $50 to $100."

As HubSpot's pricing evolved, dependency deepened. Despite limited usage, the nonprofit had to absorb rising costs. Even after negotiating a 75% nonprofit discount, Assuaged still spent $36,392.16 between 2019 and 2025. Without discounts, costs would've exceeded $150,000. HubSpot denied downgrade requests and enforced strict two-year contracts.

"We paid $2,100 per quarter—often with personal family funds," said Murphy. "When we tried to leave, they used the contract against us."

By 2025, the website had over 50,000 monthly visitors and 1300+ blogs—but the costs were no longer sustainable. Assuaged rebuilt its site on Shopify for $9/month using the same backend code. The rebuild cost just $300, cutting overhead by over 90% and restoring grant eligibility.

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"We were denied grants—including from the Robert & Toni Bader Charitable Foundation—because our expenses were too high," said Tamifer Lewis, Executive Board Member.

"I've never been impressed by HubSpot," added Crystal Rylowicz, Executive Director of Practicums. "It's expensive, slow without ongoing custom coding, and constantly changing. I've learned more from Canva and LinkedIn Learning."

Since 2017, Assuaged has supported over 1,000 students through remote mentorship, celebrity-led training, and job placement. The program is endorsed by universities, government agencies, and industry leaders.

Thane and Cynthia Murphy continue to fund the nonprofit while raising a family. They recently welcomed their six-month-old niece, Skyla, from foster care—joining their 20-month-old daughter, Novalee Rose.

Visit https://assuagedfoundation.org/