Ask one of your donors or board members – It’s okay to note your need in a newsletter or mention it at a board meeting. You may be surprised at how many people have upgraded their computers recently and don’t know what to do with their old ones.
Don’t buy the extended warranty – It’s usually not worth the extra money, but you may want to consider it for a laptop which is more difficult to repair. When it doubt, check the reviews for similar machines. Users will tell you if the warranty is needed or not.
Buy memory later – Memory is generally cheaper when it’s bought through a third party and is very easy to upgrade in a desktop. You can compare costs of additional memory built in to the machine versus buying through a vendor, such as crucial.