501(c)3 Onboarding Guide
Apply to get a free, professionally built website for your charity—a fast, secure GitHub Pages site built with AI—plus free .org domains, Microsoft 365 email, and technology tools. Start your application below; you get instant access to many of our free products right away.
Before you apply: review the charity prerequisites and the full step-by-step onboarding on the FFC Admin portal.
Full step-by-step guide on FFC Admin(opens FFC Admin in a new tab)Free For Charity 501c3 Supported Charity Products and Services
Free For Charity is a US based 501c3 charity for charities that provides other US based 501(c)(3) organizations with free .org domain name registration, professional website design tools and templates, as well as ongoing website management and digital infrastructure services.
Our mission is to empower charities with a strong digital presence, enabling them to effectively communicate their cause and engage supporters online.
By offering these essential services always at no cost, we ensure that even small non-profits can present themselves professionally in the digital world, enhancing their visibility and impact.
Before You Begin Onboarding
Obtain the following information and materials ready to ensure you can complete the onboarding steps
- 501(c)(3) determination letter from the IRS
- EIN (Employer Identification Number)
- Board member information:
- Names
- Titles
- Contact information (Including a LinkedIn Profile link)
- Brief bios
- Mission statement
- Most recent Form 990
- Annual report (if available)
- List of programs and services
- Financial statements for the past two years
- Current operating budget
- Strategic plan (if available)
- Existing website URL (if applicable)
- Social media account links
- Logo files (high-resolution)
- Any existing brand guidelines
Before proceeding, ensure your charity agrees to use and sets up:
- A yourcharityname@outlook.com Email Address
- Used to sign up for all other accounts until you have your professional email address
- An up-to-date GuideStar profile
- (Please read our GuideStar Guide, we require charities to have at least Gold Seal of Transparency to receive our services.)
- A Verified Nonprofit Facebook Page
- Used as an initial validation for your charity mission and used by other validators as proof of existence.
- A Verified Nonprofit LinkedIn Page
- Used as an initial validation for your charity Team Members and used by other validators as proof of existence.
- A VolunteerMatch profile
- Used to gain board members and volunteers with a widget from your website
- A TechSoup account and validation
- Used to gain many charity discounts including QuickBooks
- A PayPal account for nonprofits
- Used to accept donations on your website and on Facebook
Step 1: 501C3 Status Verification via GuideStar (Only approves US Based 501c organizations)
What is GuideStar?
Our Benefit: By using the GuideStar profile page for 501C3 status verification, our organization aligns itself with a respected authority in non-profit transparency. This association strengthens our reputation as a diligent and responsible entity in the philanthropic sector. It also ensures that we can check the NTEE codes to match mission alignment.
Your Benefit: For your charity, achieving validation through GuideStar enhances your charity’s credibility and visibility. It reassures donors and stakeholders of its legal compliance and ethical standing, potentially increasing funding opportunities.
We require two links from your GuideStar page, the public profile link, and the ‘full profile’ link. See our GuideStar guide for instructions on how to find them.
Step 2: Board Contact Information
We require full contact information for the three key roles on your charity’s board: President / Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. You may optionally provide information for a Vice President / Vice Chair and/or an additional Member-At-Large, but the three key roles are non-optional.
Step 3: Primary and Technical Contact Information
We require full contact information for your charity’s primary and technical contacts. Additionally please provide the time-zone and best contact hours for the primary contact. The primary and technical contacts should match those listed in GuideStar.
Ready to Get Started Now?
Once your onboarding application is approved, you will receive an email from the system with the code to submit your website application. A Free For Charity volunteer then builds your website from the FFC template as a fast, secure GitHub Pages static site. Your site goes live on its free GitHub Pages address first — no custom domain yet — and we validate it with you end to end. There is no server to maintain and nothing for you to install.
What we need from you
- Your logo
- Photos of your organization and its work
- Your mission text
- Descriptions of your programs
Having this content ready is the main factor in how quickly your site can launch. Once we have it, our volunteers handle the build and go-live for you.
As always, if you run into problems, contact us anytime clarkemoyer@freeforcharity.org 520-222-8104
Free For Charity provides free .org domain names to US 501c3 organizations. Once your website is live and validated on its GitHub Pages address, request your domain — we register a new .org (or transfer your current domain name to us), point it at your validated site, and manage it while paying the annual fees. We only purchase domains for websites that are already working and validated.
Visit https://freeforcharity.org/domains and follow all steps
Once we have the domain name under management we can then set up your professional email addresses e.g. board@yourcharityname.org
Professional email can be set up with Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, both free for eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofits.
As always if you run into problems contact us at anytime clarkemoyer@freeforcharity.org 520-222-8104
Have questions about consultation or hosting? Want to know more about nonprofits? Looking to chat? Give a real person a call:
Clarke Moyer (520) 222-8104