Nonprofit FAQs

GiveCamp is a weekend-long event where software developers, designers, database administrators and creative professionals donate their time to create custom software for nonprofit organizations. The only limitation is that the project should be scoped to be able to be completed in one weekend.

We do our best to get the word out and we often receive press coverage at the event.

Your proposal will be used as the blueprint for your application. The more specific your proposal is, the easier it will be to complete your project. When preparing to complete the application here are some things to keep in mind.

• What is the objective of the project? What problem will it solve?
• Are you requesting a new application or an update to an existing application?
• If it is not a new application what software was used to create your existing solution and do you have access to the original source code?
• Will you be hosting your application or do you need a hosting service?
• What information will you need to track?
• Do any users have special needs?
• Describe the ongoing needs for importing data into the system, and exporting it from the system.
• List any reports.
• Describe performance requirements, issues, and concerns.
• Describe security requirements.

In lieu of a 990, we need a projected budget with income and expense projections. Also, any financials available such as income statements, bank statements, etc. will help your case.

If you are one of the projects selected, a business analyst will contact you to finalize your design requirements and prepare for the weekend.

It is a requirement of GiveCamp that you must have representation at the event. If someone cannot commit to attending the event your proposal will automatically be declined.

Nonprofits must complete their own applications and we encourage you to make the information as complete as possible. If your project is selected, a volunteer business analyst will help you with any open items prior to the event.

Yes! Each charity will be provided with all the knowledge required to maintain, update and extend their application.

There will be many developers at the event, all with a wide range of skills. However, please try to submit only applications that you think can be completed in a weekend. If you are unsure if your application is small enough for a weekend project, please submit it anyway and we will let you know if it fits into the scope of a weekend.

We will be making selections on a rolling basis. So, nonprofits should submit their proposals as soon as possible to have the best chance for consideration.

If you already have your own hardware or a hosting provider, you will be provided with instructions on how to deploy your new application. If not, we are asking for sponsorship from local and national hosting providers to provide hosting for free or at a discounted rate for your organization to sign up with.

The number of developer volunteers will allow us to select one charity for each 4-5 developers.