Online Impacts Onboarding Guide
If you are representing a charity or you currently work for a charity that was hosted or designed by Online Impacts (onlineimpacts.org) start here to get help for your organization. You get instant access to many of our free tools and products right away!
Free For Charity 501c3 Supported Charity Products and Services for Former Online Impacts Supported Charities
Lets get started on your transfer today
Great News. As an Online Impacts supported charity you already have much of what you need to convert over to Free For Charity to support your .org domain name, professional website, email, and more!
Under the Free For Charity model your .org domain is registered and managed through Cloudflare Registrar, your website is a fast, secure GitHub Pages static site that we build for you from the Free For Charity template, and your professional email runs on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace once your 501(c)(3) status is confirmed. We handle the setup and ongoing management so you can focus on your mission.
We are here to help. If you run into any issues or have questions about the changes, please reach out directly to:
Clarke Moyer the founder of Free For Charity at clarkemoyer@freeforcharity.org or text me at 520-222-8104
Pardhasaradhi Namburi the founder of Online Impacts at pardhu@onlineimpacts.org
About Free For Charity
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 leastGold 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: 501(c)(3) Status Verification via GuideStar
What is GuideStar?
Our Benefit: By using the GuideStar profile page for 501(c)(3) status verification, our organization aligns itself with a respected authority in nonprofit 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 credibility and visibility. It reassures donors and stakeholders of your 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:
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?
Free For Charity builds your website for you. Once your onboarding application is approved, we start from our tested FFC template and publish 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 nothing for you to install, host, or maintain — no servers, control panels, or plugins to manage.
What We Handle
- Building your site from the Free For Charity template
- Publishing it as a GitHub Pages static site (fast, secure, and free to host)
- Validating it live on its GitHub Pages address, then connecting it to your Cloudflare-managed domain with HTTPS once we register it
- Ongoing hosting, updates, and maintenance
What We Need From You
Your launch timing is driven by content readiness. The sooner you provide your logo, mission, program details, photos, and page copy, the sooner we can build and launch. If you already have an existing website, share the URL and we will carry the relevant content into your new FFC site.
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
As always if you run into problems contact us at anytime clarkemoyer@freeforcharity.org 520-222-8104
Did FFC help your charity? Share your experience
A few sentences from you helps the next charity trust us with their website — and helps donors see the mission working. Share your story (Microsoft Forms) → We only publish with your consent, per our consent policy.
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