All eligible nonprofits or organizations must be able to present documents officiating their status as any of the following:
- U.S.-based nonprofits: letters of determination indicating proof of registration as a nonprofit
- Non-U.S.-based nonprofits: proof of registered charity/nonprofit status in home country
- Governing agencies/international organizations: proof of status
Although we resonate with the missions of social good start-ups and companies, we cannot match volunteer developers and designers with for-profit organizations under the Fair Labor Standards Act. If you are a for-profit group interested in recruiting our university talent, please reach out to Mary Zhu at mary@developforgood.org!
At the end of the program, we make sure to document all work before the handover.
For engineering projects, we’ll provide all code and documentation to enable smooth integration into your organization's existing infrastructure.
For design projects, we’ll organize all design assets and, if applicable, guide you through how to maintain the build-out low/no-code product and make changes in the future.
Each and every one of the student and mentor volunteers matched to your project team is carefully evaluated by our management team. First, our Product Leads manually review each candidate's application materials and score them across Technical, Passion, Resilience, and Leadership categories. Candidates who pass this evaluation are fed into our in-house matching algorithm. Our proprietary algorithm ensures that your project is matched with an optimal team of volunteers who have the technical ability and intrinsic passion to bring your product to life.
If your project team experiences re-staffing or additional staffing needs throughout the 16 weeks, Develop for Good is happy to provide available new talent as needed for free.
Each project is charged a flat $1,000 fee for 16 weeks (or up to ~800 hours!) of technical work. If your entire project requires more than 4 months to be fully completed, you may opt in to continue having work done on the project in the subsequent project batch for another flat $1,000 fee (think of us like a tech team service subscription). All fees are invested directly back into Develop for Good to ensure a quality experience for both student volunteers and clients like you.
After passing the initial screening, you will be asked to submit a $250 security deposit to confirm your spot before we carefully match a project team optimized for your project. In the small chance we experience difficulty with finding talent fit for your project, we will let you know as soon as possible before the start of the batch to refund 100% of your security deposit.
After the project scoping phase ends by week 4, you will be asked to submit the remaining $750 fee before the project development phase commences.
If you do not agree with the deliverable recommended by your project team during the project scoping period, you will be given the option to withdraw from the program before the project development phase with no penalty. 100% of your security deposit will be refunded and you will have received a free month of technical consulting. No additional fees will be charged to your nonprofit.
If your nonprofit cannot afford the fee, we're open to partially or fully waiving fees on a case-by-case basis. We have space for you to tell us about any extenuating financial circumstances in the project proposal application.
We directly recruit some of the most talented, high-potential university tech students in the world for your project. Our students are the cream of the crop, and are target technical recruits for both large tech companies and rising startups alike.
At the same time, all of the members of our project teams are part-time student volunteers, who are likely also juggling coursework, internships, or other commitments. Rest-assured, we require each student to allot 5-10 hours of work per week for your project by signed agreement.
Sometimes, as often happens in industry, projects are blocked due to unexpected factors or circumstances that arise. Develop for Good is not liable for the outcome of your project, and we cannot contractually guarantee or obligate our student volunteers to fully meet your expectations or complete the target deliverable(s). However, we will maximize chances of project success by rigorously selecting the most talented and passionate candidates, enforcing a 4-month program structure conducive to creating quality output, and equipping teams with mentorship from industry professionals, curated tools, resources, and support. If you feel that the members of your team are not meeting your expectations, we're happy to add new talent to your project. The Develop for Good management team will be there to provide you with anything we can to help your project succeed.
All of this is to say that our model has been intentionally structured this way because it has a proven track record of success. Please visit our Our work page for client testimonials and case studies of past successful projects!
After you click 'Submit' on our nonprofit project application, our Product Leads manually screen your proposal to ensure that your project utilizes technologies our community is familiar with (namely, the options listed on our application) and that there are no budgetary, legal, or ethical concerns with your proposal. Nonprofits that pass this initial review are accepted into our program and will submit an initial $250 security deposit. In the weeks leading up to the start of the batch, we will be matching vetted tech talent to your confirmed project. In the small chance we experience difficulty with finding talent fit for your project, we will let you know as soon as possible before the start of the batch to refund 100% of your security deposit.
The project scoping phase begins in the first 4 out of 16 weeks. During this time, your project team will work with you to mutually decide on a tangible technical deliverable to be completed by the end of the program. There is a possibility the deliverable may not be exactly what you described in your proposal, whether it's because the team identifies a more optimal solution, or because the team determines only a phase of the larger product can be feasibly completed in the given time frame. Once a mutual agreement is met, new Product Requirements Documents and Statements of Work are signed by all participants before the project development phase begins.
If you do not agree with the deliverable recommended by your project team during the project scoping period, you will be given the option to withdraw from the program before the project development phase with no penalty. 100% of your $250 security deposit will be refunded and you will have received a free month of technical consulting. No additional fees will be charged to your nonprofit.
Please submit a proposal for an engineering project only if you will have completed designs/prototypes of the product before our batch begins. Otherwise, we ask that you submit a design project proposal so our team can first focus on creating robust, research-backed designs for your product. Afterwards, we’re happy to match a team of engineers to code and build out your product during the subsequent project batch!
Nonprofit point-of-contacts meet with our project teams for a 1-hour sync every week throughout the 16-week engagement. This session is an opportunity for you to provide feedback on progress, answer questions, and ensure that the project team's work is aligned with your vision every step of the way. Team meetings occur weekly between Sunday - Tuesday. You'll be able to indicate which days/times you're available on the nonprofit project proposal application.
We also expect nonprofit clients to acknowledge or confirm receipt of messages on a timely basis (within 48 hours during the weekdays). The success of the project depends heavily on everyone's ability to respond quickly and communicate clearly and effectively.
Demo Day is a public virtual celebration of the work your project team completes for your nonprofit. We would love to elevate your nonprofit's platform through this event if you choose to attend! Prospective nonprofit clients are welcome to attend upcoming Demo Days to view real examples of completed projects.
Absolutely! Although Develop for Good is not responsible for maintaining or updating the project after the deliverables are handed off at the end of the batch, we would still absolutely love to engage repeatedly with you. If you have a larger, multi-phase project, we would love to dedicate as many 16-week batches it takes to fully launch your product. We are also excited to take on multiple projects from the same organization concurrently. Think of us as your subscription custom tech team!
