Everything you need to know about Tech for Good Basecamp 2025
The selection process has four steps:
We select nonprofits based on three key criteria:
We prioritize nonprofits that are ready to engage actively in the collaborative process and can commit their representatives to the required sessions.
We recommend that at least two representatives join:
The more perspectives you bring, the better! Having additional staff present provides our tech participants with richer insights and helps us design solutions that are more relevant to your organization's needs.
We encourage you to bring real, pressing challenges your organization faces that could benefit from a tech-driven solution.
To help you brainstorm, we've created a set of guiding questions that will help you frame your challenge in a way that works well for the hackathon.
Any solutions, prototypes, or knowledge created during the three days belong to your nonprofit. You are free to use, adapt, or scale the work however you wish — at no cost.
If your nonprofit is interested in continuing, you may choose to stay in touch with the tech volunteers you worked with. From that point, the nonprofit leads the follow-up process, deciding how collaboration should move forward. We'll also provide optional check-ins for up to 2 months.
No. Unlike tech participants, nonprofit leaders have a lighter but critical schedule:
Your presence at these touchpoints ensures the tech teams stay aligned with your needs.
Our program only works if everyone commits. Missing a required session can mean your tech team doesn't get the input they need, which limits the quality of the final solution. Please ensure that your nonprofit representatives are on time and fully present for all scheduled sessions.
The selection process has three steps:
Our selection process focuses on finding experienced professionals who are genuinely committed to using their skills for social impact:
We review applications on a rolling basis and conduct brief interviews to ensure a good fit for both participants and nonprofit partners.
Although it bears some resemblance to a hackathon, it's actually much more.
Like a hackathon, participants form teams, brainstorm, and build solutions over three days, culminating in a pitch presentation. But this event also includes:
So while it's high-energy like a hackathon, it's also a curated, guided experience focused on meaningful impact.
No — you apply as an individual. We'll interview and accept participants individually.
On Day 1, we'll guide you through a team formation process so you can connect with others who share your interests and strengths.
If you already know someone who is accepted, you're welcome to team up with them during formation.
We ask that tech participants have at least 3 years of professional experience in software engineering, product, design, or related fields. This ensures teams have the maturity and expertise to produce actionable solutions for nonprofits.
Tech participants are expected to attend all three days in full:
Your consistent presence is critical — teams depend on your skills and engagement throughout the event.
All intellectual property created belongs to the nonprofit organization you partnered with. Your contribution helps them move forward. However, if you'd like to keep volunteering afterwards, you're welcome to stay involved on a case-by-case basis.
No. Success in this event comes from collaboration, not competition. Judges evaluate based on impact, feasibility, and innovation, but the real win is creating something nonprofits can use.
We're here to help! Reach out to us and we'll get back to you quickly.