Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about Tech for Good Basecamp 2025

For Tech Participants

The selection process includes four steps:

  1. Application – Fill out the online application form.
  2. Review Process – Our team reviews applications based on experience, passion for social impact, and fit with our community values.
  3. Confirmation – Selected participants receive detailed event information and track selection guidance.
  4. Event Participation – Join the 3-day program and collaborate with nonprofits or work on AI solutions.

After you are selected and confirmed, your participation begins with the Online Welcome Session (Thu, Oct 30, 4–6 PM PT). During this session, 8 nonprofits will present their real-world challenges (10 minutes each).

Selection:

Following the session, you'll use a short form to rank your top 3 preferred nonprofits or choose the Open Track (bring your own social impact idea). We'll review all preferences and team sizes, then confirm your specific placement before the event.

Team Formation (Day 1):

You'll first meet all participants assigned to your specific nonprofit or track. Then, you'll self-organize into small project teams on-site, selecting teammates based on shared interests and skills. This approach balances smooth logistics with the freedom to find the right teammates once you're there.

We welcome both individuals and pre-formed teams—either way works!

Individual Applicants

Simply fill out the application form on your own. You'll be matched with a nonprofit or track during the selection process and will form your project team on Day 1 on-site.

For Pre-formed Teams

We welcome pre-formed teams, but please note these key steps and considerations:

Individual Application Required:

Each member must submit their own application. We review and select participants individually to ensure commitment and fit.

Listing Teammates:

List your teammates' names in your application and later in the nonprofit/track selection form.

Placement Guarantee:
  • Open Track: If your team chooses the Open Track, we can guarantee you'll all be placed together in that track, giving you full flexibility to form your team onsite.
  • Specific Nonprofit: If you select a specific nonprofit, we will do our very best to assign you to the same one. However, we cannot 100% guarantee placement together, as final decisions depend on overall participant preferences and maintaining team balance.

Acceptance Email

  • You'll receive an email from contact@svtech4good.org (check your spam/junk folder just in case).
  • Both acceptance and non-acceptance notices come from this address.

Agreement & Waiver

  • Accepted participants will sign a DocuSign agreement & waiver.
  • We'll also collect your basic info (via Airtable) to build the participant directory.

Online Welcome Session — Thu, Oct 30 · 4–6 PM (PT)

  • Join live to hear short presentations from each nonprofit.
  • If you can't attend, we'll share a recording afterward.

Nonprofit / Track Selection

After the welcome session, you'll fill out a form to rank your preferred nonprofits or choose the Open Track.

Attend the 3-Day Basecamp (Nov 7–9)

Arrive onsite, meet your teammates, and start co-creating!

We welcome tech professionals with:

  • 2+ years of professional experience in engineering, product, design, or data
  • Passion for social impact and willingness to learn about nonprofit challenges
  • Collaborative mindset and openness to diverse perspectives
  • Weekend availability for the full Nov 7-9 event

We value diverse skill sets and backgrounds. Both technical depth and breadth are welcomed!

Consider these factors:

Choose Nonprofit Track if you:

  • Want direct interaction with nonprofit leaders
  • Prefer working on specific, real-world challenges
  • Enjoy human-centered design processes

Choose AI Open Track if you:

  • Want to explore AI/ML applications for social good
  • Prefer more technical innovation freedom
  • Are excited about emerging tech solutions

The event requires full weekend participation:

  • Friday, Nov 7: noon–6pm (Team formation & challenge discovery)
  • Saturday, Nov 8: 10am–6pm (Co-creation & prototyping)
  • Sunday, Nov 9: 10am–6pm (Development & final presentations)

We also encourage participants to stay for the networking mixer on Sunday evening. No additional time commitment is required after the event, though some teams choose to continue collaborating!

No cost! The event is completely free for selected tech participants. We provide all meals, snacks, and materials needed for the weekend. Donations are welcomed after the event to help us continue this mission, but are entirely optional.

Our Stanford d.school facilitator will guide you through human-centered design methodology:

  • Empathy building: Understanding nonprofit challenges from multiple perspectives
  • Problem definition: Framing challenges in actionable, solvable ways
  • Ideation techniques: Structured brainstorming for innovative solutions
  • Rapid prototyping: Building and testing ideas quickly

These sessions help ensure your solutions are both technically feasible and truly useful for the nonprofits.

Still Have Questions?

We're here to help! Reach out to us and we'll get back to you quickly.

Email Us: contact@svtech4good.org