Claim Non-Profit Deals & Grants for Your SEC-Registered Club

What to prepare before you start

• SEC Certificate of IncorporationIn the club's own legal name, showing the SEC registration number.
• Articles of Incorporation and By-LawsThey must state that the club is a non-stock, non-profit corporation.
• Latest General Information Sheet (GIS)Supporting proof of the current officers and the club's address.
• A signed document linking you to the clubBoard meeting minutes, a certificate of service or a volunteer confirmation letter — signed, showing the club's legal name and your full name, and dated more than 30 days ago.
• A club bank statement (optional, speeds up review)The original electronic PDF from the bank, in the club's legal name — not a scan.
• A club-owned email addressOne that stays with the club when officers change every July 1.

The programs at a glance

Step by step

1. 1

   Confirm the club itself is SEC-registered

   15 minutes

   Every program verifies the legal entity that applies. Your club's charter from Rotary International and the district's own registration do not count — the SEC certificate must be in your club's name.

   Find the club's Certificate of Incorporation and check three things: the name matches the name you will apply under, the certificate carries an SEC registration number, and the Articles describe the club as non-stock and non-profit.

   • Ask past presidents and the club secretary first — the certificate is often in a predecessor's files.
   • Check that the club has kept filing its annual GIS. A club whose registration has been suspended or revoked should fix that with the SEC before applying anywhere.

   Not registered yet? Stop here. These programs cannot be claimed with a personal name, a member's business, or the district's registration. Incorporating the club with the SEC is a separate process — raise it with your board first.

   SEC Philippines

   Mark step as done
2. 2

   Build one document folder you can reuse

   30–45 minutes

   All four programs ask for roughly the same evidence, so scan everything once. Save each document as its own clearly named PDF in a shared club folder.

   Two kinds of proof are needed: that the club is a registered non-profit, and that you personally are authorised to act for it. The verifier used by Google and Canva accepts organisation-issued documents such as by-laws, board meeting minutes, a volunteer confirmation letter or a certificate of service — signed, in PDF, showing the club's legal name and your full name, and dated more than 30 days ago.

   • Scan in colour, all pages, right way up. Cropped or unreadable pages are the most common reason for delays.
   • A bank statement must be the bank's original electronic PDF — a scanned printout is not accepted.
   • Use the club's legal name exactly as it appears on the SEC certificate in every form, including punctuation and "Inc."

   Ask the board to minute a short resolution naming the officer who will apply on the club's behalf. Minutes older than 30 days double as your proof of association.

   Mark step as done
3. 3

   Apply with a club-owned email, not a personal one

   15 minutes

   Whoever applies becomes the administrator of every account that follows. Club officers change each Rotary year, so an application made from a president's personal Gmail leaves with that president.

   Create or reuse an address the club controls, store its password and recovery details with the club secretary's records, and add a second officer as a recovery contact.

   If the club owns a domain, use an address on it. Google Workspace for Nonprofits has to be attached to a domain the club controls, so this saves a step later.

   Mark step as done
4. 4

   Register with TechSoup Philippines

   20 minutes, then up to 10 business days

   TechSoup is the long-standing gateway for donated software. Once the club is qualified, officers can request products from the catalogue and pay only a small administrative fee per item.

   TechSoup Philippines requires organisations to be registered with the SEC, and asks for the SEC Certificate and Articles of Incorporation showing non-stock, non-profit status.

   • Create an account on the TechSoup Philippines site and register the club, entering the SEC number exactly as printed.
   • Email soft copies of the documents to [email protected], including your name, your email address and the club's name.
   • Wait for qualification — it takes up to 10 business days. Reply promptly if they ask for a clearer copy.

   Create a TechSoup Philippines account Eligibility requirements

   Mark step as done
5. 5

   Apply to Google for Nonprofits

   20 minutes, then 3–5 business days

   For the Philippines, Google accepts organisations registered as a donee institution or as another non-stock corporation operating not for profit. Government bodies, hospitals and schools are excluded.

   Go to the Google for Nonprofits site, choose Get started and follow the account request. Google passes your details to its verification partner, Goodstack, who may email you for documents.

   • Watch the inbox — and the spam folder — for mail from [email protected]. Most requests are reviewed within 3–5 business days.
   • Once approved, activate each product separately from the Google for Nonprofits dashboard: Workspace for Nonprofits, Ad Grants, the YouTube Nonprofit Program and Maps Platform credits.
   • Start with Workspace — club email addresses and a shared Drive solve the yearly handover problem. Ad Grants, which provides in-kind search advertising, has its own website-quality review and ongoing account rules.

   Google for Nonprofits Philippines eligibility guidelines

   Mark step as done
6. 6

   Apply to Canva for Nonprofits

   15 minutes, then a few business days

   Canva gives approved non-profits its premium features free for one team of up to 50 people — enough for the club's public image committee and every project chair.

   Sign in with the club's Canva account, open the Canva for Nonprofits page and submit the application. Verification again runs through Goodstack, so the documents from Step 2 are all you need.

   Meeting the registration requirement does not guarantee approval. Canva reviews each request against its own guidelines, which exclude government, political and educational organisations among others.

   Canva for Nonprofits Eligibility guidelines

   Mark step as done
7. 7

   Apply to Microsoft for Nonprofits (optional)

   20 minutes, review time varies

   Microsoft grants eligible non-profits Microsoft 365 Business Basic seats and discounts of up to 75% on other plans. Apply through Microsoft's nonprofit registration page with the same documents.

   Read Microsoft's eligibility page before you apply. Its list of ineligible organisations includes "political, labor, and fraternal organizations", and Microsoft alone decides how an application is classified. Describe the club by what it does — community service projects — and be prepared for either answer.

   • Granted (free) licences may only be assigned to paid staff and unpaid executive leadership — officers and board members. They are not for the general membership.
   • Discounted licences may be assigned to volunteers as well.
   • Microsoft expects unused granted licences to be removed regularly.

   If the club already runs on Google Workspace, you can skip this step. Two office suites mean two sets of accounts to hand over every July.

   Microsoft nonprofit eligibility

   Mark step as done
8. 8

   Keep the benefits alive after your term

   Ongoing

   An approval belongs to the club, not to the officer who applied. Most clubs lose these benefits not through rejection but through a forgotten password at turnover.

   • Keep a one-page asset register with the club secretary: every account, its login email, the current administrators, where recovery codes are held and the date of the last handover.
   • Add the president-elect as an administrator in April so the transition happens before July 1. Remove outgoing officers only after the new ones have confirmed access.
   • Keep filing the club's annual GIS with the SEC. Providers re-verify periodically, and a lapsed registration ends eligibility.
   • Use the products only for club and service work. Personal or business use by members breaks the programs' terms and puts the club's approval at risk.

   Mark step as done

Common questions