Develop for Good

What Develop for Good does

Develop for Good is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in Spring 2020 at Stanford University and headquartered in San Francisco. The organization operates a volunteer tech program coordination platform that connects teams of diverse college students with nonprofit clients under the guidance of industry mentors. Projects are delivered through structured 16-week batches, each committing approximately 800 hours of technical work delivered by a team typically comprising one Product Manager, one Design/Technical Manager, four to six designers/engineers, and dedicated mentors. Three integrated service modules — UX research and UI design, website design and development, and a newly piloted AI audit and strategy service — sit on top of an in-house algorithmic matching system that assigns student volunteers to project teams based on technical skills and social impact interests.

The underlying technology stack emphasizes accessibility and rapid delivery rather than proprietary infrastructure. Student teams build on mainstream CMS platforms (Webflow, Squarespace, Wix), use Figma for prototyping, and integrate analytics via Google Analytics; AI workflow components are assembled from best-of-breed tools (Slack, Airtable, Zapier, Make) augmented by coding assistants such as GitHub Copilot and Cursor. Applications from nonprofits, students, and mentors are funneled through Airtable and JotForm respectively, with hybrid evaluation scoring across Technical, Passion, Resilience, and Leadership categories and a human review layer for consistency. Donations are processed through PayPal. The organization does not expose a public API or SDK and operates the program management layer as an internal web application.

The business model is hybrid nonprofit. Core revenue is grant and donation-based, drawing from a broad sponsor portfolio that includes Okta ($25,000 grant), Fidelity Charitable, a16z, Adobe, PwC, ServiceNow, AWS, Google, Twilio, HP, GitHub, Akamai, and Bloomberg; Stanford Law School provides pro bono legal services. A complementary revenue stream is a flat $1,000 fee per 16-week project charged to nonprofit clients (with hardship discounts), which is reinvested into volunteer swag and operations. Student participation is free, and selected underserved students receive $1,536 unrestricted cash grants through the Develop for Good Fellows program. Cumulative reach as of the most recent reporting includes 293,000+ technical hours volunteered, 4,700+ student and mentor volunteers, 320+ completed nonprofit software projects, and a volunteer footprint across 35+ countries.

Name

Develop for Good

Legal name

Develop for Good

Website

https://developforgood.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Develop for Good is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs 16-week tech volunteer programs, pairing diverse college students and industry mentors with nonprofit clients to deliver custom websites, mobile apps, and AI strategy at a flat $1,000 fee per project.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Technology Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education & Teaching Volunteer Programs (EDAIAGAD), After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC)

Keywords

• Nonprofit technology services
• Skills-based volunteering
• Pro bono software development
• Student tech mentorship
• Custom web development

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Develop for Good generates revenue primarily through donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Major supporters include Okta ($25,000 grant), Fidelity Charitable, a16z, Adobe, PwC, ServiceNow, AWS, and others. Revenue supports program operations and the Fellows program for underserved students.
2. Nonprofit Service Fees: Nonprofit clients pay a flat fee of $1,000 per 16-week project batch. This fee is invested back into volunteer swag and sustaining the organization. Discounts may be available for nonprofits facing extenuating financial circumstances.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Develop for Good coordinates 16-week technology volunteer programs in which teams of diverse college students and industry mentors design and build custom software (websites, mobile apps, UX/UI design, AI strategy) for nonprofit organizations. Nonprofits pay a flat $1,000 fee per project batch; students participate free of charge and may receive cash grants through the Fellows program. The organization has delivered 320+ projects totaling 293K+ technical volunteer hours.

Product overview

Develop for Good operates as a single unified platform coordinating technology volunteer programs for nonprofits. The core platform manages applications, volunteer matching, and program delivery across 16-week batches. Three integrated service modules—UX Research & UI Design, Website Design & Development, and AI Audit & Strategy—provide custom nonprofit software development. A companion sub-program, the Develop for Good Fellows Program, provides cash grants to support underrepresented students. The organization connects student volunteers from diverse universities with nonprofit clients, delivering approximately 800 hours of technical work per project at a flat fee of $1,000.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Develop for Good Fellows: A financial assistance program that provides $1,536 unrestricted cash grants to selected Fellows from underserved or underrepresented backgrounds who successfully complete the program.

Products and services

• Volunteer Tech Program Coordination Platform Web-based platform that coordinates 16-week technology volunteer programs connecting college students, industry mentors, and nonprofit organizations; manages applications, matching, project scoping, and program delivery for custom nonprofit software projects.
• UX Research & UI Design Services Student-led design sprint service covering user personas, journey maps, competitive analyses, information architecture, design systems, visual design, and prototyping for nonprofits; uses Optimal Workshop, Dovetail, Typeform, Google Forms, and Hotjar.
• Website Design & Development Services Custom website design and development for nonprofits including responsive implementation, custom HTML/CSS/JavaScript, third-party integrations, and SEO analytics; supports Webflow, Squarespace, and Wix content management systems with Figma for design prototyping.
• AI Audit & Strategy Services AI readiness assessment and strategy consulting including workflow audits, use case identification, AI tool evaluation, and implementation roadmap development; evaluates ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, and integrates Slack, Airtable, Zapier, Make.
• Develop for Good Fellows Program Financial support initiative providing $1,536 unrestricted cash grants to underserved and underrepresented college students who demonstrate financial need and successfully complete the volunteer program; aims to remove financial barriers to participation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 293K+ technical hours volunteered, saving nonprofits an estimated $13M+ in development costs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Inspiring ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCraig Young, Founder of Inspiring Service, serves on Develop for Good's Board of Directors, indicating a strategic partnership in volunteer service innovation.
• Stanford Law SchoolminorOthersStanford Law School provides pro bono legal services and support as an in-kind donor.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• VolunteerMatch: VolunteerMatch is a broad volunteer-matching platform connecting nonprofits with skilled and general volunteers. Comparable in nonprofit audience and volunteer-matching model, but without Develop for Good's structured 16-week cohort methodology or student focus.
• Taproot Foundation: Taproot Foundation runs pro bono consulting and technology programs connecting skilled professionals with nonprofits, similar in mission and nonprofit-customer base. Comparable in providing structured engagement frameworks for nonprofit capacity building.
• Catchafire: Catchafire is a skills-based volunteering platform that matches professionals with nonprofits for project-based engagements. Most directly comparable to Develop for Good in mission, audience (nonprofits + skilled volunteers), and project-delivery model — though Catchafire uses paid professionals whereas Develop for Good uses student volunteers under mentorship.
• Code for America: Code for America organizes volunteer technologists to build digital tools for government and nonprofits through brigade-style programs. Highly comparable in tech-volunteer-for-mission positioning, though focused on civic/government clients and using experienced pro bono technologists rather than students.

Broad incumbents

• TechSoup Global: TechSoup provides nonprofits with technology products, services, and capacity-building resources globally. Comparable in nonprofit-tech capacity-building focus and global reach (over 35 countries like Develop for Good), but offers donated software rather than custom volunteer-built solutions.
• Points of Light: Points of Light is a large, established nonprofit focused on mobilizing volunteers across causes, including corporate volunteer programs. Comparable in volunteer-engagement mission and corporate-partnership model, but operates at much larger scale across many cause areas.

Peers

• Salesforce.org (Salesforce Philanthropy Cloud):

Emerging players

• Microsoft TEALS: Microsoft TEALS brings industry tech professionals into high school classrooms as volunteer instructors to build CS capacity. Comparable in industry-volunteer-driven STEM education model and overlap in advisory network (Kevin Wang, Develop for Good advisor, founded TEALS).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/develop_4_good
• Facebookfacebook.com/developforgood
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/develop-for-good
• Instagraminstagram.com/developforgood

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Develop for Good