The eligibility paperwork map for African NGOs.

Almost every registered NGO in Africa qualifies for free enterprise software from Salesforce, Google, Slack and Canva. The programmes are real, they are permanent, and they are worth tens of thousands of dollars a year. Yet most small NGOs never get in. The blocker is rarely the technology. It is the paperwork. Vendors need to confirm you are a genuine nonprofit before they hand over the licenses, and they confirm it by checking documents. Get those documents in order once and every application after that becomes a form-filling exercise instead of a wall.

This is the map. It covers the two documents that unlock everything, the full checklist to keep on file, what each vendor adds on top, the order to do things in, and the mistakes that get applications rejected. Whatever your country calls these documents, the underlying test is the same everywhere.

Start here: the two documents that unlock everything

Every vendor is really asking the same two questions: are you a legally registered organisation, and are you recognised as a nonprofit or NGO. Two documents answer them, and nearly every programme is built around this pair.

The first is your registration document, the certificate that proves you are legally registered and state-approved in your country. In Ghana this is the certificate of incorporation as a company limited by guarantee from the Office of the Registrar of Companies (or a Trustees Incorporation certificate). In Nigeria it is the Certificate of Incorporation of Incorporated Trustees from the Corporate Affairs Commission. In Kenya it is the Certificate of Registration from the NGO Coordination Board. In South Africa it is the Nonprofit Organisation (NPO) certificate from the Department of Social Development. In Uganda it is the certificate from the National Bureau for NGOs. Whatever your own registrar issues, this certificate is the single most important piece of paper you own.

The second is your NGO recognition or membership certificate, the document that confirms you operate as an NGO and not just any registered body. In Ghana this is the certificate of recognition from the Department of Social Welfare. Most countries issue an equivalent through their NGO board, social-development ministry, or a recognised NGO council. In some countries the two documents are one and the same: Kenya's NGO Board and Uganda's NGO Bureau register and recognise you in a single certificate. Where a separate recognition exists, include it, because larger funders and some vendors ask for it by name.

If you have both of these, plus a governing document, you already meet the core test that the vendor validation partners apply. Everything else on the checklist below supports these two.

The full checklist to keep on file

Scan these documents once, save them in a single folder your systems owner can reach, and name each file clearly. You will attach them again and again.

• →Your national registration certificate (see the examples above for Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda).
• →Your constitution or governing document, showing your nonprofit purpose and a no-profit-distribution clause.
• →Your NGO recognition or membership certificate, where your country issues one separately from registration.
• →Your tax identification number and any charitable or tax-exemption letter you have obtained from your national revenue authority.
• →The names and identification details of your directors or trustees, and your beneficial-ownership filing.
• →An official email address on your own domain, for example info@yourngo.org rather than a personal Gmail address.
• →A live website on that same domain. It does not need to be large, but it should clearly state who you are and what you do.
• →A bank account in the organisation's legal name.
• →A short, plain mission statement that matches your registered purpose.

What each vendor checks on top

The two core documents get you most of the way. Each vendor then adds a light layer of its own, usually handled through a nonprofit validation partner such as Goodstack or TechSoup that checks your status on the vendor's behalf.

Salesforce, through the Power of Us programme, grants ten free Enterprise licenses to qualifying nonprofits and asks you to confirm your charitable status and mission during sign-up.

Google for Nonprofits gives you Workspace on your domain plus up to ten thousand US dollars a month in Ad Grants, and it applies the strictest extra rule: you must have a live website on your own domain and an anti-discrimination policy, and Ad Grants requires the website to meet its quality policy before your account is switched on.

Slack for Nonprofits provides a free Pro plan for teams of up to 250 people once your nonprofit status is validated.

Canva Nonprofits gives up to fifty users the full premium plan for free after the same status check.

The specific sign-up steps for each of these change from time to time, so treat the tool guides on this site as the current, detailed walkthrough for each vendor. The paperwork above is what stays constant.

The order to do it in

Sequence matters, because each step unlocks the next. Register with your national companies registrar or NGO board first. Apply for separate NGO recognition, where your country requires it, once you hold your registration certificate. Register with your national tax authority and obtain any charitable exemption in parallel. Buy your domain and set up email and a simple website, because Google and, to a lesser degree, Salesforce want to see an organisation with its own online presence. Only then start the vendor applications, beginning with Salesforce and Google since they carry the most value and take the longest to approve. Slack and Canva are usually quick once your status is confirmed.

Common reasons NGOs get rejected

Most rejections come from a handful of avoidable problems. Applying with a personal email address instead of one on your own domain is the most common. A website that is missing, broken, or does not clearly describe the organisation causes Google to hold Ad Grants. A mismatch between the mission on your application and the purpose on your registration documents raises questions. Missing or expired NGO recognition slows larger applications in countries that require it. And organisations whose work is mainly religious, political, or commercial can fall outside specific programme rules, so read each vendor's eligibility terms before you apply.

Where SF Fellows GH fits

We help qualifying NGOs across Africa get set up on all four programmes at no cost, and we place a trained Fellow with you for six months to run the systems once they are live. If you have your registration and, where your country issues one, your NGO recognition, you are almost certainly eligible. Book a fifteen-minute call and we will tell you honestly what you qualify for and what would ship in your first thirty days.