In case you haven’t heard, 501(c)(3) private foundations are now eligible to receive donated video conferencing, online collaboration, and remote desktop solutions from the Citrix Online Donation Program. 

Citrix services — like GoToMeeting, GoToTraining, and GoToMyPC — make it easier to hold meetings and training sessions by allowing staff or constituents from around the world to call in to your conferences and presentations. Here in TechSoup’s San Francisco office, we use audio and video conferencing every day to talk with people working remotely in the Bay Area, New York, or Seattle, as well as with our partner nonprofits around the world.

In addition to the Citrix program, there are many other donation programs on TechSoup that are open to private foundations. Use the TechSoup Check Eligibility Quiz to find out for which of our many product donation programs your foundation is eligible.

"Our community health agency recently expanded into additional counties, causing a difficulty in conducting necessary meetings with our management team. The donation of GoToMeeting has enabled us to meet on a regular basis, keeping communication an important aspect of running our agency. We are so happy that we had the opportunity to receive this donation, as without it our lives would be much more difficult."

—Laura Pedersen
Executive Director
Teen Outreach Pregnancy Services

Conducting training sessions on the road, or bringing constituents to you, are just some of the many ways Citrix is helping nonprofits and libraries. Check out our testimonials page to hear how other organizations like yours are putting Citrix donations to use.

As with all organizations registering at TechSoup, you must join first as an individual and then register your organization. For a thorough overview of this process, visit our How to Use TechSoup page or watch our Getting Started with TechSoup video tutorials.

As part of the organization registration process, you will be asked to choose an organization type and subtype. For organization type, private foundations should choose Other Purposes and Activities from the drop-down menu. Then choose one of the three available subtypes: Private Grantmaking Foundation, Private Independent Foundation, or Private Operating Foundation. To understand which of the three private foundation subtypes you should choose, below are definitions of each.

Private Grantmaking Foundation

Examples of private grantmaking foundations are the Alcoa Foundation, the BP Foundation, the Walmart Foundation, and the Boeing Company Charitable Trust.

Private grantmaking foundations are usually, but not always, funded from principally one source, such as a for-profit business. Any grantmaking private foundation that is not a private independent foundation (explained below) should be classified as a private grantmaking foundation.

Private Independent Foundation

Private independent foundations are often family foundations, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Li Ka Shing Foundation.

A private independent foundation is a private foundation for which most or all of its funding comes principally from one source, such as one individual or family. Often, its funding is in the form of an endowment.

Private Operating Foundation

Most often, private operating foundations are organizations that operate museums, theaters, or arts centers, although any other charitable activity conducted directly by the foundation can qualify.

Some of the more well-known private operating foundations are the J. Paul Getty Trust, which operates the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California and the Wikimedia Foundation, which operates Wikipedia.

Public Grantmaking Foundations

Public grantmaking foundations (community foundations like the Silicon Valley Foundation, the San Francisco Foundation, and the New York Trust) should not be classified as private grantmaking foundations, because these are considered public charities. These organizations rely on the public or multiple sources of funding. If you are a public foundation, the correct subtype to choose is most likely Gifts, Grants, or Loans to Other Organizations or Fundraising.

After you've registered your foundation, you'll need to submit a completed Qualification Checklist (PDF 51 KB) and other documents to verify tax-exempt status and other information. Qualification generally takes one to two weeks after document submission. You can check your organization's qualification status through your member profile.

Once you're qualified, you can start to request the donated software, hardware, and services that your organization is eligible to receive!