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Free 12-month course

Launch & grow your nonprofit in 12 months

Starting a nonprofit can feel overwhelming. This free course breaks it into one focused step a month — from sharpening your mission to incorporating, getting 501(c)(3) status, raising money, and growing — each lesson built on free Good Circles guides, tools, and templates. By month 12 you'll have a registered, funded, growing organization, and a certificate to prove it.

Start the free course

One focused lesson a month for 12 months. Free forever. No spam — unsubscribe anytime.

Your 12-month curriculum

Prefer to go at your own pace? Every lesson is a web page too — start anywhere.

Start

Welcome — Your 12-Month Nonprofit Roadmap →

Welcome & the 12-month roadmap

M1

Month 1 — Validate Your Idea & Define Your Mission →

Validate your idea & define your mission

M2

Month 2 — Recruit Your Founding Board →

Recruit your founding board

M3

Month 3 — Incorporate & Get Your EIN →

Incorporate & get your EIN

M4

Month 4 — Apply for 501(c)(3) Status →

Apply for 501(c)(3) status

M5

Month 5 — Set Up Finances & Compliance →

Set up finances & compliance

M6

Month 6 — Design Programs for Measurable Impact →

Design programs for measurable impact

M7

Month 7 — Get Grant-Ready →

Get grant-ready

M8

Month 8 — Find & Win Grants →

Find & win grants

M9

Month 9 — Build Individual & Recurring Giving →

Build individual & recurring giving

M10

Month 10 — Tell Your Story & Market for Free →

Tell your story & market for free

M11

Month 11 — Build Sustainable, Diversified Revenue →

Build sustainable, diversified revenue

M12

Month 12 — Grow, Govern & Sustain (and Graduate) →

Grow, govern & sustain — and graduate

🎓

Graduation — You Launched Your Nonprofit →

Graduation & certificate

🎓 Earn your Certificate of Completion

Finish the course and register your nonprofit's EIN with Good Circles to claim a free, printable Certificate of Completion — and start earning recurring, unrestricted funding for your new organization.

Free for nonprofits

Why Good Circles built this

Good Circles is free for nonprofits, and it's how we help fund the work you're about to build: supporters pick your cause once, then a share of their everyday local spending — about 10% of each merchant's net profit, conservatively ~$72 per active supporter per year (an estimate) — funds you automatically, recurring and unrestricted. We launch Mississippi-first in September 2026.

See how it works for nonprofits →