What software does a newly formed 501(c)(3) need in its first year?
A new 501(c)(3) needs five things in its first year: a calendar with the first Form 990 due date and the state registration, a record of its first program and participants, a donor record that produces acknowledgment letters, a simple website, and one place for its governing documents. Alleviate covers all five in one free Starter account, with a founding price on Growth for organizations recognized in the last 24 months.
The five things, in order
The filing calendar comes first because the dates are fixed the day the determination letter arrives: the first Form 990 series return is due on the 15th day of the fifth month after the fiscal year ends, charitable registration in most states comes before the first solicitation, and written acknowledgments are owed for gifts of $250 or more. Missing three returns in a row revokes the exemption automatically.
The program record is second. Funders ask what changed, not what was spent, and the answer is only available if participants, activities and outcomes were recorded from the first month.
The donor record with acknowledgment letters, a website that states the mission and takes a gift, and a document store for the articles, bylaws, determination letter and board minutes complete the set. Everything else (volunteer tracking, grant alerts, finance) can wait until there is something to track.
What Alleviate gives a new organization
Start Right takes the organization's EIN, reads its IRS ruling date and fiscal year end, and puts the first year's dates on the calendar with reminders. The free Starter account then holds the first program, the donor receipts, the draft website and the documents. Kay answers the questions a founder has in month one, and says when the answer needs a professional.
The founding price is Growth for the first year at $490 (list $1,430.40) for a 501(c)(3) recognized in the last 24 months, as of October 31, 2026.
What you still need elsewhere
A bank account for the organization, a bookkeeping tool or bookkeeper for the books of record, a payment processor for online gifts, and an email domain. Alleviate connects to QuickBooks on Pro and works with the payment processors most nonprofits use, but it does not replace a bank or an accountant.
The figures
- Form 990 series due date: 15th day of the 5th month after the fiscal year ends (May 15 for a calendar year)
- Automatic revocation after three consecutive years without a required return
- Written acknowledgment owed for any single gift of $250 or more
- Start Right founding price: Growth for the first year at $490, renewal at $1,430.40 (October 31, 2026)
Who it is not for
- Private foundations and organizations that are not public charities: the founding offer and the Start Right calendar are built for 501(c)(3) public charities.
- Organizations whose first need is a large individual donor program with events and peer to peer pages. Start with a donor CRM and add Alleviate when programs and reporting matter.
Related answers
See it with your own organization. Starter is free, no card, and the first program takes ten minutes.
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