How To Use TechSoup - Qualify Your Organization

After you've registered your organization, you'll submit a completed Qualification Checklist (PDF 51 KB) and other documents to verify tax exempt status and other information. Required documents include:

• The 501(c)(3) IRS determination letter provided provided by the federal government.

  Note: Non-501(c)(3) public libraries do not need to document tax status, since library information can be verified through the IMLS website.

• If the organization name or street address submitted differs from those in the 501(c)(3) IRS determination letter, you will need to submit a clarification letter on your organization's letterhead that includes:
  • The information in the organization profile
  • The information in the determination letter
  • A brief explanation of why they differ
  • A signature
• The Qualification Checklist (PDF 51 KB).

Send documents by fax: (415) 633-9444; email: qualification@techsoup.org; or postal mail: TechSoup Client Services, 435 Brannan Street Suite 100, San Francisco, CA 94107.

Qualification generally takes one to two weeks after document submission. You can check your organization's qualification status through your member profile.

Once your organization has been qualified by TechSoup, you can find products and request product donations through TechSoup.

To request a product donation through TechSoup:

• You must be a TechSoup member with an individual account.
• Your organization must be registered and its status listed as "qualified" by TechSoup.
• You must be an authorized agent for the organization.
• Your organization must be eligible to receive the products you request.

There's an important distinction between qualification of your organization by TechSoup and eligibility for a specific donation according to the rules set by a particular donor partner:

• "Qualified" means that TechSoup has verified the status of your organization and determined that the information you submitted is accurate.
• "Eligible" means that your organization conforms to the donor partner's requirements for the specific program and products requested.

To determine your eligibility, see the restrictions listed on each product page.

Note that you can request product donations even if your organization has not yet been qualified by TechSoup, but the request will be held until your organization has been qualified.

Note also that if you're the one who registered the organization, you won't need the association code to request donations — you'll be recognized automatically as an authorized agent when you log in as a TechSoup member.

Visit the TechSoup Eligibility Tutorial to find out where to go to check eligibility, what the best practices are for checking eligibility, and what you need to know before taking the TechSoup eligibility quiz.

Email notifications

Two types of emails are sent when you request a product donation:

• Emails confirming your donation requests are sent to the email address listed in your individual TechSoup member profile (the same email address you use to log in).
• Emails with information needed to download or register a product are sent to the email address for the organization as listed in the organization profile.

Note that these may be two different email addresses. It's very important to be sure that both email addresses are current and accessible to you or others in your organization before you request a product donation.

Finding products in the TechSoup online catalog

There are three ways to find products in the TechSoup online catalog:

• Browse by categories or tasks: Find the dropdown menu in the right-hand Find Solutions box, or the navigation bar on the lower left side of the screen and click the task you want the product to help you with. For most tasks, you will be given several subcategories to choose from.
• Browse by partners: On the dropdown menu in the right-hand Find Solutions box, or on the left navigation bar on the lower left side of the screen, click the name of the technology partner whose donations you're interested in. Here you'll find information about the partner's donation program as well as a list of available products.
• Search: In the right hand Find Products box near the top of all TechSoup pages, type the product name or the TechSoup product ID and click Search or Go.

Finding Products in Special Programs

For products available through special programs, go to the main TechSoup product page. To learn about TechSoup special programs, click the links below:

• Refurbished Computer Initiative (RCI)
• Libraries
• Faith-Based Organizations
• Community MAR Americas Program
• TechSoup Limited

Learning About Specific Donation Programs

For frequently asked questions about specific donation programs, see the following pages:

• Microsoft Software Donation Programs FAQ
• Cisco Donation Program FAQ
• Cisco SMARTnet Support FAQ
• Symantec Desktop Subscription Renewals Program FAQ
• Community MAR Program FAQ
• Refurbished Computer Initiative Program FAQ

Understanding the information on a product page

The TechSoup product catalog provides a basic description for each product, including a list of features and the hardware and software requirements for using it. Where applicable, we link to the website of the partner donating the product so you can find additional information or troubleshooting methods.

Every product page shows the availability of the product.

"Available": The product is available now.

"Temporarily out of stock": The product is not available now but is expected to be available soon. If you request it now, you won't be charged until it is ready for delivery.

"Out of stock": The product is not available. It may or may not be available in the future.

"Discontinued": The product is not available and is not expected to be available in the future. This may mean that it has been replaced by a new product or product version.

Product Delivery, Expedited Requests and Shipments, and Shipping Restrictions

For information about product delivery, expedited requests and shipments, and shipping restrictions, please visit our Donation Status and Fulfillment FAQ.