Pro Bono Custom Application Development For Not-For-Profits and Schools

On May 26, 2004 we announced an annual pledge of $50,000-worth of free custom software development consulting to not-for-profit corporations, public schools and any not-for-profit organization committed to the betterment of the country and the world. Click here to read the full release.

Why Are We Doing This?

Let us quote part of the official press release:

"Having been a founder of a not-for-profit literary magazine," said Chris Kubica, Application Architects President, "I know how frustrating it can be to have little budget left over each year for software procurement. Since software plays an increasingly important role in the day-to-day operations of not-for-profits and schools, and since off-the-shelf software products are often inadequate and expensive, it is our hope that a gift of a FileMaker Pro 8-based custom-built software application will provide something of value that could not otherwise be afforded and that will help further the organization's core mission."

In short, we want to help the world by helping not-for-profits. That's the long and the short of it. There is little if any tax benefit to donating services. We are doing this because, in general, we care. Sounds cheesy maybe, but we do.

The Basics

The basic criteria for consideration for pro bono consulting from Application Architects is as follows:

• You must have a need for a FileMaker Pro 9 -based custom application. This can be a brand-new system or a rebuild/conversion/migration from a system built in FileMaker Pro 8 or earlier. We will also consider projects to convert other software like (4D, Microsoft Access and so on) to FileMaker Pro.
• You must be able to explain to us your need for this software and how it will impact your organization, its core mission and the world at large.
• You must be a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, some kind of public school or other generally giving non-profit organization.
• You must be able to show that you can afford enough licenses of the required FileMaker software and related hardware. All we are providing is custom software development consulting.

How it Works

About once a year or so, we will select about $50,000 (by our estimate)-worth of pro bono projects that we will take on for the following twelve months. The project(s) we select will be from those organizations that went through our application process (defined below). Before any project commences, we will sign a contract stipulating the basic terms (no worries...there are no "gotchas"). Pro bono clients must agree to the terms of that standard contracting agreement as well as the basic Terms and Conditions section below.

How to Apply

We don't have an application form to fill out, but what we want to see is pretty straightforward. Send us:

• Your contact information
• Your organization's info
• Your mission statement
• Proof of your not-for-profit and/or tax exempt status
• A description of your existing FileMaker-based application, if you have one
• A description of the the software application you'd like to build/rebuild. Include details like:
  • How many users will there be?
  • How will the system be used?
  • What is the system for? What will it do?
  • Will anyone need to access the system via the World Wide Web?
  • How will the system help your cause?
• Any requirements, design or other technical documents or diagrams you may already have regarding your existing database system or the new proposed system
• Information on how your organization impacts the world
• A description of how new custom software will assist the core mission of your organization (We want to know that what we're doing for you is critical to your mission, not just a bell and whistle that you applied for because it was free)
• As much collateral material about your organization as you have around. We want to see any and all of the following, if you have them: marketing fliers/postcards, information cards, membership applications, Web sites, articles your principals have written, articles written about your organization and anything else that will help us get a better picture of what your organization is all about.

We run a virtually paperless office, but in this case, we need to receive all application materials in paper form sent to us via snail mail to:

Application Architects, LLC
Dept: PBCA
203 Lake Hogan Farm Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

No phone calls, please. E-mail queries are okay if brief. We know that asking for snail mail sounds funny coming from a software development firm, but the reason is that we will be reviewing application materials offline, in our spare time, and it is easier to cart around an envelope than it is to lug a laptop home.

What Are We Looking For?

As we review each application, we will ask ourselves these questions:

• Does this organization have a significant impact on the world?
• Will pro bono custom software development consulting have a significant impact on the core mission of the applicant organization?
• Is Application Architects qualified and able to do the job properly?
• Does your organization and proposed software meet all of these guidelines?

The rest of our review process is subjective, of course, but you can bet that we're more apt to help an organization that is savings lives or feeding hungry people day in and day out than we are to assist a radical political group.

When to Apply / Deadline

We accept applications year round and review them on an ongoing basis. Applicants not accepted in a given year will have the opportunity to re-apply the next year or work with us at a reduced not-for-profit rate. Please know that our goal is to help as many of you as we can.

We plan to announce the first recipient(s) of pro bono software development consulting in late August, 2004 at the FileMaker Developer Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Deadline each year: August 6. Project will then begin January 1 of the following year or as soon as humanly possible.

Basic Terms and Conditions

To get pro bono custom software development consulting from us, you must agree to the following basic terms and conditions:

• You must be a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, some kind of public school or other generally giving non-profit organization.
• The software to be built (or rebuilt) will be based on the FileMaker Pro 9 product line only. Links to other external applications is possible, depending on the need.
• You will agree to reimburse us for any expenses related to the project such as travel, phone charges, off-the-shelf software purchases, testing hardware, or any other expenses. Expenses will be pre-approved by you, of course.
• We will be allowed to use your company name on our Web site and in all other marketing materials (respectfully, of course).
• You will assist us in writing a "FileMaker Success Story" when we're done.
• We will be allowed to create a profile (which you may review first) of our work for your organization and post it on our Web site. The profile will use screen shots containing fake data and will not give away your trade secrets or violate any privacy or other laws, of course.
• You will indemnify us against any losses incurred while using our software or during the process of working together. While we will of course strive for 100% accuracy and reliability with the software we build, we can't give away free custom software development services and then have the recipient sue us for some reason. Hopefully, this will seem reasonable.
• These terms are subject to change without notice. We will notify you of any changes if you become a client.
• This Web page should be considered the "official record" of the requirements for this program so check back often.