Nonprofits need reliable and affordable communication tools to stay in contact with volunteers, engage donors, and host virtual events. Read on to discover how Zoom for Nonprofits can change the way your charity communicates and how to access discounted pricing with our informative step-by-step guide, so you can take your nonprofits communications, and fundraising, to the next level.

<meta> Nonprofits need reliable and affordable communication tools to stay in contact with volunteers, engage donors, and host virtual events. Read on to discover how Zoom for Nonprofits can change the way your charity communicates and how to access discounted pricing with our informative step-by-step guide, so you can take your nonprofit communications, and fundraising, to the next level.</meta>

A Guide to Zoom for Nonprofits 

Introduction to Zoom for Nonprofits 

While Zoom first launched in 2011, it wasn't until almost ten years later— when the COVID-19 pandemic hit— that the platform became a household name. Within a year of the outbreak, Zoom went from having 10 million daily users to having over 350 million participants logging on every day, and it is now considered one of the most popular and trustworthy video conferencing platforms in the industry. 

Today, Zoom is an essential communication tool, valued for its easy-to-use interface and robust security features—making it a top choice for families, businesses, and educational institutions to stay connected. And now, more than ever, Zoom has become an essential element when it comes to operating a charity or nonprofit organization.

Zoom allows charities and nonprofit organizations to overcome financial and logistical limitations, all the while staying within budget. The company offers several different pricing plans depending on user needs and budget, including a special discount for recognized nonprofit organizations, which can be a game changer for charities looking to connect but not break the bank.

In this article, we’ll explore why Zoom is such a great tool for nonprofits, explain how it helps keep teams connected and working more efficiently, and also share practical tips to help your organization maximize its features. We’ve also put together a step-by-step guide to help your nonprofit qualify for Zoom’s special discount program, Zoom for Nonprofits, ensuring your team gets the tools they need at a price that fits your budget.

What Is Zoom for Nonprofits? 

If your charity is not already using Zoom for Nonprofits to assist with its daily operations, you may be wondering what the video conferencing platform has to offer. Zoom for Nonprofits offers affordable and flexible ways for charities to connect, collaborate and cultivate relationships with supporters, donors, and volunteers alike. Here’s a look at some of Zoom’s core features that nonprofits can use to strengthen communication, boost teamwork, and engage their communities.

• Zoom Meetings—Easy video calls with chat, screen sharing, and breakout rooms.
• Zoom Webinars—Host events, fundraisers, and donor meetups.
• Zoom Phone—Handle calls from anywhere with Zoom's web-based phone system. 
• Zoom Whiteboard—A virtual space for your team to brainstorm and plan.
• Zoom Rooms—Set up hybrid meetings so everyone can get together, regardless of their location. 

While Zoom offers many of its basic features for free, many of the more advanced tools, like Zoom Webinars and Zoom Phone, are only available with a paid plan. However, qualified nonprofits can access these more specialized features at a discounted rate. Here’s a quick comparison guide to help you find the best fit for your organization’s needs.

Priority Support

*Current pricing as of March 2025

It should be noted that organizations considering applying for the Zoom for Nonprofits discount program must fulfill certain criteria; most importantly they need to be recognized by the Internal Revenue System as a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Other criteria that needs to be fulfilled in order to be eligible includes:

• Having an operating budget of $10 million or below.
• Compliance with Zoom's anti-discrimination policy.
• Agree to Zoom’s terms to not resell or share their discounted accounts with other organizations or individuals.
• Be available and willing to cooperate in future case studies, marketing initiatives, and testimonials to further promote the program.

Benefits of Using Zoom for Nonprofits: Events, Organization & Fundraising 

By signing up for the Zoom Nonprofit discount program, nonprofits have the opportunity to elevate their operations. From small grassroots collectives to international nonprofit powerhouses, the advantage of signing up for the conferencing platform can have a huge impact on charity operations and efficiency.

Let's have a look at the top 5 benefits that signing up for the Zoom for Nonprofits service provides

1. Cost Savings: Zoom saves money. Nonprofits need to make every dollar count. Zoom for Nonprofits offers premium features at a discounted rate, which saves your charity money while maintaining a professional and reliable image. Not to mention, the service eliminates the need for costly travel expenses and accommodations.
2. Boosted Supporter Engagement: Zoom breaks down geographical barriers. With Zoom Webinars, volunteer training, guest speaking sessions, progress updates, and even entire fundraising initiatives can be held completely online, allowing for deepened engagement and increased participation.
3. Improved Team Collaboration: Zoom helps nonprofit teams stay connected. Board members, fundraising committees, and remote workers can seamlessly collaborate through virtual meetings, share reports and budgets, and use breakout rooms for more focused discussions. 
4. Room to Grow: Zoom is versatile. Whether your nonprofit is a small grassroots operation or a large international organization, Zoom offers packages that include the features you need, and excludes the features you don't. So whether your supporter base includes a few dozen people or a few thousands, Zoom can be customized according to your nonprofit's needs.
5. Secure Data Protection: Zoom keeps sensitive information safe. Supporters expect that their personal information will be stored securely, particularly when dealing with donation records and banking information. Zoom has a reliable data protection system in place that includes end-to-end encryption and advanced user authentication options to make sure that everyone's information is kept private. 

How to Get Zoom for Nonprofits: A Step-by-Step Guide 

The Zoom for Nonprofits discount is offered in conjunction with TechSoup and in order to qualify nonprofits must follow a few simple steps to prove their eligibility. Here's a step-by-step guide to help get your organization started.

• Before applying for the discount, your organization has to be verified as an eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Be sure to have all your documentation in order before proceeding any further. 
• Go to the TechSoup website and create an account for your nonprofit, providing its official name, Employee Identification Number (EIN), and all relevant contact information.
• Request the Zoom for Nonprofit discount.
• Once TechSoup has approved your application, you'll receive a confirmation email with a code you will need to enter on the Zoom website in order to continue your application process. 
• Continue the application by visiting the Zoom for Nonprofits site, where you'll find information about the program and a link to apply.
• Choose the Zoom plan that works best for your nonprofit, which includes your choice of the Pro Plan, the Business Plan, or the Enterprise Plan. 
• Agree to all terms and conditions. For a more comprehensive and detailed list of requirements check here.
• The team for Zoom for Nonprofits will then assess your application, including the TechSoup verification code, and if approved, your nonprofit will receive an email with your confirmation along with instructions on how to proceed in setting up and customizing your new, discounted Zoom account.
• Get Zooming! Zoom offers a library of training tools and resources that can help you make the most out your membership, and should you ever need guidance or technical assistance priority support is included in your nonprofit discount plan.
• Keep in mind that the Zoom Nonprofit discount is typically valid for 12 months and should you wish to renew, your application will have to be reviewed and re-verified by TechSoup. 

Strategies to Maximize Zoom for Nonprofits 

While many of Zoom's features such as Webinars, breakout rooms, and recording sessions were initially designed with the corporate world in mind, the platform has since become an essential tool for nonprofits. Here's how your nonprofit can use these top three features to streamline their operations:

• Webinars: Great for hosting fundraisers, educational and awareness events, and keeping donors and supporters engaged with impact reports, success stories, and interactive Q&A sessions. 
• Breakout Rooms: Particularly useful for dividing larger groups into smaller, more manageable teams. Allows participants to be easily heard and focused in volunteer training sessions, group discussions, brainstorming meetings, team building activities etc. Also great for having one-on-one conversations with staff, board members, and engaging with key donors and supporters.
• Cloud Recordings: Zoom’s recording feature not only assists in making content available to those who couldn't attend an event in real-time, it also helps create an archive of valuable resources for future use. Cloud sharing allows for easy access to training videos, guest speaker sessions, and committee meetings.

Current Trends in Zoom for Nonprofits (March 2025)

As Zoom’s features continue to evolve, nonprofits are finding new and innovative ways to use the platform to their advantage. Here are some of the recent trends in Zoom technology that help nonprofits expand their reach, increase engagement, and enhance security in 2025.

• Increased Hybrid and Virtual Events: Charities are realizing that with technology like Zoom, their fundraising efforts needn't be limited to their own backyard. A broader audience means increased participation, which can mean increased donation dollars. With an increase in both virtual and hybrid events, nonprofits not only expand their reach, but cut costs by eliminating physical venues and give themselves the opportunity to increase engagement with donors using Zoom features like split screen technology, live polls, and Q&A sessions. 
• AI Features for Increased Accessibility: Zoom is constantly evolving and integrating the newest technology to streamline its platform for users. In recent years, Zoom has incorporated many AI features including automatically generated captioning during meetings and webinars, which is particularly useful to those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Zoom has also recently launched a real-time AI generated translation service, and as of February 2024 live translation was available in over 35 languages. These AI services not only ensure that Zoom meetings and webinars are accessible to a global, and diverse audience, it also allows for AI generated summaries of conferences and discussions so that busy team members and volunteers can stay in the loop, and not miss out on key moments or decisions made during meetings.
• Security Updates for Nonprofit Compliance: As mentioned before, it's important to have security measures in place that will protect your charity's personal information, especially the personal information of donors, supporters and volunteers.  By offering automated compliance monitoring, end-to-end encryption, and real-time threat detection, Zoom allows nonprofits to spend less time worrying about security breaches and data theft—and more time focusing on what truly matters: raising funds for their mission.

Challenges of Implementing Zoom for Nonprofits

While Zoom continues to change the way nonprofits operate, there are some common challenges that organizations face after signing up. Here's a rundown of some of the more common struggles nonprofits face along with some simple solutions to help overcome these issues and help your charity make the most of what Zoom has to offer:

ISSUE: Budget Limitations - Many charities are often operating on very tight budgets, so paying hundreds of dollars for a video-conferencing platform just doesn't make sense. However with Zoom's Nonprofit Discount Plan, charities can choose the right plan for their organization and help keep those dollars right where they need to be - with your charity and making a difference.

Solution: Find the right package for your charity, then follow the step-by-step guide listed above to apply for Zoom's Discount for NonProfits.

ISSUE: Tech-Learning Curve - Volunteers and donors are the backbone of any nonprofit, as they donate their time, resources, and support to keep things moving forward, however they also come from a variety of backgrounds, and have varying levels of technical proficiency. While Zoom's interface is fairly easy to use, and great for beginners, it can still be somewhat of a challenge for some to become accustomed with.

Solution: Zoom provides a Help Center that has a library of video tutorials, webinars, and training guides that helps users navigate the platform and maximize its features. They've also made a Meetings Training Reference Guide which can help nonprofits familiarize themselves with the program, and a Learning Center where users can sign up for different courses for more in-depth training. The Zoom for Nonprofits service also offers priority tech support, meaning they'll never have to wait long for any answers to questions or concerns they may have.

ISSUE: Connectivity Challenges - If your nonprofit is operating in a rural area you may run into connectivity challenges such as slow internet, dropped calls, spotty service etc. While this often is a challenge that isn't easily fix, there are measures your nonprofit can take to improve internet stability and minimize disruptions.

Solution: If connectivity issues are a recurring problem, and are having a detrimental effect on the way your nonprofit operates, it may be of value to upgrade your internet package or invest in WiFi extenders or signal boosters. Zoom also offers a variety of built-in solutions, including automatic video quality adjustments based on internet speed, "audio-only" options to reduce bandwidth strain, and the ability to store meetings and webinars for future viewing when a more stable connection is available.

Success Stories: Non-Profit Organizations Thriving with Zoom

To understand how Zoom can transform your nonprofit, it’s helpful to look at real-world examples.

• The Malala Fund- The Malala Fund was co-founded in 2013 by a young Pakistani Nobel Laureate named Malala Yousafzai, shortly after a failed assassination attempt on her life by the Taliban. The Malala Fund is dedicated to empowering young women and ensuring that young girls worldwide have access to a quality education.The Malala Fund uses Zoom to extend their global reach, train young activists, and even hold policy discussions with global leaders. The nonprofit also uses the platform for workshops and mentoring sessions that brings young women together to share stories about their struggles and triumphs in regards to accessing education. According to their 2024 annual report, the organization and its partners have made a difference in the lives of 21.8 million students worldwide over the last 10 years
• Meals on Wheels- Meals on Wheels was founded in 1954 and has since grown into a nationwide program with over 5000 branches located across the US. When Covid hit in 2020, Meals on Wheels looked to Zoom to help them virtually train thousands of volunteers to deal with the huge increase in demand of their services. They also used the service to logistically coordinate the deliveries, ensuring that nobody who used the service missed a meal.

Not only did Zoom help Meals on Wheels keep operations running smoothly during a pandemic when their services were needed more than ever, the nonprofit also used the video platform to help seniors deal with the isolation and loneliness felt by many during the crisis. By offering online wellness checks, games nights, and virtual chat rooms, seniors were able to stay connected to the outside world when everything suddenly came to a stop.

• Habitat for Humanity: The goal of Habitat for Humanity has always been to build well-constructed homes for low-income families. Today, Habitat for Humanity operates in over 70 countries and Zoom plays an essential role in their daily operations. Because their network is so vast and there can be multiple projects operating in any given city or state at any given time it is essential to have clear and concise communication.

The nonprofit also uses the platform to hold virtual fundraisers, offer online classes about financial literacy to new homeowners, and, perhaps most importantly, train the vast network volunteers who are the backbone of their operations.

Conclusion: Why Zoom for Nonprofits Matters

Whether you're coordinating volunteers, engaging supporters, or reaching out to the communities you serve, having an accessible, flexible, and secure way to communicate can make all the difference. With teams often spread out across different cities—or even countries—nonprofits need tools that can bridge the distance.

That's where Zoom comes in. The video conferencing platform has a variety of built-in features that can help your nonprofit work smarter, not harder. And with the Zoom for Nonprofit discount, recognized charities can access prime features at a reduced rate and put their savings towards providing essential programs and pushing their mission forward.

So, if your nonprofit is looking to streamline operations without breaking the bank, sign up for Zoom for Nonprofits, because having the right technology at your fingertips can help your organization work more efficiently, maximize resources, and ultimately have a greater impact.

If you have any further questions on how to use video conferencing in your next hybrid or virtual event don't be afraid to reach out to the fundraising experts here at Paybee. Our support specialists are ready and willing to get you online and help your nonprofit organization make a difference.

FAQ's: ZOOM FOR NONPROFITS

How long does it take to get approved for Zoom’s nonprofit discount?

The approval process for the Zoom for Nonprofit discount can take anywhere from several days to several weeks. Be sure to have all the proper documentation in order that certifies that your nonprofit is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and follow the steps listed above. For further information or if you need a follow-up on your application check with the TechSoup website. 

Can small nonprofits qualify for Zoom’s discounted plans?

Yes! Nonprofits of all sizes are eligible for the Zoom for Nonprofit discount, as long as they meet the eligibility requirements listed above and are verified through the TechSoup portal.

Are there limits to the number of participants with Zoom for Nonprofits?

Yes. The number of participants with Zoom for Nonprofits is limited, but it depends on the package you've signed up for. Here's a breakdown:

• Basic Plan: Up to 100 participants; 40 minute time limit.
• Pro Plan: Up to 100 participants; no time limit.
• Business Plan: Up to 300 participants; no time limit.
• Enterprise Plan: Up to 500 participants (1000 with additional add-ons); no time limit.

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