Creating a Project Pod for volunteer groups

Introduction

Project Pods is a collaborative space where verified nonprofits can publish short-term, skills-based open source projects and small volunteer groups can team up to build meaningful solutions. The projects will then appear on For Good First Issue in the "For Teams" section.

Project Pods are designed for teams, companies, and community circles looking for mission-driven projects that need real technical support on an end to end engagement. Each Pod includes a curated project issue with a clear impact goal, and all the context a group needs to start contributing quickly.

In this guide, you'll learn how to prepare and submit a project for your nonprofit, what to expect during the review process, and how to set your project up for successful volunteer engagement.

Prerequisites

Before you submit a project, make sure:

• Your nonprofit is a verified member of GitHub for Nonprofits. If you haven't joined yet, see Quickstart for GitHub for Nonprofits to apply.
• You have a clear project scope that can be completed by a small team within a defined timeframe.
• You have a GitHub repository (or are ready to create one) where volunteers will contribute.

Understanding Project Pods

A Project Pod is a structured volunteering engagement with the following characteristics:

• Small team: Typically 1 to 20 volunteers to ensure focus and effective collaboration.
• Volunteers contribute their technical, design, or project management skills to solve real problems with a clear end outcome.
• Impact-oriented: Projects address tangible challenges defined by your organization with a tangible deliverable.
• Short-term: Designed to be completed within a defined timeframe for a day, a week, or a number of sprints.
• Collaborative: Pods work together in an open source environment using tools for coordination and contribution.

Step 1: Prepare your project

Before filling out the intake form, gather the following information about your project. The more context you provide, the easier it is for volunteer teams to understand your needs and start contributing.

Define the problem

Write a clear description of the problem your project addresses. Explain why it matters to your nonprofit and the communities you serve. Volunteers are more likely to engage with projects where they can see the real-world impact of their contribution.

Identify deliverables and outcomes

Define what "project done" looks like. Examples:

• "A working data dashboard that visualizes clean water access by region"
• "An updated documentation site with multilingual support in a low resourced region"
• "A mobile responsive redesign of our donation page"

Specific deliverables help volunteer teams scope their work and stay focused.

List the skills you need

Identify the types of skills your project requires. These may include:

• Software development (specify languages and frameworks)
• UX/UI design
• Documentation and technical writing
• Data analysis
• Project management

Specify the technology and tools

List the programming languages, frameworks, platforms, and tools used in your project. This helps volunteer teams assess whether the project matches their skill set.

Estimate the time commitment

Project Pods are designed for short-term engagement. Indicate whether your project is:

• A 1-day sprint — focused tasks that can be completed in a single working session
• A 1-week project — a set of related tasks spanning several days
• An ongoing short-term engagement — recurring tasks over a few weeks with a clear end date

Prepare your repository

Your GitHub repository is where volunteers will work. Before submitting, make sure it includes:

• A README that explains the project, its purpose, and how to get started
• A CONTRIBUTING file with guidelines for how to contribute
• Any supporting files such as design mockups, architecture diagrams, or project briefs
• Use labels Project Complete, Project Claimed, Project Open for Volunteers for your Project Issue

If you don't have an existing repository, you can create one and link to it in your submission. You can also link to external documentation or assets.

Step 2: Submit the Project Intake Form

1. Go to GitHub for Nonprofits

2. Select the approved nonprofit GitHub Organization the project will support

3. If you haven't joined yet, see Quickstart for GitHub for Nonprofits to apply.

4. Under 'Request Volunteer Developers' section, select Create Volunteer Request

5. Complete the intake form with the information you prepared:

   Field	What to provide
   About Your Nonprofit	Description of your nonprofit's mission and the technologies you use.
   Project Request	What problem does this project address? Why is it important to your nonprofit and the people you serve?
   Describe the development work needed	Describe the project deliverables and outcomes. What do you hope to achieve? Be specific on the outcome. Include the skills needed such as software development, UX/UI design, documentation, data analysis, project management, etc.
   Primary programming language/technology	Programming languages, frameworks, platforms.
   Number of Volunteers Needed	Typically 3 to 20 per Pod.
   Organization website	Link to your organization's repository or website.
   Project Issue Link	Share the project link where additional details of your project. Ensure the issue is labeled with Project Complete, Project Claimed, Project Open for Volunteers

6. Click Submit Request to send your project for review.

Step 3: Review process

After you submit your project, the GitHub Social Impact team will review it. Here's what to expect:

• If accepted: Your project will be listed on the Project Pods page on For Good First Issue, where corporations, community groups, and individual volunteer teams can discover and sign up for it. GitHub Social Impact will support sharing the project with volunteers.
• If revisions are needed: You'll receive constructive feedback on how to improve your project for resubmission. Common reasons for revision requests include:
  • Unclear goals or deliverables
  • Lack of defined tasks or issues in the repository
  • Insufficient information about required skills or technology

Step 4: Working with your volunteer Pod

Once your project is listed and a volunteer team picks it up by submitting a comment on the issue. All contributions remain open source in your repository for ongoing use.

Communication

Pods work together in an open source environment using your GitHub repository as the primary workspace. Volunteers will interact through issues, pull requests, and discussions in your repository.

Your role as project owner

• Be responsive: Answer questions in issues and review pull requests in a timely manner. Volunteers are donating their time — quick feedback keeps them engaged.
• Provide context: If volunteers ask about your mission or the people you serve, share what you can. Understanding the impact motivates better work.
• Scope changes clearly: If priorities shift during the engagement, update the issues and communicate with the team.