Nonprofit / NGO

A nonprofit (also called an NGO - non-governmental organization) is an organization that operates for a purpose other than generating profit for owners or shareholders. Nonprofits typically pursue social, educational, humanitarian, or environmental missions and are funded through grants, donations, memberships, and service fees.

"Nonprofit" or "non-profit"?

Both spellings are correct, but they follow different conventions:

• Nonprofit (one word, no hyphen) is standard in American English and is the form used in US law, tax filings (IRS 501(c)(3)), and most business software.
• Non-profit (hyphenated) is more common in British English and some older style guides.

The unhyphenated form has become the global default in most formal and digital contexts. If in doubt, write "nonprofit."

Other terms that mean roughly the same thing:

• Not-for-profit - common in legal and accounting contexts, particularly in Australia, Canada, and the UK; interchangeable with nonprofit for most purposes.
• NGO (non-governmental organization) - often used for advocacy, humanitarian, and international development organizations; there is significant overlap with "nonprofit."
• Voluntary organization - a British term for nonprofits that depend substantially on volunteer labor.
• Civil society organization (CSO) - a broader term used in international development and policy contexts.

For time tracking purposes, all of these organizational forms have the same practical needs.

Why nonprofits need time tracking

Time tracking is often a compliance requirement, not just an operational convenience, for nonprofits:

• Grant reporting - Many grant agreements require proof of how funded time was spent, broken down by project or program.
• Donor accountability - Funders expect evidence that their resources were used as intended.
• Volunteer hours - Tracking volunteer time creates documentation for reporting and often counts as in-kind match for certain grants.
• Cost allocation - Nonprofits with multiple programs need to allocate staff time to the correct cost centers for audits and Form 990 reporting (in the US).
• Project billing - Nonprofits that charge fees for services need accurate time records to invoice correctly.

Sandtime.io for nonprofits

Sandtime.io is free for unlimited users, which makes it a practical fit for nonprofits that cannot justify per-seat licensing costs against program budgets. Key points:

• No seat limits - add staff, volunteers, and consultants without worrying about per-user costs.
• Projects map naturally to grants or programs.
• Reports can be filtered and exported for donor or grant submissions.
• The free plan includes everything - there is no locked tier.

Registered nonprofits are also eligible for a dedicated offer. See the Sandtime.io nonprofit program for details.

Getting started

• Time tracking for nonprofits - overview of how nonprofits use Sandtime.io
• 10 best time tracking apps for nonprofits - comparison with other tools
• Is Sandtime.io free? - details on the free unlimited model

Related Terms

Nonprofits use organizations in Sandtime.io to represent their entity, add members for staff and volunteers, and rely on the free plan to keep costs at zero. The open innovation model is why Sandtime.io can offer this without a paywall.