Fiscal Sponsorships on Zeffy: US accounts

Fiscal sponsorship refers to the practice of non-profit organizations offering their legal and tax-exempt status to groups engaged in activities related to the sponsoring organization's mission.

US organizations can use Zeffy with a mandatory EIN and a bank account in the organization's name; you do not need to be a 501(c)(3) or have formal nonprofit status. Groups under fiscal sponsorship should take the following into consideration when setting up their Zeffy account.

Create your account

When creating your new account here.

Make sure this account is created in the name of your fiscal sponsor. This will be the name that will feature on your official tax receipts.

Add your administrative information

Once you've completed your onboarding flow, you can go ahead and add your administrative information. At this stage, make sure to enter your fiscal sponsor's EIN number as well as their name. Again, this is the information that will be featured on your official tax receipts.

Complete the Stripe verification

If you are under fiscal sponsorship, your account will have to be verified with your fiscal sponsor's Employer Identification Number (EIN). Make sure to enter their EIN number and SS-4 form during your verification. The ID verification can be completed by a representative of your organization. 

➡️ Stripe Verification Overview or the US verification guide

Once you've completed the verification, you can change the "Doing business as" name, so that your nonprofit's name appears on all of your forms. 

Connect your bank account

Have a blank check ready! The final step of your bank account connection will be adding the banking information of your fiscal sponsor's bank account. This is where your funds will be paid out.

At this stage, connect your fiscal sponsor's bank account, not that of your specific group. Fiscally sponsored organizations should use their fiscal sponsor's EIN and bank account for verification, so the funds are paid out to the sponsor's bank account.

Add your logo

Once all the banking and verification steps have been finalized, you'll be able to upload your logo in the visual identity settings of your account.

Click on your name in the bottom left and then on settings. Then, click on "visual identity" to upload your logo which will be visible on all forms.