Business & contracts 2 signers 3 pages 17 blanks to fill in

Pro Bono Services Agreement Template

Donate your skills to a nonprofit with a clear scope, an hours cap and sensible limits, so a generous offer doesn't turn into an open-ended job.

Use this template — free See the agreement Signers don’t need an account
Pro bono services agreement
The blanks in brackets are what you fill in. FileIt adds each signer’s signature and date boxes.
Pro bono services agreement — page 1 of 3
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Pro bono services agreement — page 2 of 3
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Pro bono services agreement — page 3 of 3
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Use this template Fill in the blanks, name who signs, and send — from FileIt eSignature.

What is a pro bono services agreement?

Pro bono work goes wrong in quiet ways: the project grows week by week, nobody is sure who owns the website or the policy manual, and the nonprofit's donor list ends up on a volunteer's laptop. A short agreement keeps the goodwill intact by writing down what's being given and what isn't.

This template sets out the services and anything excluded, an optional cap on donated hours with a warning at three quarters, and a target completion date that is a target, not a deadline. It says no fee is charged, how out-of-pocket expenses work, and records the usual value for the nonprofit's records without making any tax claim. It covers what the nonprofit provides, confidentiality and personal data about donors and beneficiaries, who owns the finished work while the provider keeps its tools and know-how, a reasonable-care standard with a liability limit, how professional rules take priority for regulated services, publicity, and how either side can end it.

Best for
Consultants, designers, developers, accountants and firms donating services to nonprofits
Signed by
The nonprofit and the provider
Ownership
Nonprofit owns the work, or provider owns it with a free permanent licence
Length
About 3 pages, initialled on every page

When to use a pro bono services agreement

  • A web design studio building a charity's new website
  • An accountant setting up bookkeeping for a community group
  • A marketing consultant writing a fundraising strategy
  • An HR professional reviewing a nonprofit's staff policies
  • A company's employee volunteering program offering skilled volunteers

What you fill in

17 blanks, then the name and email of each person who signs: nonprofit, provider.

1 The parties

  • Start date*
  • Provider (person or firm)*
  • Provider contact person and email*
  • Nonprofit (full legal name)*
  • Nonprofit contact person and email*

2 The project

  • Type of service*
  • What the Provider will do*
  • Not included (optional)
  • Maximum hours donated
  • Target completion date
  • What the Nonprofit will provide*

3 Value and expenses

  • Currency*
  • Usual value of the services (optional)
  • Out-of-pocket expenses* paid by the Provider, with no charge to the Nonprofit · reimbursed by the Nonprofit, if approved in writing beforehand · paid directly by the Nonprofit for third-party costs such as software, licences or printing

4 Ownership and recognition

  • Who owns the finished work* the Nonprofit, once delivered · the Provider, with a free, permanent licence for the Nonprofit to use it for its purposes
  • May the parties publicise the project?* yes, each may mention it, with the other's approval of the wording · yes, the Nonprofit may thank the Provider by name · no publicity without separate written agreement
  • Governing law*

5 Who signs

  • Nonprofit signature and date, job title, initials on every page · The charity, community group or nonprofit receiving the services, signed by an authorised officer or director.
  • Provider signature and date, job title, initials on every page · The professional or firm donating the services.

What the pro bono services agreement covers

  1. The services
  2. The Nonprofit's part
  3. No fee and expenses
  4. Confidentiality and personal data
  5. Ownership of the work
  6. Standard of work and limits on responsibility
  7. Recognition
  8. Ending the Agreement
  9. General

Using the pro bono services agreement, step by step

1 Describe the services

Name the type of service, describe what you'll do and list what isn't included. Add an hours cap and a target date if you want them.

2 Set out the nonprofit's part

Edit the default list of what the nonprofit provides: a contact, information and logins, and timely review of drafts.

3 Agree expenses and ownership

Choose how expenses are handled, add the usual value if the nonprofit wants it for its records, and choose who owns the finished work.

4 Decide publicity and send

Choose whether either side may mention the project, add the governing law, and send to the nonprofit's authorised signer.

Tips before you send it

  • An hours cap is the kindest thing you can agree. It lets you say yes to the project without saying yes to everything.
  • For legal, accounting, medical or engineering advice, your professional body may require its own engagement letter. This agreement defers to those rules.
  • Ask a tax adviser before anyone treats donated services as a tax deduction. In many places donated time is treated differently from out-of-pocket costs.
  • Hand over logins, files and documentation at the end so the nonprofit isn't stuck when you move on.

Sign it online in minutes

  1. Fill in the blanks. Names, dates and amounts go straight into the agreement — the preview shows exactly where.
  2. Name who signs. Tick “This is me” for your own part. FileIt builds the PDF with every signature, date and initials box on the right line, and you can check or move anything before sending.
  3. Send it. Each signer gets a secure link and signs from any device — no account needed. The signed PDF, with an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion, is filed in your vault and emailed to everyone.
Use the pro bono services agreement template — it’s free

Pro bono services agreement: frequently asked questions

Is the provider responsible if the work has a problem?

The provider promises reasonable skill and care. To the extent the law allows, its total liability is limited to any expenses the nonprofit has reimbursed, and neither side is liable for indirect loss. Fraud, wilful misconduct, breach of confidentiality and anything that can't legally be limited are excluded from the cap.

Can the nonprofit claim the value of donated services as a donation?

It depends on local rules. The agreement records the usual value for the nonprofit's records only and makes no claim about tax or accounting treatment.

What happens if the provider can't finish?

Either side can end the agreement by written notice. The provider hands over the work done so far, and the nonprofit owes nothing for it except any expenses it agreed to reimburse that were already incurred.

Who owns what the provider creates?

You choose: the nonprofit owns the finished work once it's delivered, or the provider owns it and gives the nonprofit a free, permanent licence. Either way the provider keeps its own tools, templates and know-how.

Can this be signed online?

Yes. FileIt eSignature is free to use for this template, the nonprofit doesn't need an account, and the signed PDF comes with an audit trail.

Use this template — free