Startup tools are a free page for the first years of a 501(c)(3). They show the annual-return date from the IRS record on file, donor receipt tools, and a short funder checklist.
When they turn on
- If the IRS determination date is within 36 months and the record is a 501(c)(3), the tools turn on. That date is the determination date, not the incorporation date.
- An organization with no EIN, or an EIN we cannot find, sees one offer on the dashboard. Turn on opens the page. Not now hides the offer.
- Owners and admins can switch them under Settings → Organization → Startup tools.
A missing IRS record is not a statement that the organization is unrecognized. The public file lags, and a fiscally sponsored project may not have its own record.
Turning the tools off hides the Startup page. The calendar stays saved. Checks, volunteers, and credits do not change. Church, camp, and school tools can stay on at the same time.
When reported receipts reach $250,000, or the determination date is more than five years old, the page says so and offers the switch in Settings. It does not turn itself off.