Why nonprofits and NGOs use e-signatures
Nonprofits run on agreements with people who are not on the payroll. Volunteers sign role agreements and waivers. Trustees, often scattered across a region and juggling day jobs, sign board resolutions and conflict-of-interest declarations. Funders send grant agreements that need two authorised signatories. Partner organisations sign memoranda of understanding. Every one of them is someone you are asking a favour of, and every printed page, envelope and stamp comes out of money meant for the cause.
SignPe makes those signatures quick for the people giving their time. You upload the document — PDF, Word (DOC or DOCX) or a photo of a paper form — place the fields each person needs to complete, and send. Volunteers, trustees and donors get an email with a Review & Sign Document button and sign in their browser or on the SignPe app. Nobody needs an account to sign: guests sign after accepting an electronic-records consent screen. You get the signed PDF back with an audit trail.
The free plan covers your first three documents, each with unlimited pages and signers, so a small charity can try it on a real grant agreement or volunteer form before deciding on a plan. Drafts you prepare do not use a document credit.
Volunteer agreements, waivers and onboarding
Volunteer role agreements, confidentiality undertakings, codes of conduct, liability waivers and photo consent forms all need signing before someone’s first shift. When onboarding depends on a volunteer printing a form at home, keen people wait weeks to start — or drift away.
- A tick for each commitment. Place Checkmark fields beside each part of the code of conduct or each consent a volunteer must confirm.
- Details on the page. Add Full Name, Email, Text and Date fields for emergency contacts and start dates.
- Copy the volunteer coordinator. Add the coordinator as an observer so they see when forms are signed without being asked to sign.
- Event-day sign-ups. At a fundraiser or community event, In person Signing lets a new volunteer sign on a coordinator’s phone or tablet on the spot.
Paper forms collected at an event can be digitised with the SignPe app’s Scan option, which captures up to 20 pages with automatic edge detection. See import from photos and cloud.
Grant agreements: two signatories, one deadline
Grant agreements and funding contracts often have to be returned by a fixed date, and many funders expect two authorised signatories from the recipient — typically the chair and the treasurer or chief executive. On paper, that means a document posted between two homes and back to the funder. In SignPe both sign the same document, in the order you choose.
- Signing order where it matters. Use Set signer order so your chief executive signs before the chair, or leave the order open so whoever is free first can sign.
- Roles recorded. Designation and Company fields capture each signatory’s role and your organisation’s registered name as the funder expects to see them.
- Your organisation’s stamp. Where your agreements carry a seal or stamp, upload it once and apply it from your saved library.
- Chasing done for you. Automated reminders nudge signers so agreements do not stall, and the Remind button emails anyone who has not signed with one click.
When the funder sends you the document
If the grant agreement arrives as a PDF in your email, share it straight into the SignPe app, place the fields and send it to your signatories — no download and re-upload. Agreements kept in Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive or Box can be imported directly.
Donor pledges and gift agreements
Major gift agreements, pledge forms, legacy commitments and sponsorship agreements put a donor’s generosity in writing. The signing experience should feel as considered as the conversation that led to it — not a request to find a printer.
- The donor signs in minutes. The link opens on any device, and the drawing pad is speed-sensitive, so a signature drawn with a finger looks like ink.
- Know when it has been read. The Opened status tells your fundraiser the donor has seen the agreement, so the follow-up call comes at the right moment.
- Joint donors. Add both partners as signers — every document supports unlimited signers.
- Changes before signing. If the terms of a gift change, void the document — the old signing link stops working and the donor is told — and send the revised version.
Corporate sponsors often need their own signatory and finance contact involved. Add the signatory as a signer and their finance contact as an observer, so the people who need to know see the agreement complete.
Board resolutions and governance documents
Written resolutions, annual conflict-of-interest declarations, trustee codes of conduct and minutes approvals need every trustee’s signature, and trustees are volunteers with busy lives. A table makes it easy to see where each one stands.
| What the secretary needs to know | Where SignPe shows it |
|---|---|
| Has every trustee received it? | Sent and Received statuses, each with a date and time |
| Who has opened it? | Opened status in the document’s Activity timeline |
| Which documents are still pending? | Waiting for Others filter in your Documents list |
| Has anyone objected? | Declined status, with a notification the moment it happens |
| Proof for the minute book | Downloadable audit trail PDF with each signer’s emailed, viewed and signed times |
Whether a written resolution can be signed electronically depends on your governing document and local charity or company law, so check yours before relying on it. See document status tracking for how each status is recorded.
A typical nonprofit signing workflow
Prepare the document
Upload the volunteer form, grant agreement or resolution, or scan a paper form with the SignPe app. Save it as a draft while colleagues check it — drafts do not use a document credit.
Place and assign fields
Drag Signature, Full Name, Date, Designation and Checkmark fields onto the page and assign each to the right person.
Add signers and observers
Add each signer by name and email, set the order if one must sign first, and copy the coordinator or finance lead as an observer.
Send and follow up
Track Sent, Opened and Signed for each person, and use Remind for trustees or volunteers who have not got to it yet.
Keep the record
When everyone has signed, all parties receive the signed copy. Download the audit trail PDF to keep with your grant or governance records.
Compliance considerations for nonprofit documents
Electronic signatures are recognised for most everyday agreements under laws such as the US ESIGN Act and UETA, the EU’s eIDAS regulation and India’s Information Technology Act 2000. Nonprofits should also check their own governing documents, funder conditions, charity regulator guidance and data-protection rules for volunteer and donor information. Confirm with your legal adviser for anything unusual, such as deeds or documents that must be witnessed. The legality guide covers the Indian position in detail.
- Consent to electronic records. Guest signers accept an electronic-records consent screen before they sign.
- Only participants can open a document. Donor and volunteer details are visible only to the sender, signers and observers.
- Encryption in transit and at rest. Documents travel over HTTPS/TLS and are stored in encrypted cloud storage — see eSignature security.
- Aadhaar eSign in India. For Indian NGOs, Aadhaar eSign adds OTP verification through eMudhra and a PKI-signed PDF.
Volunteer and donor records contain personal data, so apply your organisation’s own retention and data-protection policies to the signed copies and audit trails you download.
How to send a grant agreement to two signatories
Upload the agreement
Upload the grant agreement as a PDF or Word file, share it into the SignPe app from your email, or import it from cloud storage.
Add the signatories
Choose Set signer order and add your two authorised signatories. Add your finance lead as an observer.
Place the fields
Add a Signature, Date and Designation field for each signatory, and Initials on pages with key conditions.
Send and track
Each signatory is emailed a Review & Sign Document link in turn. Use Remind if the deadline is close.
Return it to the funder
Once both have signed, everyone receives the signed PDF. Send it to the funder with the audit trail if they ask for proof of signing.
