01 / Questions
Questions, answered plainly
This is the page for finding the catch. The sharpest objections are answered here first, in the order a skeptical board member asks them.
Plain-English summary
The build is donated. $0 upfront. Hosting is $25 a month for the first 12 months, then $50 a month.
You own the domain, the finished site and the source files. You can leave at any time and take all of it with you.
The catch is the monthly fee and permission to point at the finished work. Both are on this page, in writing, before you fill in anything.
02 / Money
Cost and ownership
Is this actually free?
The build is donated. $0 upfront. Nothing is owed for design or development.
Hosting is $25 a month for the first 12 months, then $50 a month, ongoing. That is the number, stated first rather than last.
The monthly covers hosting and SSL only. Content edits are not in it and are billed separately at the normal rate, and only when you ask for them.
Why would you give the build away?
Omen Services sells websites to paying clients. Sites built under this program are the evidence that the work is good.
The $25 a month is the revenue that makes donating the build sustainable instead of a one-off favor. That is the whole mechanism.
There is no second revenue stream hidden behind it. Nobody is sold to your donor list, and there is no required upsell after launch.
Do we own the site?
Yes. You own the domain name. It is registered in your own account, under your organization's name, not ours.
You own the finished site and the source files.
Ownership is not conditional on staying on the hosting.
What if we want to leave?
Stop any time and take the site with you. Canceling means you receive the files and can host them anywhere. Nothing is held hostage.
The domain is already in your account, so there is nothing to transfer and nobody to ask.
There is no minimum term and no exit fee.
03 / Eligibility
Eligibility and timing
Who qualifies?
A US organization in good standing under 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5), 501(c)(6) or 501(c)(19). An organization that has filed for 501(c) status and is waiting on the IRS determination qualifies, and so does an organization operating under a qualifying fiscal sponsor.
Annual operating budget under $1,000,000. Anywhere in the United States, with no narrower geographic limit.
Other 501(c) subsections are not eligible, including 501(c)(7) social and recreational clubs, 501(c)(8) and 501(c)(10) fraternal societies, and 501(c)(13) cemetery companies. The line is public benefit versus member benefit, and it is drawn on the subsection you file under.
If you are not sure whether you qualify, apply anyway. It costs you one form.
Are 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(5) organizations eligible?
Yes. Both are eligible on the same terms as a c3.
The one exclusion is partisan political campaign activity. The site may not be used for electioneering or candidate advocacy. That exclusion matters more here than anywhere else, because social welfare and labor organizations are the two most politically active categories in the tax code, and both may legally engage in political activity that Omen will not build for or host under its own name.
Issue work, service work and public education qualify. Electing a candidate does not.
What proof of status do you need?
On the last step of the application you confirm that your organization holds at least one of three things: an IRS determination letter, a 501(c) application you have filed and are waiting on, or proof that you are registered as a business entity with your state. That confirmation is required to submit.
There is no upload button, because a static site cannot take files safely. The EIN you give in step 1 lets us look a determined organization up in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Links to supporting documents stay optional.
If we select your application we ask for the document by email. An award is conditional on producing it.
How long does it take?
A decision comes within 2 weeks of a complete application.
Once you are awarded, the site is live in 4 to 6 weeks.
The build clock starts when your content is in hand, not on the day of the award. Text, photos and a logo if you have one are the step that decides your timeline.
Do you guarantee we will be selected?
No. Meeting the eligibility criteria makes you eligible, not selected.
Awards are made as capacity allows and selection is at Omen's discretion. There is no published number of slots because there is not one, and there is no deadline, so nothing is lost by applying later.
If the answer is no, you will hear that too.
04 / Scope
Scope and limits
What is not included?
Photography. There are no shoots. Bring your own photos, or the site uses illustrative imagery.
Ongoing content edits, which are billed separately at the normal rate. Ecommerce or an online store. Donor CRM, membership databases and custom web applications. Email hosting. Paid advertising or ad management. Grant writing or fundraising strategy.
Silence about exclusions is how this kind of offer usually goes wrong, so the list is here rather than in a follow-up call.
Can you take our donations?
We connect the donation processor you already use, such as Stripe, Givebutter or PayPal. We do not supply the processor and we do not open the account.
Your money goes from your donor to your processor to your bank. Omen is not in that path at any point and never holds your funds.
05 / Your data
Applying and data
Who reads our application?
Jason, the founder, reads it. There is no review committee and no outside panel.
The person who reads your application is the person who builds the site.
What happens to our data?
Your application goes to Omen Services and is used to decide on your application and to build your site. It is not sold, rented or handed to advertisers.
This site runs no analytics and no advertising cookies, and there is no tracking pixel on any page. If you start the application and come back later, the draft is stored in your own browser, not on our server.
The privacy policy has the full detail.
06 / Apply
Apply when you are ready
Rolling. No deadline. A decision within 2 weeks of a complete application. The build is donated and hosting is $25 a month for the first 12 months, then $50.
The phone and the email are support channels, not a sales line.