Miscategorized when applying for nonprofit discount for our 501c3

[SeanHumphrey]

Hello, 

I'm the director for a 28-year old nonprofit organization that provides housing, meals, advocacy and community integration assistance for extremely low-income people living with HIV, who may also suffer from substance abuse or mental illness that prevents them from living independently. We are considered permanent supportive housing and meet the state guidelines for an Adult Family Home. I've provided copies of the relevant RCW's and state guidelines, as well as material from our mission statement, in applying for the nonprofit discount. The Goodstack staff who have responded have categorized us incorrectly, first as a "health clinic" and then, after I provided documentation that we do not meet that definition, they responded that "rehabilitation is the "suitable category for your organization's activity."  When I provided documentation that "rehabilitation center" was also not accurate, I was told; "We already provided information with regards to your organization's activity." I asked if there was a way to appeal the decision or another person to communicate with and was not given either. 

We definitely DO meet two of the following eligible organization criteria; Providing relief to the poor (by providing housing for persons who would otherwise be homeless) and Promoting human rights (advocating for the safety and survival of a population that suffers from extreme stigma and discrimination due to race, disability, LTGBQ status, and socioeconomic status.

We are a very small nonprofit organization that would greatly benefit from any discounted pricing, and it almost feels as though the stance from Goodstack is that anything to do with HIV must be ineligible.  I understand that guidelines must be followed, but in this case I believe we meet the eligibility criteria Zoom has established and I would very much appreciate being able to clarify our work and categorization. 

Thank you so much for your time; our team has used Zoom for remote board meetings since long before COVID and we very much appreciate the quality of your product. 

Kindly,

Elizabeth Page

[Mandel · Accepted solution]

Hi @SeanHumphrey ,

Welcome to the Zoom Community!

I am sorry to hear that your Goodstack application has been rejected. If you would like to request a review of the rejected application, please refer to the below articles for instructions: 

• My application has been rejected
• How do I request my rejected application to be reviewed?

For a general FAQ about applying for a non-profit discount, please refer to this page.

I hope this helps.

Cheers,
Zoom Community Team

[SeanHumphrey]

Thank you so much - someone from Goodstack reached out to us and reassessed our categorization as Housing and Shelter - which is spot on! We appreciate it SO much and thank Goodstack and Zoom for taking another look. HIV is incurable (so far) but with access to safe housing and healthcare it is no longer necessarily fatal - we can beat it. Thank you for being a part of the path forward!

We started using Zoom for our board meetings long before COVID made it a household item, and we love it (and rely on it!). 🙂

Kindly,

Elizabeth

[Hear2Care]

We ran into the same problem with GoodStack for our annual renewal.  We used to get our discount through techsoup with no problem   The response from GoodStack support is also our podcast producing nonprofit is a "health clinic" thus denying our discount application.  We are trying to raise the issue with Zoom support ticket but the priority was assigned to low and we would have to wait for a week to escalate the ticket.  

I really wish this new vendor GoodStack would not waste non-profits so much time and effort. 

[NRTaxHelp]

We are having the same issue! 

We have been trying to work with Goodstack for a month, and have been unable to get them to classify us appropriately so that we can access this discount.  We were initially classified as a "Professional Organisations & Societies".  Currently they say we are "Financial Services".  We are a 501(c)(3), and the charitable services that we provide are financial in nature - we operate free tax clinics.  There is nothing in the Zoom criteria that says nonprofits that provide finance-focused charitable services are not eligible.

We issued a Zoom support ticket, and Zoom has said there isn't anything they can do.  

This is incredibly frustrating, and if we can't resolve this we'll need to find another vendor.  Someone please help!

[Mandel]

Hi @NRTaxHelp ,

Unfortunately you will need to resolve this with Goodstack directly. Have you tried following the steps outlined below?

• My application has been rejected
• How do I request my rejected application to be reviewed?
  

Alternatively, you’re welcome to reach out to our Sales Team directly to explore any tailored solutions they may be able to offer.

Best,
Zoom Community Team

[NRTaxHelp]

Hello @Mandel ,

I have tried, but I will submit the request my rejected application to be reviewed again.  Goodstack continues to insist that we are a "financial services" organization (though they acknowledge we are a nonprofit), and that "financial services" organizations are not eligible.

I've tried multiple times to provide Goodstack with the link to the eligibility page, the text of the eligibility, as the stated Zoom criteria does not specify anything about what types of services a nonprofit can provide.  They won't tell me any specifics of what criteria we don't meet, just that we don't.  

Please, is there any way you can help interface with Goodstack on our behalf, or provide them further information directly about eligibility requirements?  They are not adhering to Zoom's stated requirements.  They don't believe me, but they would hopefully respond to someone from Zoom.

Marea

*******************************************

Here was the response from Goodstack:

On Mon, Nov 24, 2025 at 11:40 PM Goodstack <***********> wrote:

Hi Marea,

Thanks for your follow-up.

Please be informed that eligibility is being set by partners, not by Goodstack.

However, eligibility for this particular nonprofit program is not based solely on nonprofit status. Each of our partners sets its own eligibility guidelines, which are specific to the type of work an organization does to support its primary mission. Goodstack does not set any eligibility guidelines.

In this case, based on the information available, your organization has been classified under Financial Services. For this program, organizations in this category are not eligible for the discount.

We deeply respect the work your nonprofit does. While we’re unable to approve your application at this time, we encourage you to check the partner’s website for any future updates to their eligibility guidelines Zoom and Adobe.

Thank you again for the important work you do, and for taking the time to apply.

Thanks,

Airis

The Goodstack Support Team

help.goodstack.org

Revolutionizing how the world does good

on 11/18:

Hi Marea,

Thanks for your follow-up.

I’m here to provide further clarification on your application.

We’ve successfully verified that your organization is a nonprofit and meets our nonprofit status requirements.

However, eligibility for this particular nonprofit program is not based solely on nonprofit status. Each of our partners sets their own eligibility guidelines, which are specific to the type of work an organization does to support their primary mission. Goodstack does not set any eligibility guidelines.

In this case, based on the information available, your organization has been classified under Financial Services. For this program, organizations in this category are not eligible for the discount.

We deeply respect the work your nonprofit does. While we’re unable to approve your application at this time, we encourage you to check the partner’s website for any future updates to their eligibility guidelines for Zoom and Adobe.

Thank you again for the important work you do, and for taking the time to apply.

Thanks,

Airis

The Goodstack Support Team

help.goodstack.org