A completed solar array is the most visible part of our work, but it is only one piece of the puzzle. Before a nonprofit reaches the installation day, there are many critical steps that must happen first. Donor support helps Everybody Solar guide projects through these early, often less visible stages.
Here is a closer look at the specific steps that turn an idea into reality:
1. Installer Coordination: We vet and select a certified local installer to ensure high-quality workmanship. This step involves soliciting bids, reviewing contractor qualifications, and establishing a timeline that minimizes disruption to the nonprofit’s daily operations.
2. Solar Feasibility Reviews: Before any plans are finalized, we connect a nonprofit with certified local installers who conduct the on-the-ground assessment. These professionals analyze roof orientation, shading patterns, and structural integrity to ensure the location can support a solar array. They review historical energy usage data to determine the right system size, providing the technical data we need to move forward.
3. Engineering and System Design: Once a site is deemed feasible, the engineering team creates a custom system design. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution; installers calculate the exact number of panels, inverter types, and mounting hardware needed to maximize energy production for that specific building.
4. Utility and Permitting Steps: Navigating local regulations and utility requirements is a technical process handled directly by our installer partners. They prepare and submit the specific engineering documents required for building permits and manage the interconnection applications with the utility company. Everybody Solar supports this phase by tracking the approval timeline, facilitating communication between the nonprofit and the installer, and ensuring all administrative hurdles are cleared so the project can proceed without delay.
5. Fundraising Strategy and Gap Funding: Securing 100% of the installation costs is one of the most significant and time-intensive phases of the entire project. We leverage a comprehensive mix of funding sources, including grant writing, corporate sponsorships, in-kind donations, and individual contributions. This process demands extensive research to identify opportunities, dedicated time to craft compelling applications, and ongoing communication to nurture donor relationships. We provide the fundraising engine and expertise, but the chosen nonprofit provides the fuel that makes donors care.
6. Nonprofit Partner Support: From the first conversation to the final installation, we remain a dedicated partner. We answer questions, manage expectations, and ensure the nonprofit leadership feels confident and informed at every stage of the journey.
These behind-the-scenes steps matter. They help ensure that each project is technically sound, financially responsible, and truly beneficial for the nonprofit partner. It also means that even during months with fewer public announcements, real progress is happening. Projects are being reviewed, designs are being refined, partners are being supported, and funding gaps are being closed.
How We Evaluate a Solar Project
At Everybody Solar, we are not just looking for rooftops or an empty ground spot. We are looking for projects where solar can make a meaningful, lasting difference. When we consider a potential nonprofit solar project, we ask specific questions to ensure viability:
- Impact: Will solar reduce the organization’s operating costs?
- Property Security: Does the nonprofit own or have long-term control of the building or site?
- Solar Readiness: Is the roof or property technically a good fit for solar?
- Mission: Does the organization serve an important community need?
- Responsibility: Can the project be funded, installed, and maintained responsibly?
- Longevity: Will the savings help strengthen the nonprofit’s mission over time?
- Organizational Profile: Does the nonprofit demonstrate a stable history and sound financial health? Everybody Solar conducts a thorough evaluation of each partner’s operational, financial, and public standing to ensure everything is clear, clean, and positioned for long-term success.
This careful evaluation helps us steward donor dollars responsibly while making sure each project has strong potential for long-term impact.
Meet the Team Behind the Projects
Every Everybody Solar project involves many moving pieces, from early conversations with nonprofit partners to installer outreach, fundraising, communications, grant writing, design review, project coordination, and monitoring. Behind each completed installation is a small but dedicated team working to move projects from idea to reality.
This month, we want to recognize the people who help keep that process moving – our staff, contractors, board members, installer partners, nonprofit partners, and donors.
Your combined efforts make each project possible. Because of this shared commitment, more nonprofits can reduce their electricity costs and put more of their resources back into their communities.
Thank You for Powering the Work Behind the Scenes!
Your support does more than just fund the purchase of solar panels. It helps create the pathway that gets nonprofit solar projects across the finish line. Thank you for helping us turn early-stage opportunities into completed projects that will generate clean energy and long-term savings for years to come.
Together, we are building solar momentum – one nonprofit at a time.
