How to Name a Nonprofit

Ready to find a nonprofit name for your organization? Naming your nonprofit is one of the most important steps for an aspiring business leader — the nonprofit name should clearly identify something about your charity, perhaps what you offer, what you do, or who you support.

You can begin by using our free nonprofit name generator above to discover quality charity business names and nonprofit name ideas or continue reading on for our guide on how to name your nonprofit. 

If you’re ready to start your nonprofit, we also recommend reading our comprehensive guide on How to Start a Nonprofit.

Step #1: Determine Goals for Your Nonprofit

How do you want your nonprofit or charity business to be perceived by the public? An organization name should be memorable and catchy, relatable to your donors/partners, or set clear expectations relating to the services your organization provides.

Make sure that you are aware of your desired donor market, how you want to appeal to donors and partners, and the specific emotions you want your organization’s name to evoke.

We recommend checking out the Top Nonprofit Formation Services.

Step #2: Begin Brainstorming

There are many ways you can brainstorm a name for your nonprofit. We’ve shared some brainstorming techniques that you can use to get your creative juices flowing and inspire you to find the best name for your charity organization.

• Jot down a list of specific keywords for your nonprofit organization name.
• Check for domain availability using our nonprofit organization name generator.
• Visualize the type of organization you are trying to create, it’s target audience, and everything that comes along with a nonprofit of your type to bring life to this business idea.
• Think of adjectives that would describe your nonprofit and the types of services offered for inspiration.
• Experiment with other branding or brainstorming techniques.

The above ideas are just a few general brainstorming techniques. Continue reading to learn more creative strategies to generate nonprofit name ideas and various approaches when naming a business.

Recommended: Once you have your business name, create a logo with our free Logo Generator. Or read our guide to learn about other small business ideas.

Nonprofit Name Ideas

We’ve used the general brainstorming techniques mentioned above to share several creative and catchy business name ideas for a nonprofit. We hope these brand names will inspire you to come up with a few of your own. Check out what we came up with below:

Breakdown of Creative Approaches to Naming a Business

The ideas for naming a new nonprofit are endless once you get your creative juices flowing. The goal is to come up with the best strategy that works for you. The following are helpful tips to help you find a unique business name that is relevant to you and/or your industry:

Capitalize on Your Business Location

The name of your town, city, or region is one great element to consider adding to your nonprofit name. This is especially true if your organization is local or community-oriented. 

You can also think of nicknames that define what your region is well known for or use slogans or historical accounts that define your location. You can use these to your advantage when coming up with potential nonprofit names.

• Charleston Community Center
• Rockville Soup Kitchen
• Philanthropy Fund Naples
• Monroe Sports League
• The Virginia Scholarship

Connecting Through Emotion

We all know that psychology plays a big role in connecting with people, and people who feel connected to your nonprofit become loyal donors. This is why words that evoke a certain emotion, reminders of personal experiences, and travel memories may be good for fundraising and branding. Incorporating these experiences in a nonprofit name can be a sure way to earn repeat donors for your nonprofit.

Pun Fun, Word Combination, and Alliteration

Coming up with nonprofit name ideas doesn’t have to be stressful or boring. You can make brainstorming fun by creating puns, combining two relevant words and/or concepts, or using same-letter and sound repetition. It’s a creative way to construct a catchy company brand name. See what we did there?

Short and Sweet

Oftentimes, simply using one word for a nonprofit name can be more powerful and engaging for donors/volunteers. Carefully consider your brand and brainstorm adjectives and synonyms that describe your nonprofit idea. For instance, if you are starting a nonprofit, ask yourself how you would describe who you plan to help or how you want to help them. 

• Veterans First Solutions
• Paws4 Life
• Paw Assist
• Child Aid Pro
• EmpathySphere

Name Game

Discovering nonprofit business names can be as easy as just using your own name; however, there are different directions you can take. For example, celebrity names, public figures, or honoring someone you look up to or are close to, such as a mentor, friend, loved one, or family member.

• Williams Caring Collective
• Davis Hope Foundation
• Miller Impact Project
• Martinez Inspiration Society
• Allen Community Alliance

Remember to stay on track by selecting the names on your list that best define your specific future brand. If you have narrowed it down to a few ideas and are finding it difficult to decide on one, don’t forget to ask others for an honest opinion. Since your new nonprofit name will be on your products, make sure that it is a positive brand name that you and your donors and volunteers will be proud of displaying.

Step #3: Use Our Business Name Generator

Discover the perfect brand name for your nonprofit by using our free business name generator tool. Simply follow the three steps: Search, select, and get the perfect domain name!

Our online nonprofit business name generator even allows you to further filter your results by location, industry, and domain name to produce more customized, creative, and unique brand names around your organization’s mission. The charity name generator can even help you attract potential donors by asking them to help you decide on one of the names the charity business name generator generates for your non profit organization.

Step #4: Register Your Business Name

Visit our business name search page to see if your desired non profit organization name is available in your state. You can also choose the state in which you would like to conduct business and read our state-specific business name guide.

Steps After Naming Your Nonprofit

Once you’ve chosen your creative, classy, and brandable nonprofit name, make sure you secure a domain name, especially if you want to establish an online business presence. Then, there are a few steps you can take to successfully establish your brand recognition, credibility, and loyalty:

• Choose a business structure for your nonprofit. Formally structuring a business as a nonprofit corporation will help reduce liability. 
• Design a logo for your nonprofit. Creating a logo for your business is vital for increasing brand awareness, and there are several logo maker tools available to help you design a unique logo. Knowing which logo maker will work best for you is a tough choice, so we've reviewed the Top 5 Best Logo Makers to help you find the best tool that will work for your nonprofit.
• Make a website for your nonprofit. Simple drag-and-drop builders like GoDaddy and Wix make the process simple and quick. Check out our Best Website Builder article.
• Our QR Code Generator offers several QR code options to fit your business's needs. You can create virtual business cards (vCards), market your business, share your new website with customers and more.

We recommend checking out the Top Nonprofit Formation Services.