# Guides for Indonesian nonprofits

Decision guides: custom vs off-the-shelf, PDP law, digitising a yayasan, partner or volunteer, donation records. Verdicts that say skip.

> Reviewed 2026-08-13. Source: https://kodenirlaba.org/en/guides/

[Kode Nirlaba](/en/) / Guides   Guides

 Guides that tell you when not to build.

 Decision guides: custom vs off-the-shelf, PDP law, digitising a yayasan, partner or volunteer, donation records. Verdicts that say skip.

    Short answer Reviewed 2026-08-13  Which Kode Nirlaba guides should an Indonesian nonprofit read first?

 Start with custom versus off-the-shelf if you think you need software. Read the PDP-law guide before storing identity data. Use partner-or-volunteer before you apply. Skip the hub if you only wanted a brochure site — none of these guides will recommend one.

    [Should an Indonesian nonprofit build custom software?](/en/guides/custom-vs-off-the-shelf/)

 Usually not. Start with off-the-shelf tools you already have, and build custom only if staff copy data into three places or sensitive data sits in personal accounts. Kode Nirlaba will refuse to rebuild a spreadsheet, form or inbox that already fits. Skip this guide if you already want a paid consumer app.

 [Read the guide →](/en/guides/custom-vs-off-the-shelf/)

  [What should Indonesian nonprofits change because of the PDP law?](/en/guides/pdp-law-for-ngos/)

 Treat beneficiary data as personal data, not as group-chat content. Cut ID-card copies, lock permissions, name the person who answers requests, and do not build a new system if you cannot delete. This is a practical reading of Law No. 27 of 2022, not legal advice. Your lawyer decides compliance.

 [Read the guide →](/en/guides/pdp-law-for-ngos/)

  [How should an Indonesian yayasan start digitising without buying an app first?](/en/guides/digitising-a-yayasan/)

 The order is: organisation domain and email, permissioned folders, one source list, then automation. Custom apps come last, or not at all. Skip this if you want a paid “digital transformation” package. A yayasan without domain email is not ready for custom software.

 [Read the guide →](/en/guides/digitising-a-yayasan/)

  [Should you apply as a partner or as a volunteer?](/en/guides/partner-or-volunteer/)

 Partner if you represent an Indonesian nonprofit blocked by its systems. Volunteer if you will ship technical or operational work. Do not do both as a tactic “so someone reads it.” Companies, paid-internship hunters, and people who attach beneficiary data to the first email should not apply at all.

 [Read the guide →](/en/guides/partner-or-volunteer/)

  [Does an Indonesian yayasan need a custom donation system?](/en/guides/donation-systems-for-yayasans/)

 Often not. What you need is a record that matches the bank, a thank-you that does not spray data, and a board report that was not copied overnight. A custom payment gateway is almost always the wrong first step. Skip this if you want a “crowdfunding platform” to resell. We are not a money intermediary.

 [Read the guide →](/en/guides/donation-systems-for-yayasans/)