A Day in the Life of an FFC Global Admin
The Global Administrator role at Free For Charity is not a typical IT job. You are the person who keeps the lights on for dozens of nonprofit websites — managing everything from DNS records to email security to GitHub deployments. Here is what a typical day looks like.
Morning: Check the Dashboard
The day starts with the Sites List — FFC's live dashboard of every managed domain. Each site shows its hosting status (active, pending, suspended), DNS health, and SSL certificate status. A quick scan tells you if anything needs attention.
Most mornings, everything is green. Cloudflare handles SSL renewals automatically, GitHub Pages deployments are triggered by CI/CD, and Microsoft 365 runs reliably. But when something is yellow or red, that is where the work begins.
Mid-Morning: Onboard a New Charity
A new 501(c)(3) has been approved through freeforcharity.org. Time to set up their infrastructure. The onboarding checklist looks like this:
New Charity Onboarding
- 1.Register the domain (or transfer it) in WHMCS and point nameservers to Cloudflare.
- 2.Create the Cloudflare zone — configure DNS records, enable Always Use HTTPS, set up page rules.
- 3.Create the GitHub repository from the FFC template. Configure GitHub Pages and the CI/CD workflow.
- 4.Set up Microsoft 365 — add the domain to the tenant, configure Exchange Online, create admin and shared mailboxes.
- 5.Add DNS records for email (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to the Cloudflare zone.
- 6.Verify the CNAME record for GitHub Pages and confirm the site is live with SSL.
The entire process takes 30-60 minutes for an experienced admin. Everything is documented in the Global Admin Training Plan, so new volunteers can follow along step by step.
Afternoon: Security and Maintenance
The afternoon might involve reviewing security alerts from Microsoft 365 Defender, checking Cloudflare analytics for unusual traffic patterns, or reviewing pull requests on GitHub. A typical session includes:
- Reviewing Dependabot security alerts and merging dependency updates
- Checking Microsoft Secure Score and applying recommended security policies
- Auditing DNS records to ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly configured
- Reviewing Cloudflare WAF logs for blocked threats and adjusting rules
Evening: Mentoring and Learning
One of the best parts of the Global Admin role is mentoring new volunteers. FFC uses a Contributor Ladder system where new volunteers start as Contributors and progress to Maintainers and Mentors. Senior admins review pull requests, answer questions, and help new volunteers work through the training plan.
There is also always something new to learn. Microsoft 365 releases new features monthly. GitHub Actions evolves rapidly. Cloudflare adds new security capabilities. Staying current is part of the role — and FFC supports it by covering the cost of certification exams like MS-900 and GitHub Foundations.
The Tools of the Trade
Global Admins work across several platforms daily. Here is the stack:
Microsoft 365
Email, identity, security, compliance
Cloudflare
DNS, CDN, SSL, WAF, Workers
GitHub
Repos, Actions, Pages, security
You can learn more about the full technology stack on the Tech Stack page.
Ready to Become a Global Admin?
The Global Admin Training Plan is a self-paced curriculum that covers everything you need to know — from creating your first DNS record to passing the MS-900 certification exam. It is structured as interactive checklists so you can track your progress as you go.
No prior IT experience is required. If you can follow instructions and are willing to learn, the training plan will get you there. Start with the Get Involved page to choose your track.