Create your GitHub account

1. 1

   Go to the signup page

   On your computer or phone, open github.com/signup.

2. 2

   Sign up with the email tied to your phone

   Use the email address that is the primary account on your cell phone — the one already on your device.

   If you have an Android phone, that’s your Google/Gmail address, so choose “Continue with Google” and pick that account. If you have an iPhone, use your iCloud/Apple email (or “Continue with Google” if Gmail is your main email).

   Using your phone’s primary email means password resets and security prompts land somewhere you always have with you.

   💡 This first email is just how you log in. You are NOT making a “work” account — you’re making your personal account. Work emails get added later in Step 5.

3. 3

   Choose your username

   Pick a username that is your name, like Clarke did with ClarkeMoyer — e.g. firstnamelastname or a close variation if it’s taken.

   It is public and shown on everything you do, and it’s painful to change later, so choose a clean, professional version of your name.

   Do not use the charity’s name as your username. The charity gets its own organization later; this account is you.

4. 4

   Verify your email and finish

   GitHub emails you a code (or, with “Continue with Google,” verifies automatically). Enter the code if asked, answer the couple of setup questions, and choose the Free plan.

5. 5

   Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA)

   MFA means that after your password, you also approve a second step from your phone — so a stolen password alone can’t get in. See the full walkthrough in the Multi-Factor Authentication guide.

   Use the same authenticator app you already use for your bank or email — most commonly Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator. If you don’t have one, install one from your phone’s app store first.

   When the site shows a QR code, open your authenticator app, tap + / Add, and scan the QR code. The app starts showing a 6-digit code that changes every 30 seconds. Type the current code back into the website to confirm.

   💡 Always save the backup / recovery codes the site gives you right after setup — store them in your password manager. They are how you get back in if you lose your phone.

6. 6

   Add your other email addresses

   Now make the one account work for all your roles. Go to GitHub → top-right profile photo → Settings → Emails.

   Under Add email address, add your work/persona email — for the FFC example, clarkemoyer@freeforcharity.org — and verify it from the confirmation email GitHub sends there.

   You can keep several emails on the account (personal + charity). Keep your reliable phone email as the primary so account-recovery messages always reach you.

   💡 This is the key move: one personal login, multiple emails — not multiple accounts. It keeps your contribution history and identity in one place.

7. 7

   Tell FFC your username

   Send your GitHub username to FFC (text Clarke Moyer at (520) 222-8104) so you can be added to your charity’s repository as a writer. You’ll get an email invitation — open it and click Accept invitation.

Stuck on any step? Text Clarke Moyer at (520) 222-8104 — every step is meant to be simple, so if something doesn't match what you see, ask.