How to Start a Non Profit Organization

If you have enough ambition to self-initiate, passion to give, and determination to persevere, you may be a good candidate for starting a non-profit organization. It may be a lot easier than you've ever imagined. Just think about a cause that you'd love to support and follow the steps in this article.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• pen
• paper
• internet

1. The first thing that you need is a mission statement. What's your cause? What's the purpose of your organization? Your mission statement should be short and succinct. Usually 3-4 sentences is long enough.
2. Call the IRS or go to www.irs.gov to request a form to apply for a non-profit or charitable organization. Once you receive this application, it'll have all the information included to complete the application. The application may seem very intimidating; most people hire lawyers to complete it. But if you can follow directions, you can complete it yourself. I've done it and it's not that bad if you take the time to read the material that comes along with it.
3. Along with your application, you'll need to have By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation. You don't need to re-invent the wheel. Just google it and get a template for these docs online. Then modify it to fit with the purpose of your mission.
4. Apply for state and federal tax exemption. For state, go to the web site to download it or call them to ask for the application. Do the same for a federal tax exemption application. You'll need to have your application for a non-profit entity approved before you can submit these applications. Once you've acquired state and federal tax exemption, you can start applying for funding. That's a whole different article for me to write about!

Tips & Warnings

• Take your time
• Read all of the instructions on the application
• This process can take about a year. Make sure you allow for that time within the application process.