Do you have a passion to do charitable work? Have you thought of creating a non-profit to make the world a little bit better? Have you been asked to volunteer or participate on a board of directors of a non-profit? Today, we will be addressing this aspect of our society and some advice to starting or maintaining your own on-profit business.
- Starting your organization
- Write down a burning charitable passion that you’ve always wanted to fulfill.
- Volunteer for organizations that share your passion to learn more about the issues.
- Build your dream team
- Make a list of others who share your passion and are willing to put as much energy (and maybe money) into the operations.
- Find an attorney to assist you
- Find an accountant (hopefully to sit on the board as a Treasurer)
- Check out local government and non-profit organizations that assist non-profits with information like the California Community Foundation. See if they can serve as a partner in causes.
- Do a strategic plan spending a lot of time on the mission of your organization.
- Who are you trying to help?
- Can your organization make a difference in helping your target?
- Use your attorney (or a paralegal service) to file your articles of incorporation with the Secretary of State, or other state agencies.
- Create a 5 year budget and cash flow
- Apply for IRS tax exempt status. See if an attorney can guide you.
- Register with other state agencies like the attorney general office. Laws and procedures can vary in each state.
2. Operating your organization
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- Management
- Set up your structure, meeting schedules, and programs.
- File the required annual forms
- Management
