Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Eleven Steps to Nonprofit Incorporation: Part 2

Georgia Attorneys’ Recommendations: The Eleven Steps to Nonprofit Incorporation
Continued

The excerpt below is from "Starting a Nonprofit Organization in Georgia" manual published by Georgia Center for Nonprofits, a very helpful resource.

7. Apply for Federal Tax-exempt Status
 Order I.R.S. forms and **apply within 15 months** of the date you filed your articles of incorporation:
No. 4220—Applying for 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Status
No. 4221—Compliance Guide for 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Organizations
No. 557—Tax-Exempt Status for Your Organization
No. 1023 (for 501(c)(3)'s)—Application for Recognition of Exemption
No. 1024 (for 501(c)(4) or (6)'s)—Application for Recognition of Exemption
No. 8718—User Fee Application
The I.R.S. estimates 70 hours to complete form 1023 or 1024, and 120 days for the application to be processed. Process time begins when no additional questions are requested of the applicant by the I.R.S.

8. Apply for Georgia State Tax-Exempt Status
An organization must have an I.R.S. determination letter to apply for state tax-exemption.

9. Apply for Georgia State ID Number
Contact Georgia Department of Revenue's Centralized Tax Payer Registration Unit and request form CRF- 002, State Tax Registration Application.

10. Register as a Charitable Organization
Organizations with less than $25,000 in annual gross revenue and certain types of organizations are exempt from registration under the Georgia Charitable Solicitations Act. Order Georgia Secretary of State's Securities and Business Regulation form C-100 Charitable Registration Application. This will allow the organization to raise funds in the state of Georgia. 

11. Obtain Business License


**As of 7-2014 Most organizations must file this application by the end of the 27th month after they were legally formed.


Eleven Steps to Nonprofit Incorporation: Part 1

Before deciding to pursue nonprofit incorporation, completing thorough research is important. There are tons of books and resources available. The key is finding the best resource for you because otherwise it can feel like information overload. There are a few things that I would have definitely have done differently but the excerpt below is from "Starting a Nonprofit Organization in Georgia" manual published by Georgia Center for Nonprofits and it is a very helpful resource.

Georgia Attorneys’ Recommendations: The Eleven Steps to Nonprofit Incorporation


1. Reserve the Organization's Name
Search your states Secretary of State Securities & Business Regulations Registered Charitable Organization Database to ensure that your business name is available and then you have the option (not required) to reserve this name for a short time period 

2. File Articles of Incorporation
File your articles of incorporation with the Secretary of State's Corporation Division, within 30 days of reserving your organization's name. The cost is $100 and the renewal fee is $30 in the state of Georgia, check with your state because cost may vary. 

3. Publish Intent to Incorporate
Publish a notice of Intent to Incorporate with county newspaper of record listed with the county clerk's office. This must be done simultaneously with filing the Articles of Incorporation. 

 
4. Apply for the Federal Employer Identification Number
This is done through the IRS. 

5. Prepare Organization By-laws


6. Conduct an Initial Meeting of the Board of Directors

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Officially Almost Official

Its has taken me almost 1 year going back and forth with the SOS (Secretary of States) office, Corporations division but I am finally half way to where I need to be. This summer my Non-Profit Corporation Application was approved by the state. The next step is to apply for my 501c3 tax exempt status, which is currently scheduled for Jan, 2016.

**Disclaimer** If your initial SOS Corporation application is done correctly then it should not take a year to receive an approval.

My Corporation is registered in the State of Georgia. They have totally revamped there online submission website so some of the issues I faced when I first submitted my application in Fall 2014, should be none existent at this point. But here is a run down of the process I took. (I am in no way an expert, so you can take this with a grain of salt if you like, this is just my condensed version after reading IRS documents and a few NP start up articles and etc.)

1. Established a "Cause" that you deem worry of the investment of you time, energy and money.

2. Devise a plan of action: either individually or with a small group of individuals that share your passion for your Mission. Which will include drafting a mission statement, researching your target community, is your mission unique, does it have a niche, how do you plan to accomplish your goals......

3. Research the application process: is there certain wordage that must be present in your Articles of Incorporation, the fees, time line, contact persons, is there a deadline .....

4. Draft your Articles of Incorporation

5. Consult with a trusted "Adviser"

6. Submit your state level application for incorporation.

There are tons of resources you can buy off the internet or from a book stores but one of your greatest resources will be your local public library and then the internet.

Here are a few online resources:

Grant Space
Foundation Center
IRS
NASCO
Society for Nonprofits

Saturday, May 30, 2015

And so it Begins

Welcome to my blog.

I plan to use this site to chronicle the steps I have taken (and will take) in efforts to get my Non-Profit Organization off of the ground.  I will share updates, stories and informational facts.

I invite you to be apart of my journey, one that began over seven years ago and is slowing blossoming it a beautiful thing!


(See your dream, Speak your dream, Embody your dream

Birth your dream into existence!)