setting up a charity?

Question

my wife and i want to begin a charity, but really don't know what to do to get it started.

Answer 1

What an excellent thing to do!

As the first respondent mentioned, there is the always the option of getting involved with an existing effort. However, given that you're asking about setting up your own charity, I'll address this question.

Another respondent mentioned the IRS publication to review. To be recognized as a tax deductible organization, it is best to apply with the IRS. The publication in question is located at:

http://apps.irs.gov/app/pub78

The particular state you live in may or may not have additional requirements, so it is best to at least check. I believe the second respondent provided a link to a resource where you can search for more information. If that doesn't help, simply search for the government website of the state you are in (they all have one) and search are their site for "nonprofit organization"; "charity", etc.

If you're in this for the long term and not in a terrible hurry, then it isn't really necessary to go for the "temp" solution that was alluded to in the first response. However, this certainly is an option. Organizations can find someone to work with and have themselves set-up was a donor advised fund of an operation nonprofit organization. This allows you to do fundraising legally until you get your IRS Determination Letter (if that is what you are doing).

So the above is what you need as far as the legal side.

On other aspects, I'll concur with some of the other respondents. You do need your own domain. When creating a domain, I would recommend:

1) That you make it fairly simple - not too long
2) Think of the "brand" factor. Make it something that will be remembered and that clearly identifies you.
3) Definitely grab a "org" extention.

You will eventually need to think about fundraising, but I would not suggest this be the first thing that you do. It is far more important to ensure legal compliance; create a working framework for your foundation; clearly establish your mission, goals, etc; and create the website (our online presence). Fundraising is something that you do when there is something to fundraise for ;-)

And when you get to fundraising, you'll find lots of resources in the library and online. I believe the third respondent provided you with a few leads. (btw how nice to have three solid answers to your question already - I think it means you're asking the "right" questions).

Since I'm not promote my own work ;-) I would suggest that the following are two excellent resources (one was mentioned already):

- www.charitynavigator.org
- www.guidestar.org

Based on my prof. experience, I would recommend registering with MissionFish.org. This organization works exclusively with eBay's Giving Works program. Even if you do nothing else, registering with MissionFish allows the vast eBay seller community to donate a portion (or all) of the proceeds of their sales to your organization, if they choose to do so.

Marketing your organization:

Press releases are only one of many aspects to marketing yourself. It is good to do when there are opportunities, but press releases should not be done too often or without substantial content. There are many other things that you can do including incorporating a blog onto your website to maintain fresh content for both visitors and search engines. And there are a "zillion" other things that could be mentioned from the very simple to the formal cause-marketing agreements. But you'll have plenty of time to keep researching the marketing portion.

Good luck with your efforts. The blessing is in the journey.

Answer 2

In the US, a lot of people think that they have to get tax deductible status first, but that's not true. You can find another charity to be your "fiscal sponsor" -- for a small percentage, they run all your checks through their checking account, and you get the proceeds and your donors get the tax deduction.
You should first research whether anyone is doing something similar where you live. Go to www.guidestar.org or www.volunteermatch.org and see if there are similar groups. It's better to join a group already working than to start something new. Even if your idea is totally new, you should find someone working with the same people, and propose your idea to them as a new program. That way, you don't have to start everything from scratch, like bookkeeping and recordkeeping, and can just go out and help people.
You'll need to learn to fundraise for your cause. I recommend books by Kim Klein and Joan Flanagan.
Good luck!

Answer 3

Yes, you would have to register with the charities commission (link below). However, before you do that you will probably need: 1) A list of aims and objectives for your charity, defining who or what it exists for and how it will be run. 2) A board of trustees (other people besides yourself) who are going to help ensure that the charity sticks to its objectives and doesn't get sidetracked. 3) All these people will need proof of identity which will need to be shown to the bank which holds any money you raise, and also I suspect to the charities commission. 4) Eventually you will need accounts and an independent auditor, and probably to write an annual report. There are probably already a number of charities you could work through, and joining forces would save you a lot of time, aggravation and bureaucracy. Your time is probably better spent helping people than jumping through hoops for the charity commission.

Answer 4

Just started a new non-profit after my brother died earlier this year, so here is what I did.

1) you need to find out your state rules. I am in Ohio, so we had to create a non-profit corporation for the state of Ohio. You can usually get the information from the secretary of state for your state. You can link to yours from the National Association of Secretary of States: http://www.nass.org/sos/sosflags.html...
2) after you get registered as a corporation, you can register with the IRS for an EIN (employer Identification number). You can get that on irs.gov at http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/arti...
3) you need to get your papers in order and "prove" that your organization is really for non-profit purposes in order to achieve 501(c)3 status with the IRS. Once you have this status, it is a pretty strong indicator to people that they can take a tax write-off when they contribute to you. Download Publication 557 from http://www.irs.gov --- it is a huge publication that shows how to do it.


After you file with the state, try to get a domain name set up that is your organization so you can set up your own web site. I use godaddy.com and domainhaul.com

If you are going to set up events, make sure you start trying to get publicity as early as possible. Check with your local newspapers and tv stations, alot of them have free "event listings" for small non-profits. You can also publish press releases for free at:
http://www.theopenpress.com
http://www.free-press-release.com...

When you are ready to work with a fund raising company, just make sure you find someone you can trust. I have an article at http://www.jeremymoorman.com/index.php?c... that gives my general rules I follow when working online.

You can also get great fund raising ideas online. One of the cool ones I saw recently was a Corn Hole tournament for a dog shelter. It is a really cool idea...you can see them at http://www.wags4kids.com/cornhole.html...


Best of luck!