youth baseball non profit start up experience?

Question

Our small town baseball league is haphazardly run---fundraising in particular in a nightmare. Many local businesses have offered to give donations if ONLY we were an IRS non-profit group.

The folks that run this thing say it costs thousands of dollars to become an IRS non profit.

If you have any experience with this, please tell me if it was a very difficult thing to do? Did it cost you $1,000? $5,000? $10,000?

The program is declining and we would like to turn it around. Money isn't everything, but would enable us to spruce up the equipment and not rely on kids standing outside Walmart one weekend a year as the major fundraiser.

If you have any information about how hard or difficult this is, please answer. We're looking at the IRS pages, what I really need is personal experience info

Answer 1

I had a good friend apply for & receive non profit status for a summer wooden bat collegiate team he runs. I began the process myself, it is somewhat detailed, but shouldn't cost more than a few hundred.

Have you considered seeking the assistamce of an accountant in your town in exchange for advertisng/promotional ops at league games?

Another alternative would be to publish some type of scoresheet or a very basic "yearbook" w advertising ops for local merchants. They can deduct advertising expense regardless of your status.