How would I go about setting up a nonprofit foundation for abused spouses and their children?

Question

I Just buried my grandson. He was a brave 2 1/2 year old. His monster of a father shook and threw him at the age of 2 /12 months old. I spent new years eve night 2004 at the hospital praying for my grandson. His father is serving a 25 year term for first degree assault on a infant. After two years of therapist and progress he would've started special school being cortically blind. Due to his injuries, my grandson died from a rare stroke steming from his injuries. May 10, 2007 he stopped breathing on his own. May 19, 2007 our family said goodbye to our angel. His cousin with a heart defect receive my grandson's heart. The charge is now being changed to first degree murder. I don't know what to with the rest of my time after I get off work. He was my heart.This foundation will benefit babies and children who suffer from brain damage and mothers who've been displace because of abuse. It will also allow for relocation to start over again. I have a partially finished business plan.

Thank you all for your caring words and support. I'm in the process of calling the appropriate agencie.

Answer 1

I'm terribly, terribly sorry for your loss. If you're in the USA, a lot of people will say you need a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible status first to start a nonprofit, but it's not necessary. You can link up with a current organization that works on domestic abuse and violence against children, and work for them, rather than start your own group. You can raise money for special projects within that organization (like working with babies with brain damage), and then you don't have to worry about filing papers or doing bookkeeping or putting together a board. You can also start a program within a church or house of worship: they have the tax-deductible status and can give you office space, too. I would strongly suggest you go to www.boardsource.org and get some of their books about putting together a good leadership group/board of directors, because that will help you the most. You might also consider working with a group that encourages organ donation, since you can see that something good can come out of something so awful. Good luck.

Answer 2

First off let me say that you are a wonderful person. I can’t comment on the IMEASURABLE unfairness that was burdened to your loved Grandson. I have a 2 and a half year old son who is my world. Your posting is the first time that the internet has made me cry – I’m incredibly sad for your immense loss.

To answer your question. My wife has successfully done this with a Women’s Shelter: To start a foundation, you would find it best to synergize with the local city/county government and a hospital system.
1st- Assemble a board. Gather people with great business sense, community or political ties and a firm belief in your cause. Assembling a board is great leverage (everyone wants to add it to their resume for the additional clout and prestige), choose wisely. I would recruit the police chief (always willing to join a board and comes with excellent perks), a lawyer, a high-up member of the local hospital/hospital system (they often have money dedicated to community projects like this, you just have to recruit the right person), a city council member, a church leader or two, etc.
2nd- Complete your business plan. You can approach the local hospital for this. They have BDM’s (Business Develop Managers) in every hospital. A BDM does nothing but gather support data and write business plans for the various functions of the hospital. At this level of management, most (I believe ALL nonprofit) hospitals require their upper management team to have strong and tangible community service outside the hospital. Many nonprofits require this of their leadership in order to get the highest score on the manager’s yearly review. You want a BDM on your board (since it’s symbiotic, it’s an easy sell).
3rd- Start delegating. Don’t take the administrative burden any further, let your team share the load and you focus on doing your good works as soon as possible.

Note- Is it possible to channel your drive/passion for this cause into an existing nonprofit with a similar mission? I don’t know about your community, but there are often so many nonprofits with duplicate goals that they can rob bandwidth from each other. I’m sure that you wouldn’t go this far if this was the case, but I just want to throw it out there.
Yes, I oversimplified the entire process, but this is YA and it’s late. I hope you can find a pearl somewhere in this.
I’ll pray for your family tonight. Good luck and God bless you.
(Please don’t consider this entry for your best answer.)

Answer 3

i grew to become into critically overwhelmed with the aid of my father as a baby (and a youngster) and admittedly, i'm very reluctant to have young ones of my own... i do no longer think of i could ever hit my female buddy/better half, yet I even have had problems with stepping into fights, i think of I even have all of it under administration now, yet I do could make a wakeful attempt. despite the fact that, I even have acquaintances who have been spanked (no longer overwhelmed) with the aid of their mum and dad and none of them have any themes. So relies upon what you're talking approximately. (yet i does not spank my young ones the two, via fact there's a great line between that and abuse. Esp. in case you're over 13, it takes plenty tougher strokes to tutor you a lesson - if hitting ever nevertheless every person the different lesson yet concern!)

Answer 4

I am sorry for your loss and for your pain. I do not know of the legal progress for setting up such an organization, but when you are successful and if you would happen to live in California, let me know and I would gladly help.

Answer 5

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. While it may vary from to state to state, generally you draw up the necessary papers and file them with the secretary of state. As stated by another answerer, it is best to consult to attorney to determine the best type of non-profit to file as.

Answer 6

Even though I do not have the answer for you, I can pray for you to find the answers to help you with what you are trying to do. My deepest heart felt sympathy for you, andthe loss of your precious grandson, and for the important work that you are trying to do.

http://www.ehow.com/how_17220_set-web-site.html

http://nonprofit.about.com/od/nonprofitbasics/bb/beforenonprofit.htm

Answer 7

Well, it seems you would have met quite a few lawyers recently. So, speak to one of them for advice on how to do this.