Jesus Film

I have been running my nonprofit for a year now but have heard that I can easily turn it into a 501 c 3 so my donors can get a tax write off. I do not know who to contact to take the nonprofit to the next level or what the next steps would be. I don’t want to incur a lot of costs in the process. Where do I start?

A nonprofit is a corporation, just like General Motors, or Sears, or McDonald’s.
You file the incorporation documents with your home state the same way.
There must be an official address and place of business, by laws, a board of directors, board meetings, and minutes of those meetings.
They are required to file formal reports on their financial activities with the state AND the feds.

Now here is where the differences start.

The difference is that a nonprofit has no owner and no stock.
When the corporation brings in more money than it spends, the excess is called a "fund balance", instead of a "profit".
That fund balance can be re-invested in the corporation or held in savings for future projects or for lean times.
The board of directors makes those decisions.

Once the org incorporates, it must apply to the IRS for a tax exempt status.
Those rules are under section 501(c) of the IRS code.
Most charities are under (c)(3).
Labor unions are under c5.
There are about two dozen different categories.

That means that the ORGANIZATION does not pay taxes on its income.
The EMPLOYEES of the organization pay their personal taxes under the same rules as everyone else.

Individuals who donate money to c3 orgs can deduct it from their income taxes, if they itemize.
Donations to other categories - c4, c5, etc. are not deductible.

There are thousands of state and federal rules governing activities, finances, and reporting.

For example, c3 orgs CAN NOT endorse political candidates and there are strict limits on the lobbying that they can do.
That’s why labor unions can endorse candidates and churches can’t.

State laws on soliciting donations from the public vary, but all states have them.

C3 and C4 orgs can be eligible for government grants for their work.
They can also solicit money from charitable foundations.

But then the foundations will come to their offices and tell them they’re doing everything wrong and refuse to give them any money unless they change everything they do.
And even then they might not give the money.

I hate foundations.

Look at http://www.irs.gov/charities/index.html
There is more info at www.foundationcenter.org
Source(s):
27 years as volunteer, staff, manager, board member, board president, and consultant to nonprofit corporations.

I am the person starting the nonprofit and was wondering if i can sit on the board of directors as well? I plan on being in charge of the daily operations as the executive officer. Should I be on the board and nominate myself as Executive officer?

the CEO of an organization is often times on the board. the board will elect the Chairman

I heard that there is a program that will make your student loan payments following graduation if the student goes to work for a nonprofit. Is this true, specifically in Florida?

I am not 100 percent sure, but I dont believe there is a program like this. I know certain people qualify for this, but I am only aware of people with a degree in certain things such as teaching, social work, etc but I believe that law is not one of them. Google federal loan forgiveness program and see what you come up with- not much help but I am pretty sure there isnt. (they assume law is an area that is pretty secure and can make enough to repay the loans).

In order to take possession of real estate as an officer of a nonprofit organization, does the nonprofit association actually have to be organized? Would it be fraud to accept the property? Would it be a criminal case or civil matter? This is a nonprofit unincorporated association.

If it is not organized, it does not exist. You really need to talk to a lawyer because anytime you look as though you are lying, it is always a bad thing.

My wife and want to start a nonprofit organization to help kids pay for fees and and get the equipment they need to play youth sports. The cost of these sports are rediculous! It cost my wife and I almost 100 bucks just to play youth football this year and i have been talking with other parents in our area and some of the other sports are even more! So i would like see about starting a non profit to help with these costs, WHAT DO I DO!

Why don’t you start small by having fund raisers in your town to help defer some of the cost of youth sports. You could also ask your town or a company to match the donations made in the fund raiser.

If you REALLY want to go the nonprofit route you need to understand something. Nonprofits need to have a way to make money. Now, I understand that may be a contradiction but if their is no income you aren’t going to be able to give out any money. So before you figure out what paperwork you need to fill out, start by coming up with a viable business plan.

We are filling out the IRS forms to create a non profit organization for Mary Ann Yerzy Pancreatic Cancer Foundation…but have found out we cant call it a foundation. we need creative ideas for an appealing nonprofit name of company.

Pancrease Health And Research Organization - PHARO.org or
MayPan is catchy and hopeful, too.

Note that the Board President was one of the founding members of the nonprofit corporation formed 10 years ago in the state of Indiana. The Board President acted as a co-director and was employed by the corporation. This nonprofit corporation is in the middle of dissolving and the Board President is promoting a new organization where he will be employed at. The new organization is still forming,also in the state of Indiana, has the same purpose and is working on becoming nonprofit. The new organization is most likely unaware of this promoting. I am wondering if there are legal issues here, as I am trying to determine if I want to become a member of the new organization.

There are no legal issues to be concerned about as it relates to the Board President promoting the new nonprofit organization. Since the current organization is in the middle of dissolving, IRS regulations state that the assets of the current organization will need to be given away to another nonprofit organization anyway (preferably one with a similar purpose, though this is not required). The IRS doesn’t mind one nonprofit organization promoting another because they are both formed for the benefit of the public and not for an individual’s profit.

The fact that the Board President is promoting the new organization is a good thing because this means that the new nonprofit has a chance to receive greater support which should result in the organization fulfilling it’s mission on a grander scale. No reason to be concerned. There are no laws being broken.

Directors, as such, may receive such compensation and be reimbursed for expenses of attendance at any meeting of the board as shall be determined by resolution of the board of directors. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to preclude any director from serving the corporation in any other capacity and receiving compensation therefore.

Since I don’t have much money to hire lawyer, I am searching for sample of bylaw for the nonprofit in california.

The first part basically means that directors of the non-profit can be reimbursed for expenses for attendance at the non-profit’s board meetings, such as mileage and parking, if the board makes a resolution to do so. The second part means that they may also be an employee of the non-profit and be paid for that position.

They cannot be paid a salary as a board member, however.

Being on the board of directors and also being an employee of the organization could create a conflict of interest, however.

Here are a couple of examples of non-profit by laws from California organizations:

http://www.bikehikers.com/PDFs/Bylaws.pdf

http://www.africanconservancy.org/about/documents/AC_Bylaws.pdf

You will want to check California law regarding setting up a non-profit - you can find that here:

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/calawquery?codesection=corp&codebody=&hits=All

Decide which type of non-profit you want to incorporate and check that section:

Section 5110 (domestic nonprofit public benefit corporations)
Section 7110 (domestic nonprofit mutual benefit corporations)
Section 9110 (domestic nonprofit religious corporations)

I am trying to let others know about my ministry. What is the best way to get a nonprofit website out there?

Is there some sites that will allow it?

Sincerely,
James T Hinkle
TeenOnline Ministries
http://www.teenonlineministries.com

You can list your Non-profit for free on the http://104inc.com network of over 2000 websites. here are some examples of what domains your advertisement will appear in. 104Angels.com, 104Chapel.com, 104christians.com, 104Church.com, 104Faith.com, 104Give.com, 104God.com, 104Heaven.com and many more! Just visit any of the 104inc.com sites and click on register on the top right of your screen. Fill out your info and it will be listed for FREE! Good luck with your teen online ministries.

With more funds being block-granted at the state level and the legal limitations of 501(c) (3) nonprofits concerning lobbying, it might seem that lobbying for a nonprofit organization is impossible. Here are some actions an organization can take on both the state and national level to insure your agency’s efforts are being addressed.

Step1
Have your clients write letters to Congress and state legislators supporting your issue. For example, clients of Planned Parenthood are encouraged to write letters to the members of Congress asking for increased funding of women’s health care programs. The waiting rooms of Planned Parenthood have both a sign and pamphlet instructing clients how to take action.
Step2
Have your member of Congress become an honorary board member of your nonprofit organization. Send his office your agency newsletter and annual report to keep him abreast of the issues your organization faces. You nonprofit organization is an authority in its field. Your member of Congress has many issues to deal with on a daily basis.
Step3
Have your agency volunteers meet with legislators. At least once a year, meet in person with your member of Congress to discuss any current legislation and how it can affect your agency. Be nonpartisan, speak only of the issues concerning your agency and thank your representative for her support in the past.
Step4
Show public recognition for your representative. Honor him at your annual fundraiser by presenting him with a plaque thanking him for helping your agency.