Reply #10: Yeah, you can totally do it. [View All]

[Chan790]

Your first stop should be the local library. There are hundreds of books on how to start an NPO that can get you headed in the right direction. I'm a fan of the "for Dummies" series titled on starting an NPO and Fundraising.

1.)The answer to your first question is dependent upon locality. You can usually look the process on your state's secretary of state or state treasurer's webpage or by running a google search for "forming an Non-profit" and the name of your state. generally the cost is under $500 depending on location. Then you have to apply to the IRS for a tax-exemption. That doesn't cost much (I don't think it costs anything but it's been years since I did this) but it can take months. You're allowed to operate once you apply based on the presumption that you'll be approved. They don't reject people outright usually, they tell you what you need to change to qualify. It's an act of jumping through hoops.

The answers to all other questions really are secondary to that first one. That's the thing you've got to do first and the answers to almost all other questions will come out of that process.