Starting a non-profit in architecture - where to start?

Well, starting an NPO isn't easy. Starting an NPO whose primary mission is essentially ongoing capital campaigns for new facilities is very not easy. That said, it could be done with the right people. The first thing you'll need to do is get your tax exempt 501c3 status. Until you have that, raising money won't really be possible, and raising money is the other first thing you need to do. You'll have to look into the specific CA laws on what you need to get your 501c3 status. Here in Oregon, it isn't too difficult, and the chief requirements are things like having a mission statement, at least three people on your board, agreeing to the legal requirements, etc. But you will have to build a board, get a plan together, make a website - the stuff you'd do for any new business. Once you get your status, you need money. People always want to jump to grant funding, which is something that certainly should be on your radar, but before you start looking for major gifts from the California Community Foundation or what have you, you'll really need some major gifts from private donors on board, especially since your NPO would be building facilities, which is hugely expensive. If I were you, after I got my status I would pick a flagship project and then run it essentially like a capital campaign. Get some major donors on board first in a silent phase, do some grant funding, have a public phase to finish it off. Easier said than done. How do you get major private donations? Yeah, that's the rub. People devote their careers to it. Use the connections you have. Network. Major gifts don't have to be a million dollars. You could start with $10,000 or whatever seems appropriate given the costs of your project. But it's unlikely you'll be able to build a community center for less than a few million though, would be my guess. So let's just say the community center will cost $5m. Okay. You'll need half of that in private donations before you go public. So you'll need to convince some rich people to dive you $2.5m. With that pledged, you can apply for grant funding. Maybe you'll get one capital grant worth $1m, a few in the $100,000-$300,000 range. Okay, then finish it off with a public campaign through your website, social media, smaller grants, fundraisers, etc. Get a major donor to do a matching grant to finish off the last $100,000. There are lots of ways to run a capital campaign, but that's the general outline. Alternatively, you could partner with other organizations that would have an interest in building a community center and basically act as a fundraiser/project manager for them. It would be easier to leverage funding that way, but partnering is its own bag of worms, and you'd still have to raise your own operating costs and compete with all of the other consulting firms that exist to help NPOs manage major campaigns. Running an NPO, like running any business, is mostly about acquiring money.

"Naive and idealistic" sounds like a lot of entrepreneurs. So, think of yourself as an entrepreneur of a sort. Successful entrepreneurs who fall into the naive and idealistic trap surround themselves with trusted advisors who are neither naive nor idealistic (lawyers, accountants, CFOs, etc.) Structure your non-profit venture such that you're its public face and all the administrative detail is handled by people other than you with personalities appropriate to those roles. Non-profits are, of course, businesses, though they are businesses established with an intent other than to generate profit. They should be run like a business, with an executive committee, a Board of Directors, etc.

Very good advice, thanks! I've heard that starting a non-profit is a lot like starting a business, and that's what makes me the most nervous. Having seen my father risk my family's income on a couple unsuccessful ventures has left me timid about the whole idea of a "business". But I get where you're coming from, that the organization needs to be financially sound at its core and have a public face. The idea that I need to obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to start is intimidating and from where I sit (on my kitchen table) seems unrealistic right now - but perhaps a 5-year goal? Hopefully. Therefore I like the idea of starting small. Especially since I have a non-existent network and know so few people. I've only lived here for a couple years, and feel I need things I can do myself and in my current time, so I appreciate the links to small projects. Steps I should take is to establish a 501c3, see what a local community may want, present a proposal to the neighborhood and city for approval, get funding (kickstarter & grants), build it, then success?

Your state most likely has an association of nonprofits (think AIA for nonprofit orgs). Google them up and give them a call. My wife works at the one in our state, and they field a lot of calls from people like you and help clear up some of the very basic questions so you can determine if it's a realistic possibility to even get started.

Each branch of Architecture for Humanity works in their local area, it's just that the main office primarily works on and publicizes the work abroad. If there isn't a local chapter near you, it's easy to start one, if not necessarily easy to grow it (or possibly I just suck at that part). You can use their 501(3)c status, which saves a huge part of the process.