Advice for starting a non-profit organization for new mothers?

Let me congratulate you for your project and i wish you all success !. Nonprofit incorporation is very similar to creating a regular corporation except that a nonprofit must take the extra steps of applying for tax-exempt status with the state in which it incorporates and with the IRS. The following steps should be taken :- Select a name that is legally available in your state. File your "articles of incorporation," and pay a filing fee. Apply for federal and state tax exemptions. Create bylaws that will dictate how the corporation is run. Appoint an initial board of directors. Hold the first meeting of the board of directors Apply for any licenses or permits that your corporation will need to operate in your state and local municipality. In order to qualify for tax-exempt (501c3) status , you should create a concept paper and document your ideas with the structure for the organization you propose and you must share your concept with like minded persons and involve them as initial founders. Next step would be to contact an attorney to assist you in preparing incorporation filings in your state. After your organization in incorporated, obtain an employer ID number, and apply for 501c3 tax-exempt status with the IRS. Your funding requirements will depend on various factors , for which you have to prepare a plan which will be of use to you in approaching potential funding sources .

V.T.R.A and Jane Reads more books are correct. First you do need to set up a B.O.D. (Board of Directors) which is what Jane is telling you to do. I am a co-founder of a non profit organization called SOFTIN (http://www.seafaringopportunities.org) We went through the Foundation Group who helped us from setting up the articles of incorporation, getting our state approval and all the way down to filing and all dealings with the IRS to establish our 501c3 status. I suggest you go through them. They have a 100 percent success rate on establishing NPO's. (non profit organizations). They can help you with all your legal issues, answer any questions and expedite things a lot quicker. Here's their web site: http://www.501c3.org Funding is going to be a problem obtaining through donations until you are a 501c3 status. You can't tell corporations or businesses that your a non profit until you obtain that status through the IRS. There are other funding procedures that you can do to obtain sufficient funding for your non profit to start and be able to carry it through to support your non profit organization. It's a major funding resource for non profits. If you'd like information on that, your more then welcome to email me at [email protected]

Follow these steps, 1. Register the organization as a non-profit in your state. You could do that through www.legalzoom.com but if you call your state department of commerce, you might be able to do it for a lot less than you would be charged by legal zoom. Legal zoom is easier and more convenient. 2. Register a domain name and purchase webhosting. You could do that for free through microsoft's office "live for small business" service. You might not even need to pay a website designer because this microsoft service has a very user-friendly design tool. 3. Promote your non-profit organization. You could apply for a grant from philantrophic organizations like the rockefeller Foundation, Ford foundation or the world bank. 4. Remember to file taxes for the organization every year to keep it legal. Hope this helps.