Got any non-profit status set up expertise?

Hey Daenin, just curious as to why you're opting for the non-profit route vs. LLC, Corp., etc. (Hope that's not getting too personal.)

It's great that you grok that a non-profit set-up is best done "right".

Have you sorted through that there are two levels of non-profit (in Washington State). Level one is the simple filing as a non-profit with the Secretary of State, and is moderately easy/inexpensive. Level two, is tax-exempt status, which requires navigating the challenges of the IRS application (expensive! too).

I'll be back later to post a link to a nifty overview that you can download which might get you some of the pointers you seek.

Here's that URL

http://www.kcba.org/scriptcontent/KCBA/publications/pdf/nonprofit/NPHandbook.pdf

272 pages! Have fun.

I have been a nonprofit consultant for 10 years and therefore have lots of experience on this topic. I am in Oregon, and don't know Washington's laws very well, but I can help with IRS stuff.

I agree with Leila that getting it set up right is also critical and I am wondering where you are in process and what your specific questions may be at this point in the game.

I was amongst a group of people that turned an arts organization into a Wa. State recognized non-profit and later a Federally recognized 501(c)3. But it's been some years now.

A couple of us took an AWESOME class from Nonprofit Assistance Center on setting up a non-profit. It was a couple years ago, but if I remember correctly, it was something like a 3 hour evening course and the information I came home with was invaluable.

http://www.nacseattle.org/

That sounds familiar, but if I remember correctly, I took a 3-hour class.

Then again, they may have changed some things in the last 4 years.

Try giving them a call.

David, good to hear that you feel encouraged. Here's another link, this one for when you've evolved to the point of asking for grant money. The Grantsmanship Center

TGC gives an amazing training. Its tuition seems costly, but it's well worth it. Sheez, 14 years later, I still refer to their training materials when I am trying to write persuasively.

Looks like they'll be in Seattle in June.

We found NonProfit set up very easy, inexpensive and as quick as 2 weeks through Ocean Grand http://www.OceanGrand.org.

The Ocean Grand staff is very knowledgeable in all things nonprofit and will even help an organization to learn to fundraise and grant write! They include Online giving.

Their nonprofit set up fee is pennies compared to other services and they also take care of all your accounting, bookkeeping, tax filings, independent audits, and even banking. It is like having your own administration staff leaving you free to do the nonprofit work and none of the paperwork.

They can also handle more complicated tasks like running payroll for your staff, image branding, print media creation, web sites, etc.

They are a breeze to work with and make nonprofit work even more enjoyable than it already is.

You owe it to yourself to check them out http://www.OceanGrand.org

They will even set up a nonprofit outside the US.

I just spoke with some one from the Secretary of State office for charities at 1-800-332-4483. She was immensely helpful and clarified which steps were the crucial first ones. There is a new number for not for profit corporations that was just assigned last week. It is 360-753-7115.

Everyone has given some great links above that I have begun to read. And thank you Lara for the link to the classes. I look forward to the grant writing link.

Hey Kathleen, I do not know what the link didn't work but here it is not embedded in the text: http://www.tgci.com/

Here is the direct link to Leila's site

Scott's direct link is http://www.OceanGrand.org

Kathleens site is http://www.tgci.com

Perhaps this is not a timely response. Non-profits are technically owned by their boards and not their founders. One has to be certain that they are willing to allow their "baby" to grow into adulthood without them. It's useful to read up on Founder's Syndrome and how that can ultimately destroy a non-profit. You can spend a lot of time developing a non-profit with the hope of creating an income for yourself and wind up with no income and no involvement in the non-profit when all is said and done. I've had a lot of experience working with emerging non-profits and sooner or later, the founder's issues always surface.