Nicole:   Appreciate the info. Looks like I'll be spending the next year just researching my project!   John Message Edited by MisterWrite on 04-08-2009 06:27 AM

In response to the post, it is unclear to me how you would like to operate. It is possible, albeit not recommended, to operate the non-profit as a sole proprietorship. If you are very serious and committed to operating a non-profit corporation for years to come, then perhaps you should incorporate. However, you should bear in mind that once you incorporate, you have to follow through. And if you decide to close up shop, you should know that you have to properly dissolve the corporation. If you do not properly dissolve the corporation, you may be on the hook for taxes from previous years as well as various fines. The process of getting the IRS tax exemption status is not easy, nor is it quick. You can expect somewhere around 8-12 months. Be prepared to file around 50-100 pages or so of papers. And you must incorporate before you do so. And your articles of incorporation must explicitly state that you are forming a non-profit corporation and you need to clearly enumerate your services and intentions. You also have to understand what you CANNOT do: use the corporation to specifically endorse a political candidate, etc. And don't forget about getting tax exemption status with your own state of incorporation as well. That may be quicker and easier. For more information on corporations you can go to my websites at http://www.socalpatent.com/losangelesbusinessattorney.html los angeles lawyer and http://www.ideastolegacies.com/los-angeles-business-lawyer.html attorney los angeles. Message Edited by NicoleD on 06-16-2009 04:14 PM

Hi MisterWrite, I see you've already found our blog article 'How to Start A Non-Profit Organization. Here are additional resources for non-profits. This page includes a link to the IRS's lifecycle pages (starting out, exemption, required filings, ongoing compliance and significant events) for 501(c)(3) Charitable Organizations. Message Edited by NicoleD on 04-07-2009 04:49 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-profit_organization http://www.usa.gov/Business/Nonprofit.shtml Those would be some good places to starting learning more about a non-profit company and if you'll qualify.