Non Profit Application Form

According to the Department of State, Division of Corporations, State Records, and UCC for New York, you must pay the statutory filing fee of $75 (as of July 2017) along with a small fee to check name availability.Filling out your non-profit forms accurately is very, very important. Ultimately, what you put in your documents may affect whether you are (or will remain) tax-exempt. Now, with that being said, your state documents aren’t the only documents you must complete. You must also fill out an Application for Recognition of Exemption with the IRS. Some non-profits are eligible to fill out a streamlined version, but you should talk with an attorney or tax professional to determine which one you should complete.You may also be required to obtain certain permits or licenses in New York (at either the city or the state level). This depends on what your non-profit will do or sell in order to raise money. Without the right permits or licenses, your non-profit could be shut down.You also need to write bylaws and appoint directors to the non-profit. Directors are important and should be chosen with care. They make important business and financial decisions for your non-profit. They will also officially adopt the bylaws at the first board meeting. The bylaws explain how the non-profit will be ran.Because non-profits must remain in compliance with state and federal law, it’s a good idea to first speak with an attorney and maybe even consider allowing the attorney to fill out the documents. It’s really worth the price since the tax-exempt status of the non-profit can be affected by a mistake. If you’d like to speak with an experienced attorney, check out LawTrades. Our legal marketplace has helped connect many entrepreneurs with experienced, non-profit attorneys to get them up and running. Hope you give us a try!

Non-profits are great, but they can certainly require a lot of work to get off the ground. I am not telling you that to try and dissuade you from forming one. Having worked with several, I understand the passion involved and sometimes that passion can blind well-meaning people from the business aspects.Your first step is to do some research. You want to look into your fundraising options, look for potential sponsors, and consider drafting a list of things that you could do throughout the year to keep money coming into your organization. You also need to decide if you’re going to provide money or services directly to your specified cause or if you’re going to donate what you raise to another charity.Your second step is to have a plan. Just because you’re forming a non-profit doesn’t mean that you can ignore a business plan. People who donate their money, resources, or time will want to know what they are supporting. A well-written business plan can help legitimize what you’re doing. To write one, you need to make sure that you’ve completed step one!Your third step is to complete the non-profit paperwork. You can do this on your own or you can get help from an attorney. It is very important that the documents are properly completed. If they aren’t completed properly, your organization will not be tax-exempt. You can register your non-profit in your own state or in any state that you’d like. You do this through the Secretary of State website. However, before you complete and turn in the documents, make sure that you do a name search. You can’t use a name that’s already in use or one that is so similar to an existing business name that the public could be confused. You pay the state filing fee with the completed paperwork.Your fourth step is to complete the IRS form. In order for you to be granted tax-exempt status, you must complete Form 1023-series application.You must name a board and adopt your bylaws. You must name people to your board and adopt the bylaws of your non-profit. Bylaws explain exactly how your non-profit operates. You must keep minutes during this board meeting (and all other board meetings). Your best bet is to hire an attorney who specializes in non-profits to take care of all these tedious requirements.As you see, the process for forming a non-profit can be time consuming. If your documents aren’t properly filled out, you could lose your tax-exempt status. If you’d like help with forming your non-profit, consider the attorneys on LawTrades. We are a legal marketplace that makes it easy and efficient for entrepreneurs to hire and work with vetted lawyers for transparent, flat-fees! Hope this helps.

There are no requirements to actually building a startup.Every startup will have its own special way that it will start up and its own bespoke path to the road for success. That being said, there are guidelines that most startups follow in order to increase their chances of success. Let me share them with you.LegalMaking sure that a startup begins on the right legal footing is crucial for success. You will want to make sure that the startup is registered, has the right structure and all the proper legal documents and certifications.You would be surprised by the number of startups that don’t have all of the followings! If you aren’t legally covered from the beginning, it can cause serious trouble for your startup in the future.For example, imagine you are running a Fintech startup.You might be unaware of all the regulations that your startup must abide by.Hence, you might be accidentally be violating one or more of them if you don’t have the proper supervision or license.A regulatory body like the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) might find out about this and either give you a hefty fine or even ask for your business to shut down due to its illegal nature.Either way, your startup has just been dealt a massive blow that will be almost impossible to come back from.TeamEvery startup needs to be started with the best possible team to run and have a vision of the future for it.Then from there, they will need to hire the best possible talent that they can.Why? Because having the best people working for your startup will help it scale for the future.That is why companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple and etc spend so much money and time on hiring the best people out there for the job. When raising funds, investors will want to see why your team is the best team for the job.That is why having the best talent is so important. It will show investors and the world that your team has what it takes to take this idea into the future.In the startup world, no matter how amazing your idea is, if you don’t have the right team to execute it, it will fail.IdeaWhich brings us to the idea itself. At the end of the day, the idea itself will be fundamental to building your startup and its success.This means that you have to be 100% convinced that what you will be working on has the potential to actually change the world or industry.You will have to do a crazy amount of research on your industry, competitors, current trends, future trends, the market, consumer research and so on and so on.The fundamental question you should be able to answer is whether or not the pain point you are trying to solve really exists and if your product would be the best one to solve it.Then from there, you will have to be able to take the next step in the journey which is to actually start the business.Starting a company is not easy and it will require a lot of blood, sweat, tears and sacrifices but, speaking from experience it is completely worth it!I recommend you read as many books as you can from past founders (like Tools of Titans, The Hard Thing About Hard Things and etc), blogs, videos, podcasts and etc as you can to gain as much knowledge as you can before jumping in.At the end of the day, your ability to learn (because no one knows everything, no matter how many times they have done it) and grow will be fundamental to your success with your startup and with life!I hope this has helped you and if you have any legal questions or need legal assistance for your startup, feel free to contact me or visit our website. We offer a FREE Startup Legal Consultation, check it out!

Is it possible? Of course. Is it likely? Not necessarily.Essentially, your GPA is an indication to the admissions committee that you will be able to excel in their college courses. Typically, 4 years of performance in high school courses is a better indication of your academic readiness than your scores on 3 hour (or 1 hour) exams. Strong SAT/SATII scores will help, but selective institutions tend to want to see academic preparedness demonstrated across many elements, including your GPA.Is your GPA struggling, though, because you are incredibly busy outside the classroom pursuing a passion or interest? Selective institutions pride themselves on admitting “best & brightest students.” These students lose track of time because they are so personally invested in something they deeply care about. Are you creating an app and writing the code for it on your own? Are you developing a non-profit organization to raise money and awareness for a growing issue in your community? If you are doing things that make you a “best & brightest” student outside the classroom, admissions committees may be more open to admitting you if your GPA is a bit lower.If you’d like guidance on how to craft an application with a low GPA, fill out our free consultation form. We’ll get you some personalized information on how to put your best foot forward on your application!

It will take about 3 weeks to 1 year, and will cost a minimum of $275 if you do it entirely by yourself.Step 1: Creating the Nonprofit OrganizationThe first step is creating the nonprofit organization that will serve as the underlying 501(c) entity. The nonprofit organization generally can be an unincorporated association, a corporation or a trust.Trusts and unincorporated associations are created by contract, and so if you draft it yourself, there are no government fees involved. The time taken will depend on how long you take to draft and execute the necessary documents. If you are really really determined, you could get it done in a day or two.Corporations are creatures formed under the auspices of the laws of a particular state, and states charge a filing fee to establish a corporation. The time taken depends on the state. Many states have expedited processing where they will form the corporation in 24 hours. There also needs to be certain governing documents, and if you are really really determined, you could get it done in a day or two.Step 2: Obtaining a Tax-IDThere is no government fee for obtaining an employment identification number (EIN), which is the tax ID number for the nonprofit organization. So again, if you do it yourself, it is free. If you have a current social security number or individual tax identification number, this can be done online in under 5 minutes.Step 3: Obtaining Recognition of 501(c) StatusThe filing fee for form 1023-EZ is $275 (the short-form 501c3 application). The filing fee for all others is $600. Time taken for 1023-EZ is usually between 2 weeks to 6 weeks. Time taken for the rest is usually anywhere from 6 months to a year.Additionally, in certain categories, 501(c) status could be “self-declared.” For example, 501(c)(4)s, and 501(c)(3)s that are houses of worship or with income under $5,000. However, there are many risks involved in doing so.

For starters, an NGO (non-governmental organization) is a non-profit entity (for anyone reading who may not know the acronym). One thing to consider is whether you’re looking to start a charity or a non-profit business. With a charity, the money or services donated would be placed into the hands of those who need it. If you were to start a nonprofit business, you’d have to consider inventory as well as selling the inventory. So, deciding between those two should be your first step.Others have mentioned knowing what problem you’d like to solve. This is absolutely true. Knowing where you’d like to direct your attention and your resources is important. Is it an underserved area or will you be another resource to people in need? If it is the latter, you might also consider creating a list of others serving the same demographic so that you can refer out if you don’t have the resources to help.You’re going to need:- Choose a name for your NGO. You should do a little research on the Secretary of State website for your state to make sure that no one is using the name you have in mind or that it wouldn’t create confusion because your NGO name is similar to the name of another business (for profit or nonprofit).- You’ll need to complete the right paperwork with the state. After completion, the documents are filed with the Secretary of State and you’ll also need to pay a filing fee. You may also be required to turn in copies of certain documents such as your Articles of Incorporation. Articles of Incorporation include basic business information like the name of your NGO, the address, and contact information for a registered agent. You must be extremely careful when completing all of your paperwork because you want to make sure that you receive tax-exempt status.- You need to apply with the IRS for tax exemption. The application is known as a 501(c)(3) application (Application for Recognition of Exemption). You’ll need to fill it out and include a copy of your filed articles.- In some states, you may need to apply separately for state tax exemption. Talk to a representative of your state tax agency or a lawyer.- You need to write nonprofit bylaws. These bylaws govern your nonprofit.- Appoint your directors. The job of the directors is to make policy and financial decisions. How many directors you must appoint will depend on the state you live in.- Hold your first board meeting. This is when bylaws will officially be adopted, officers will be elected, and your nonprofit will record the receipt of its federal and state tax exemptions. You need to keep copies of the minutes for this meeting (and all other board meetings). Create a records binder for this.- Get the proper licenses and permits. Depending on what your nonprofit will do (or sell), you may be required to have licenses or permits. Check at the city level and at the state level.Starting a nonprofit is a noble aspiration. It can also be extremely confusing because of the amount of paperwork. LawTrades can help. Our nonprofit attorneys can provide affordable help with the documents you need to start your nonprofit and have the reassurance that they’re done the right way in order for you to receive and maintain your tax exempt status. Visit us for a complimentary consultation!

This answer is going to make me sound like a spoiled brat, but here goes…I wasn’t actually looking for a new position, but I was contacted by a company for a position in a company about 5km from my house. The company was in the most beautiful office park, and I often commented that I wished the company I worked for would move there. Close to home and beautiful. There was a lake with ducks and Egyptian geese.So when they asked me to come in and have an interview, I agreed.The first interview turned out not to be an interview at all. They just wanted me to write a test. I suppose they wanted to make sure I could do the job before offering me the position, which is fine but I wanted to make sure the position was something I wanted first anyway.The second interview, was more what I wanted. After answering all of their questions, I got to ask mine.Mel: Do you have flexi-hours?Interviewer: No, but if you travel from very far away, you can start at 7am and leave at 4pm rather than the usual 8am - 5pm.Mel: Can I work from home at all?Interviewer: No. Never.Mel: What makes this a nice company to work for?Interviewer: We have a pool table. Sometimes after work we will play pool. Also the directors are really nice and we aren’t afraid to talk to them.Mel: Is that all?Then I told them about the company where I currently work.We have a pool table and 2 ping-pong tables, and a foosball table, and a dart board. Also Jenga, Chess, Pictionary, Scrabble and various other board games. We play sometimes after work, or during lunch, or when the company decides to host a tournament, or that time when there was a power failure, or when a director has challenged you.We have flexi-hours. I can start work at 6am and leave at 3pm and miss all the heaviest traffic. I also get to work from home 2 days a week.One day a year, we can spend doing work in our community. Some people work at a school, in an impoverished area nearby. Some of us go and work at an animal shelter, in that same area. The company arranges it for us, and our pay gets affected, not at all. And volunteer work is so good for the soul.The company pays a catering company to make lunch for everyone at work, every day. They also provide bread for us to make ourselves breakfast, if we want. With the bread, they also provide margarine, jam, peanut butter and other such things.On Fridays, at 2pm, we can buy beer and cider at cost (actually rounded down) from the company and drink it at our desks.And as far as having directors that aren’t scary, ours sit with us at lunch.I told you, I’m a spoiled brat. No way would I go and work for that company when I’m already working for such a great place.Sure, sometimes I get grumpy about how hard we have to work. Especially since we are geared towards being able to work from home, it means that even when you’re home and relaxing in front of the TV, you could get a call to log on and fix some urgent defect.It’s still worth it. I bet the people at that other place have to work hard too, but they don’t get to sip on a beer while sitting at their desks on a Friday.