Update on Nonprofit Path

Hun and I had a phone conversation yesterday with my dad, who has some experience in the non-profit sector. He gave us some tips and laid out the general path to non-profit-ship. While it requires some paperwork, record keeping, and transparency, the benefits are substantial. Here is a brief overview of the process online.

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/article-29948.html

It seems as if the important steps we need to take before actually filing paperwork are coming together. We will need a specific mission statement, a business plan, a board of directors (mandated by non-profit law). We would have to make sure we adhere to certain provisions for non profits when we create these documents, but so far the direction we are heading in seems to fit in this category.

We would eventually then have to incorporate as a non-profit in North Carolina, and then move on to the federal recognition process. The federal process can take some time, but the benefits, such as tax-exempt donations from supporters, are retroactive to the time of incorporation once the non-profit is recognized.

All in all, a process that requires paperwork and diligence, but a useful way of encouraging mindfulness and commitment when it comes to the center, helping ensure that we stick to our intentions. We still need to get a number of these things more firmly in to place before any sort of paperwork would begin, but to me, it seems like a useful path that could help us achieve the center's goals.