An initial board of directors for your organization.A business name that is legally available in your state.Most states have sample applications you can access to make sure yours looks right, but here is a general sample to get started.Īcross all 50 states, you can count on needing the following: It is something you do at the state level, usually through your secretary of state’s office. (Yes! You have to do that, too!)įiling for incorporation is actually pretty simple. Also, it gets the ball rolling for you to apply for non-profit status with the IRS. This does a couple things: First, it makes sure that if there is ever a lawsuit, you are not personally liable. To be anything other than a good idea, you need to start your non-profit with incorporation. This way, when you start looking for volunteers or donations, you know exactly who and what would be most helpful: Those will be what help you accomplish these goals. This will help you refine your pitch and also clarify what kind of help you need. With your short-term goals, make sure you set actionable tasks for these. What are the first few steps you are going to take once your non-profit is rolling? Your short-term goals may be less clear - and just as important. The long-term goal is obvious: It’s why your organization exists. Your vision statement will be a call to action for internal eyes only.ĭefining your goals should be easy after working through your vision and mission statement. Your mission statement will explain why your organization exists and motivate you and those around you to work toward your organizational goal. They are two different things, and you need both. People new to the non-profit world often make the mistake of thinking mission statements and vision statements are the same thing. You probably intuitively know this, but now it’s time to put your ideas down on paper with a clearly written mission statement, vision plan, and short-term and long-term goals. Make sure you know who is going for the same piece as you.
Keep in mind that the non-profit world is a very competitive environment: There’s only so much charity going around, and everyone is trying to get the biggest slice of that pie. You must do your research.Īt this stage, you might find that your best bet is to join a larger organization working on the same kind of project. There are more than 47,000 non-profits registered with the IRS that include “military” in their mission statements. It isn’t enough to do a cursory Google search. It will also help you focus your mission statement, vision plan and goals.Īsk yourself: Who else is trying to target the same need you are? How are they doing it? How are they succeeding? How are they failing? What do you do that’s different? This is something you’re going to need to know from Day One - it will keep your organization unique, and not a duplicate of something else.
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