Private Professor
Starting a Nonprofit From Scratch
The First 120 Days From Mission to Operational 501(c)(3)
You have a mission that keeps you up at night. A problem you can't stop thinking about. A community you need to serve. The paperwork standing between you and that work feels like an impossible maze—incorporation, tax exemption, boards, bylaws, registrations. It doesn't have to be. In the next 120 days, you can build a real, legal, operational nonprofit. Not by cutting corners, but by doing each step right, in the right order, at the right time. This is the map.
Inside this guide
- What 501(c)(3) Actually Means (And Whether You Need It)
- Articles of Incorporation: Your Legal Birth Certificate
- Assembling Your Founding Board
- Getting Your EIN and Opening Accounts
- Mission and Vision That Actually Guide Decisions
- Fundraising Before (and After) Tax-Exempt Approval
- State Registration and Ongoing Compliance
- The First 120 Days: What Nobody Tells You