Where Do You Start? A Useful Resource

The question most often asked by visitors to our site is, "I want to form a nonprofit organization...Where do I start?"

The articles on our site will help certainly, but you will need some resources to augment that information.

I suggest starting with a good book or manual on starting a nonprofit. One of the best, and the one we keep going back to, is How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation, by Anthony Mancuso.

You might also look in your local area for workshops on setting up a nonprofit. Many community foundations offer such help at reasonable cost. Watch your local paper for announcements of such workshops.

After reading a basic book and attending a workshop, we suggest that you seek legal help. Even if you decide to do all the paperwork yourself, having a legal advisor to look over what you've done is a good idea.

Here are some suggestions from Mancuso's book regarding finding legal counsel:

• Find someone you know and trust and who has lots of experience advising smaller nonprofits.
• If you personally don't know someone like that, ask for recommendations from a local nonprofit resource center.
• Check out non-profit legal referral panels too. Local bar associations often run such panels. A referral panel can give you names of lawyers experienced in nonprofit law and practice and who offer a discount or free consultation as part of the referral program.
• When you call a prospective lawyer, speak with the lawyer personally, not just the receptionist. You can tell a lot by the way your call is handled. The lawyer should be willing to spend a few minutes discussing your needs.
• Get the hourly rate the lawyer will charge set in advance. If you are a do-it-your-selfer, or your organization has few resources, avoid lawyers who have high fees and need to support lavish offices.
• Avoid commercial law clinics that are advertised on TV and radio. Their upfront low rates will likely change to higher rates later, and the quality of the personnel can be doubtful.