HOW TO MAKE A NONPROFIT IN 3 EASY STEPS
*Disclosure: I only recommend the services, products, and tools I use. All opinions expressed here are my own regardless of affiliation. This post may contain affiliate links, that at no additional cost to you, may earn me a small commission if you click. You don’t even have to be a customer. Read the full disclaimer here.
Starting a nonprofit can feel overwhelming. There are so many things you have to do. Paperwork, people, technology. It can be daunting. I am here though to help and break down the first 3 steps that you need to make a nonprofit. These 3 easy steps set you up for success and ensure that growing and scaling upward isn’t a painful reset of hours done today because you were ill-advised.
EASY STEP #1 TO MAKE A NONPROFIT
GET LEGIT
It’s no question that getting all of the legal filings, paperwork and forms for a nonprofit can be overwhelming. You need to legally incorporate and apply for your status all while being passionate about your cause?! Say what?! Honestly, I personally have adopted the motto, “if its not in your wheelhouse, hire it out”.
Which will be my sage advice here. I have had clients do their filings through big service providers like LegalZoom and found success.
However, if you want a more personalized touch, head over to my friends at Harbor Compliance. They will get you street-legal and ready to go.
EASY STEP #2 TO MAKE A NONPROFIT
GET PEOPLE
Handling all of the logistics of your nonprofit is a big no-no. You also need to establish what kind of governing body you want to have and probably had to explore this more when doing the work in step one. These efforts, even if this is your part-time heart work, you NEED people and community partners to help you out.
Find the people you will rely on.
Find those who also share a passion.
Locate your community partners, staff, and volunteers.
Choose your board.*
*What type of governing body should you have for your nonprofit? Here are the most common types; Advisory (think bringing skills and talents), Cooperative Governance (think total democracy, no leader), Patron Governance (think bringing funds only), Policy Board (think boards and CEOs work together, aka the most popular) and Management Team (think divided into committees).
EASY STEP #3 TO MAKE A NONPROFIT
GET STREAMLINED
I could go on and on for DAYZZZZ about the technology ecosystem you should use but we honestly need a call for that. So what would I recommend for your first steps on the technology setup? Well look no further… all of these items are designed so you don’t miss anything AND won’t have to redo anything when you are as big as CharityWater in the year 2045!
Get a logo (Don’t worry! I have a FREE WORKBOOK that walks you thru how to create one if you don’t want to hire me to do it)
Set Up a Google Admin Gmail account - this will be something like “yournonprofit@gmail.com” (You don’t have to purchase a domain yet). Don’t overthink this. It’s just a Gmail and this can be used for ALL of your nonprofit admin account sign-ups from here on out.
Get Verified Thru Tech Soup
Purchase a Starter Website thru me OR apply to win a FREE website
Set Up Your Donor Management Thru DonorBOX and set up a Stripe account - Don’t you dare use Paypal!
Make your website live - My Starter Websites walk you thru how to do this.
Connect your sitemap thru your Google Admin Gmail account established on #3. My Starter Websites walk you thru how to do this.
Set Up Google Analytics and connect thru Google Admin Gmail account established on #3.
Set Up Email Marketing thru Mailchimp or a Squarespace Campaigns account
Apply for Google Ad Grant - Reach out to my friends at Nonprofit Megaphone for extra help and connect thru Google Admin Gmail account on #3.
There is a lot to do but really, #s 1 and 2 are easy compared to #3. But hey! That’s why I am here. The 3 easy steps to making and starting a nonprofit can be tricky but I hope you see how a path to success and scale are easily won.
I have vetted hundreds of providers and tools so you don't have to. I work with nonprofits each day and get to see the pros and cons of their services so I can bring you only the best for you new baby 501c3. Don't forget to check out my RESOURCES PAGE too if you are looking for a good tool recommendation. Feel free to reach out if you get stuck. Emails are ALWAYS Free and I love to share.
