How To Start a Nonprofit

You and others in your community see a problem that needs to be solved or an opportunity to make things better. Maybe you’ve been helping your community and see a chance to do even more. But it will require funding to take your work to the next level. You know it will be a lot of work, but you courageously step forward to make a difference. 

You are in good company. There are 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the U.S. Approximately 28,000 nonprofits are registered in Arizona. With all these nonprofits already in existence — and so many struggling to stay in existence — it is important to reflect on whether creating a new organization is the best route to having the impact you want. 

How to Start a Nonprofit invites you and the people working with you to think about the difference you seek to make and the structure best suited to move forward. It leads you through key decision-making steps to determine whether a nonprofit is the best way to accomplish your goals. If you decide to move forward with a nonprofit, How to Start a Nonprofit guides you through the compliance and good-practice steps to become operational.  

You may be feeling impatient to get started. At this point, however, it is critical to pause, reflect, imagine, and meet with interested people in your community. You need to plan around important questions that will ultimately strengthen your organization’s ability to succeed.  

How to Start a Nonprofit represents a collection of knowledge, experience, and research from nonprofit leaders and organizations that serve the nonprofit sector. We bring you from idea to organization, helping you take the first step in a journey that will require many other resources.

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Full Course Description

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How To Start a Nonprofit - Intro

You and others in your community see a problem that needs to be solved or an opportunity to make things better. Maybe you’ve been helping your community and see a chance to do even more. But it will require funding to take your work to the next level. You know it will be a lot of work, but you courageously step forward to make a difference. 

You are in good company. There are 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the U.S. Approximately 28,000 nonprofits are registered in Arizona. With all these nonprofits already in existence — and so many struggling to stay in existence — it is important to reflect on whether creating a new organization is the best route to having the impact you want. 

How to Start a Nonprofit invites you and the people working with you to think about the difference you seek to make and the structure best suited to move forward. It leads you through key decision-making steps to determine whether a nonprofit is the best way to accomplish your goals. If you decide to move forward with a nonprofit, How to Start a Nonprofit guides you through the compliance and good-practice steps to become operational.  

You may be feeling impatient to get started. At this point, however, it is critical to pause, reflect, imagine, and meet with interested people in your community. You need to plan around important questions that will ultimately strengthen your organization’s ability to succeed.  

How to Start a Nonprofit represents a collection of knowledge, experience, and research from nonprofit leaders and organizations that serve the nonprofit sector. We bring you from idea to organization, helping you take the first step in a journey that will require many other resources.

Original Program Date : 12/05/2023

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How To Start a Nonprofit - Before You Begin

What is a nonprofit? 

It is important to know what a nonprofit is before you dive into forming one. A nonprofit is a type of organization that is created to accomplish a public benefit. It does not have owners other than the community in general. It has no shareholders. It cannot be set up for the purpose of generating an income or profit for the founders or staff. Most nonprofits have volunteers; for-profits do not have volunteers. Some organizations (not all) apply for tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) so that donations can be tax-deductible to the donor and the organization can avoid some federal corporate income tax. There are many classifications of tax-exempt organizations, one of which is 501(c)(3).  

Original Program Date : 12/05/2023

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How To Start a Nonprofit - How to Decide & How to Start a Nonprofit

Making the decision to start a nonprofit has three parts:  

• Is a nonprofit the right fit for what you and your community want to achieve?
• Are you and your community ready to start a nonprofit?
• Are you and your community committed to the leadership role that you will be serving in the days ahead?

A nonprofit is a legal entity incorporated at the state level and sometimes registered at the federal level. A nonprofit is also community trying to address important issues, which means you also need to pay attention to people, planning, and operations. We give you information about all five tracks of activity that you need to be thinking about in starting a nonprofit.  

Original Program Date : 12/05/2023

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How To Start a Nonprofit - How to Run a Nonprofit

Congratulations! You have started your nonprofit. Now you need to invest in a range of practices designed to strengthen and grow your organization. You want to build good habits right out of the gate so your mission thrives. You want to be a learning community that strengthens your organization over time.  Let’s explore three elements that underscore your success: People, Systems, and Outreach.  

Original Program Date : 12/05/2023

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