LinkedIn for non profits is a great place, I am a big fan of using my personal connections on LI and using the tools offered. Last week I put up a post about my daughter”s question about starting up a 501(c)(3) organization for a NPO in Peru.
Under Answers and then in a group I belong to.
I first put up the question under “Answers” section, which has the question up for 7 days…and from there I also was able to choose which of my connections I could email the question to.
You find Answers by going to “More” in the top bar, and clicking on Answers where you will get a screen to type in your question:
You will get a chance under “Next” to expand on your question, and then to put it under topics, and subtopics…then just wait 🙂
I got 4 responses, on line, and one
from one of my connections. The online ones can then rate (good) and then from the good ones, I get to say which answer I felt was the best:
Answers (4)
Wallace Jackson 2nd
Peru dos not have a 501c3 classification, so you may need to incorporate in the US.
David Cotter 2nd
I”d imagine that you will find a lot of generous donors in the US; so yes, I think you should form a 501(c)(3). Regarding your other questions, I would talk to other NPOs with offices in the US. Perhaps one will be willing to let you use their 501(c)(3), under the Group Exemption, until you can establish your own. See the link below for more information on the Group Exemptions.
Good luck!
Links:Â http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=167483,00.html
Agnes Vishnevkin
Nonprofit leader with 10 years of experience in operations, development, philanthropy, and social enterprise.
Does this organization plan to fundraise in the US? If so, it might be a good idea to establish a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the US, which would be able to receive the funds and forward them to Peru. They would need to have several people in the US who would oversee operations of this small nonprofit US organization. They would form the volunteer board of
directors and can choose to hire paid staff if they wish. The board members would have legal responsibility for the organization and its actions. The nonprofit would first need to be registered as a legal entity in one of the fifty states. Then it would need to apply to the IRS (a federal agency) to be recognized as a tax-exempt charitable 501(c)(3) organization. Below is the IRS website with more information. Many attorneys are also available to help with the steps necessary to establish a nonprofit in the US.
As an alternative to establishing a separate nonprofit entity, the NPO can pursue fiscal sponsorship. This means that the US representative(s) of this NPO would enter into a formal agreement with an existing 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization, where the US group would be able to use the nonprofit”s tax-exempt status. This way the existing nonprofit organization would receive donations, maintain financial records, send donations to the Peru NPO, and be responsible for any required reporting on behalf of the US branch of the Peru NPO. Below is a site with some resources about fiscal sponsorship.
Links:
1. Establish a physical presence (street address) in a state in the US as a registered foreign entity.
2. Register as a non-profit organization in that state.
3. Establish a board of directors, a charter and apply to the US Internal Revenue Service for 501 (c)(3) certification.
The below link provides further free details on the process.
Links:Â http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/form-nonprofit-501c3-corporation-302…
Next week we will go over the question in a Group, and we will look more at some NPO Groups.