How do I start a small association? Do I have to get non-profit status from the IRS?
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Depends what you'd like to do.\n\nIf you want people to donate money to your group and recieve a tax deduction, you would need to apply for 501(c) status.\n\nIf you just want to form a group and do whatever charitable work, you don't need any type of legal organization.
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To get started, I suggest contacting the Small Business Administration (SBA) – links below. Entrepreneur also offers a great site dedicated to money & finance – see below.\n\nI listed a couple IRS links as well.\n\nHope that helps!
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I would talk with the "Small Business Administration" and "SCORE" in my local community (They in the Phone Book Blue/Government Pages). They may be able to help and it Free advise. You just determine what important for you.\nAlso, you may want to call the IRS. They offer Free Tax Classes to help you know what Forms and stuff would be important for your Business, plus, they usually answer some important questions you may have as to Deductions. They real important and it FREE!!!! Then talk to your State Revenue Department and find out what you need to get your Tax ID etc. for your Business. Usually it just your Social Security Number for a Small Business. But, you need this Form to Buy Wholesale and not pay Sales Tax on your Stock. You charge the Tax when it sold.\nThere is a lot to cover, but, do not feel overwhelmed, take each part, step by step. You not in a hurry! AND those guys/gals @ SCORE can tell you most of this and help you. They Retired Business Owners Volunteering their time for something to do.
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when changing your small business status to corp. or inc. you should always do it throough a business lawyer. It's a litle pricy but it'll insure that you make the right decisions at the right times. You are going to be better off in the long run. If you choose not to follow that route I'd suggest that you call the IRS locally and they can walk you through the whole process all over the phone. Most people aren't aware that these services exist at all. and they are free for the asking and the patience of being on hold a lot.
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This page contains GREAT links on how to start a non profit business\n\nhttp://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/znpbib.htm\n\nTo get you started on the road to fund raising, I suggest you check out Foundation Center. They have trainings on how to start a non profit and various databases containing information on funding institutions.\n\nhttp://fdncenter.org/\n\nFor detailed information on how to start a non profit, I suggest you read the following books:\n\n- Starting and Running a Nonprofit Organization -- by Joan M. Hummel\n- Starting and Running a Non-Profit Made Easy by Entrepreneur Press, David H. Bangs\n- Starting & Building A Nonprofit: A Practical Guide by Peri Pakroo
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?!\nWhat country/state requires a license to start a small business?!\n\nIn the US, you can run a small business as a sole proprietorship with no paperwork.  You just file your earnings as a sole proprietor along with your personal taxes.\n\nHowever, it is often in YOUR best interest to establish a trade name for your small business and get a federal ID number.  This will separate your business from your personal finances, which is especially nice if it happens to fail and you need to close up shop.\n\nExactly what is required depends on where you are doing business.  Outside the US you might need a license, but inside the US you don't.  Specifics do vary from state to state.
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You'll probably need to draft a mission statement for your charity, explaining in detail its goals and objectives. Any governmental agency (not to mention potential partner organizations) will want to see this. You need to know exactly what your non-profit organization is going to try to accomplish. Just stating that it's a charity will not be enough; you need a detailed plan, described in full detail.\n\nCheck out this website for some further information on registering non-profit agencies:\n\nhttp://www.managementhelp.org/strt_org/strt_np/strt_np.htm
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Start Your Own Corporation\nFrom Darrell Zahorsky,\nYour Guide to Small Business Information.\nHave an Idea? Pitch a Story\nFREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!\n\nShould your small business become a corporation? This is a question you need to ask during the start-up and evolution of your company. Learn what you need to know about incorporating your small business.\n\nBill's years of hard work had finally paid off. Bill's company, a sole proprietorship computer business was earning solid profits and had built a large client base. Bill thought he had it made, until a part-time employee had "an accident" that wiped out a customer's computer system.\n\nIn a matter of months, Bill's dream business came tumbling down. Slapped with a lawsuit, the sole proprietor lost all his assets, savings, house, and marriage. If Bill had his company incorporated, his business and personal life would have been separated and had an additional layer of protection.\n\nncorporation reduces disasters.\n\nAccording to BizStats.com, only 22% of all the small businesses in America are a limited liability corporation, S corporation, or C corporation. Over 72% of businesses are solely operated and exposed to liability risk.\n\nThe decision to start your own corporation will vary, depending on the needs of the business and yourself. Consider the following benefits of incorporation:\n\nBenefits of Starting Your Own Corporation\n\n# Liability: A corporation exists as a separate legal entity from your personal life. Any debts or lawsuits are incurred by the company, not the owner. Any business with potential for lawsuits should consult with a lawyer and consider incorporation. Incorporating will offer an added layer of protection but it is still adviseable to obtain business liability insurance.\n\nThe bad debts will often be the responsibility of the corporation. In the case of bank financing, more and more banks require business owners to sign a personal guarantee; making your personal assets collectible on a defaulted loan. Consider your options before signing.\n\n# Taxation: Another main benefit to incorporating is the taxation of a company. Corporations are often taxed at a lower rate and have better taxable benefits. Talk to your accountant about the tax advantages.\n\n# Raising Money: Financing a small business as a sole proprietorship or partnership can be difficult. A corporation can sell shares of the company and raise money easier than other business structure types.\n\n# Selling the Business: A non-corporate business is hard to valuate properly. A business corporation value will be based on the business, not the owner, therefore making it easy to sell the company.\n\nStarting your own corporation can be more costly and time consuming than other business types. Your accountant and lawyer can advise you accordingly. The steps to incorporation are as follows:\n\n7 Steps to Start Your Own Corporation\n\n1: Choose a Corporate Name & Address: Have a corporate name search performed to ensure you are unique and have no trade mark problems in the future.\n2: Select A State to Incorporate: Setting up a corporation will be easier and cheaper in your home state than out of state.\n\n3: Select A Corporation Type: Determine the best type of corporation for your business--LLC, S corporation or C corporation.\n\n4: Determine Company Directors: Directors of the company and positions will have to be filed within the Articles of Incorporation and By-laws.\n\n5: Choose Your Share Type:Corporations can issue common and preferred stock. Select the best for your situation.\n\n6: Obtain Certificate of Incorporation: Available from local State office or business retailer.\n\n7: Process & File Incorporation: Your incorporation can be completed by a lawyer or a do-it-yourself kit. Finally, file your incorporation with a Registered Agent.\n\nThe decision to incorporate or not is an important one. Work with your advisors to determine if the time is right for
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Check Guidestar which archives Non Profit Tax Forms (990's).\nYou will have to sign up, but its free to use.
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First, contact your state's Secretary of State office.  They handle corporation filings and can tell you what you need to do to change your status based on the laws of your state.  Check to see if your Secretary of State has a website.  Many have websites with a wealth of information as well as downloadable forms.\n\nAfter that, look to the irs.gov website.  They have a whole section on nonprofits as well as all the forms you'll need in pdf format which you can print right off the web.
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Just claim the income on your taxes for now and keep track of your expenses because you can deduct those (if you do itemized).  I wouldn't start a corporation.  Once you have one of those, you are on the IRS radar screen.  You will probably have to set up a business checking account to track stuff for your corporation, and that won't be free.  You aren't generating enough revenue right now to justify all the paperwork you'd have to keep track of with an LLC.
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It is fairly easy really. You may want to contact an Accountant or Attorney to set it up or you can do a search Online for forming an LLC in your state. You can do it yourself but depending on your level of understanding in the matter it may be worth it to hire someone experienced to help you. Do a little reading on the matter
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Don't... at least not without spending quite a bit of time carefully researching all of the legal and tax requirements for successfully founding and running a nonprofit, and then developing a very thorough written business and funding plan.  Doing it properly is not as easy as it seems, and doing it wrong can have a lot of nasty tax and legal repercussions for both you and your donors.  Founding a new nonprofit corporation is not something you should jump into impulsively, or try to do as a hobby on the side of your "day job."  Doing it well requires a full time commitment of about five years.\n\nDo your homework by talking with corporate attorneys, accountants, the executive directors and/or development directors of local nonprofits in your area, nonprofit support groups like CompassPoint, and doing internet research on the IRS regulations and your state tax and attorney general regulations.  Then, if you decide that founding a brand new nonprofit is more than you can realistically tackle (and most informed people do), consider instead approaching another well-established nonprofit and asking them to serve as fiscal agent for your program or fund.  Good luck.
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You may wish to contact the SBA ( http://www.sba.gov/ ) or SCORE ( http://www.score.org/ ) for help in starting a business.  They are excellent resources for a small business just starting out (and free, too!).  You should also look into either setting up a corporation of LLC to protect yourself legally.  Contact your state for the guideline involved in that.
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The Foundation Center has a number of free resources for starting a nonprofit organization and helpful information on successfully applying for grants.\n\nFirst you need to incorporate a nonprofit organization.  From the Foundation Center:\n\nForming a new nonprofit is a process that involves two distinct stages. Generally, you will need to establish your organization by filing articles of incorporation with the appropriate agency in your state (usually the secretary of state). You will also need to secure federal income tax exemption by filing the appropriate forms with the Internal Revenue Service. see whole article and list of resources, including an online tutorial about how to start a nonprofit at http://fdncenter.org/getstarted/faqs/html/starting_nonprofit.html\n\nThe IRS page with information for chaities/nonprofits is here: http://www.irs.gov/charities/index.html
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http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=110417,00.html
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OK - just so you know, I have a full C Corporation and three LLCs that I am currently running.\n\nYour first statements are correct - and yes, I would suggest getting an EIN for your LLC as that adds more credence to the fact that you are doing business as a company when you file your taxes (http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=102767,00.html)\n\nOK - the very next thing you should do (even before transferring the vehicle or worrying about legal issues) is to find a really good accountant for a LLC - this will be a LOT HARDER than it sounds.  As I have already noted, I found one that is both an accountant and a tax lawyer (even more rare)!  You want to find someone who really understands a small LLC and is willing to push to get all the tax benefits for you that are legal in today’s tax code.  Many accountants do not really understand the tax codes for LLC.  This one item can save you tens of thousands of dollars in very short order!\n\nMy advice here is to read the book Rich Dad Poor Dad (if you have not already) and use that as a basis to question accountants to see if they know how the tax codes work for small C corps.\n\nThe next thing to do is start setting up your advertising to be as much word of mouth as you can possible stand (good way to use that vehicle to mentioned to get around to network and meetings).  You want to plan as best as you can to ensure that you have as much cash flow as your company will need.  Depending on the type of business you are in, there could be any number of natural ups and downs that you will need to plan for.\n\nAs for the vehicle – again the accountant should be able to advise you best.  I have been told that the safest way to have the company own a vehicle is for the company to lease one.  This then become a full write off.  Yes, you will still need to keep track of mileage and/or other information as directed by your accountant.  The LLC can also put money in a 401K or other retirement plan for you and your employees.  \n\nYou should set things up so that medical expenses are paid by the LLC.  My wife retired with a good pension and medical benefits (although the company is cutting back on retiree benefits now), so in my case, my C Corp picks up all unpaid medical that is not covered by the insurance company.  Also under medical can be health club dues for medical reasons – thus one of my LLC’s has a fitness complex that is on it’s property that my C Corp then pays dues for the use of it.\n\nYou might also want to check you local area to find out if there are other small LLC owners.  If so, you might want to ask them to join you in developing a master mind group where you can all share ideas on everything from building your organization to benefits from sharing resources (like accounting, purchasing office supplies, payroll services, etc.).\n\nThus you are right – there are a lot of tricks to the trade of learning how to run a LLC to benefit you and the company and also pay your legal (albeit small) amount to Uncle Sam – play like a big boy using their tools in a small company.\n\nGood Luck.\n\n\nAlso, you probably already know the following, but just in case, here is what I typically recommend to those thinking about starting out in business:\n\nAnytime you want to start any kind of business, there are several basics that you will need:\n\n* You should first sit down and think about what it is you want to do and then write out the scenario in detail!  This may sound tedious, but it will help you clarify what it is you are thinking about.  Also, when you talk to anyone about the business (mentor, bank, clients, prospective investor), you will have a clear vision to share with him or her.  You can check any number of books at your local library or the Internet for ideas on creating a business plan or goals list.\n\n* Is there anyone out there doing something like what you want to do already?  Can you research what it is that they do and maybe even talk with th