# My god... they don't make this easy...



## ricc0luke (Sep 21, 2005)

Anyone else tried to file a 1023 form to get the benifits of 501(c)(3)???
Gezz... they really don't like to make things simple...
And I really wish I had the money for an attourney...
I suppose I'm gonna have to scrape it up somewhere...

Anyone else file a 1023??
How long did it take for the approval?
Did you enlist the help of an attourney?


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## jwl868 (Oct 5, 2005)

What a beast that form is (I looked at it on the IRS website.); you've got my sympathy. 

I can't help directly. (The non-profits that I worked with already had the status/forms filled out.)

But looking at the questions on the form, it looks more like you need the organization's financial people (controller, treasurer, tax consultant, and/or CPA) to provide the assistance, not necessarily a lawyer.

Maybe the IRS website has a guidance document, too.

Or, search the internet for form 1023 help; there are probably some CPAs and tax consultants that provide guidance/help on their websites.


Some other considerations:

Do you and your organization absolutely need the non-profit status to function? 

Does your organization fully understand the rights, responsibilities, benefits, and restrictions of being a non-profit? (I bring this up because I knew of a PTA (Parent Teacher Association) who thought that non-profit also included a sales tax exemption [no, someone has to pay it], and another PTA who let their end-of-the-fiscal-year account balance get too high and in violation of the non-profit rules.)

Is there an existing local, state, or national organization (with non-profit status) that you and your organization can join? (Okay, I recognize a loss of independence in that approach.) Is there an existing school organization (with non-profit status) that you or your organization can join? (Same thing, you may have to give up a certain amount of independence.)


Joe


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