Determination
To start a non-profit, there are more rules and regulations than you can shake a stick at. There are forms and documents to produce, boards to develop and org charts to create, applications for this and for that, and operating agreements, schedules and appendixes, shall I go on? It’s complicated. The cru de tat is the form the IRS requires to determine whether or not you can be deemed a 501(c), thus making you tax exempt from “some” federal taxes and most states taxes as well as providing your donors with a tax write off.
This is Form 1023, which is the equivalent of taking on a task like translating the Encyclopedia Britannica into five languages. But, we did it. We slogged through it! Well, I actually can’t take much credit for it, but I watched two grown men, basically lock themselves into a house for days on end, hammering away at each and every line item, deciphering its meaning over and over again on each item. Finally, the volume was complete. Let’s run it by our friend and lawyer and get his sign of approval and send it off ASAP!!! Rumor has it we could wait up to six months to hear anything so time is of the essence!
Fast forward 6 months and we wait…and we wait…and we wait. We call and we hear this, we call and we hear that…”they are assigning the applications from October now” or, “no one has even looked at your documents yet”, or “you can follow your application on our website” ~ yeah, right. Have you ever tried to find ANYTHING on the IRS website? Thing is, we can’t really apply for much in the way of a grants from a foundation of any size or stature without the “LETTER OF DETERMINATION” which is what deems us a bona fide 501(c). It’s just a piece of paper. A letter signed by someone. A decision which left undecided keeps us twisting in the wind.
We’re determined to prevail. We are determined to succeed. We are determined to start our summer program for MINDDRIVE with the funds we’ve been able to scrape together from friends and colleagues and like-minded companies. But, we are ready to ROCK! We want to inspire, teach, expand futures, change outcomes and make the lives of our at-risk teens better through our experiential learning techniques. We want to build an even better electric car than the last one!
We are determined! Are you with us? Is the IRS with us? The answer is a resounding YES!!! We received our “Letter of Determination” and MINDDRIVE is now a non-profit company with tax exempt status with the IRS. YOUR donation is fully tax deductible! Please consider supporting our cause. And, thank you for your patience. Whew!
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