I am looking into starting a small, 501(c)(3) charity. This book is extremely detailed, and it gives step by step instructions on how to start a non-profit, but I think it is over my head! This book goes into the details of how to form a corporation, but not on how to fundraise! I am still confused as whether I can fundraise first, or if I legally have to establish the tax exempt status, first!

Anthony Mancuso has packed a lot of legal expertise in a easy to understand book. Here's some strengths of the book:
* Checklist very handy to accomplish all the tasks in the correct order
* The author asks common questions and then answers them clearly
* Advice on what to do and what to avoid
* It's like having a lawyer in a book

Weaknesses:
* Bylaws a bit overly long for small, new nonprofits
* Not enough emphasis on the need for accounting help to file annual IRS Form 990. Lawyers usually walk out of the picture after 501c3 status is achieved, leaving the accountants to help with annual filings.

I'm a CPA and took business law classes in college, but this book was essential when I started working in the nonprofit sector.

Carol Topp, CPA

This is a great knowledgeable book. I am starting this from the ground up and this book will definitely help me.

This an excellent book to start your non profit but the bylaws, article of inc., and other such documents is typed in the back of the book but not on the disc. You evidently have to retype it yourself. The 1023, ss-4, and other forms are on the disc with the publications. In general, I wish the book went more in depth about the 1023 form since this is the most critical form for a non profit. Otherwise, excellent book and great tool for starting a non profit organization.

This book would be better titled: "How to apply for 501(c)3 non-profit tax exempt status including examples with forms on CD". This book is for applying for non-profit status, but should be read even if you are just thinking of starting a non-profit. If you really do not know what you need to apply as a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization and want to do as much as you can on your own, this is the book to help you fill out the forms and make sure you have all your paperwork lined up and ready. This is not the book to help you decide what your non-profit purpose will be, how to actually organize the people and resources, or any of the details necessary to create your non-profit organization. This book is for the time you are ready to apply for non-profit status. Even though it's an end of process book, I highly recommend this book for the beginning stages of forming a non-profit. It will really show you what you need, and with that information you can find other books and assistance when necessary to initiate the process of becoming a non-profit. This is a good book to have even if you are just thinking of starting a non-profit. It will help answer many questions and eventually help you complete the process on your own without the price of a lawyer, if you can not afford an attorney. If you are starting or even thinking of starting a non-profit group, this book is worth the price of admission (even when not on sale) to open, read, and use. But like all non-profits, use your funds wisely and in your groups best interest, find the book on sale somewhere. Oh, and like all books with examples and forms, check for updates and changes with the appropriate agency. Not all forms and information will be current after publication date.

You probably think I'm a crazy person considering all the 5-star reviews prior to this one, being mine is so radically different in comparison. It seems to me that more and more companies feel the need to deceive us to make the kind of money they wish to make and I'm really getting tired of it. I hate being deceived and in this case, I feel deceived... royally.

Based on the title and cover of this book (front and back), I expected this book to tell me how to form a nonprofit corporation. The caveat, however, is that it will if we wish to form a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. There are a lot of other types of nonprofits which this book doesn't cover to the same extent and the author is well aware of this. How did I discern this? I quote below from page 7 of the book:

"This book has been written specifically for nonprofits that want to qualify for federal income tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.... If you are planning on forming one of... (the) non-501(c)(3) nonprofits, this book can help acquaint you with the process of forming a nonprofit. It will not, however, guide you step-by-step through the process of preparing articles of incorporation and bylaws for your group or the tax exemption applications you will need for your nonprofit."

Is it possible to form a corporation other than a 501(c)(3) nonprofit without articles of incorporation and bylaws? Not from everything I've read to date. The articles of incorporation tell your state agency and everyone else who's interested about the basic particulars of your corporation and the bylaws tell people working for your company of your corporation's policies and procedures. The IRS will want to see both to approve our nonprofit's tax exemption, regardless of the type of nonprofit we choose, as I can tell so far. The IRS requires nonprofits wishing to qualify under section 501(c)(3) to submit their request on IRS Form 1023. Most of the other nonprofit types require IRS Form 1024. Only IRS Form 1023 is on this book's list of included IRS forms even though the form 1024 requirement is detailed as a requirement in their list of "all other" nonprofit categories.

Anybody here see anything on the front or back of this book to give us a clue as to this book's actual, limited coverage as just quoted above from page 7 of the book?

Excuse me while I cool down.

You probably think I'm a crazy person considering all the 5-star reviews prior to this one since mine is so radically different in comparison but I hate being deceived and I feel that I've been deceived... royally. It seems to me that more and more companies feel the need to deceive us to make the kind of money they wish to make and I'm really getting tired of it.

Based on the title and cover of this book, I expected this book to tell me how to form a nonprofit corporation but the caveat is that it will if we wish to form a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. There are a lot of other types of nonprofits which this book doesn't cover to the same extent and the author is well aware of this. How do I know? I quote from page 7 of the book below:

"This book has been written specifically for nonprofits that want to qualify for federal income tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.... If you are planning on forming one of... (the) non-501(c)(3) nonprofits, this book can help acquaint you with the process of forming a nonprofit. It will not, however, guide you step-by-step through the process of preparing articles of incorporation and bylaws for your group or the tax exemption applications you will need for your nonprofit."

Is it possible to form a corporation other than a 501(c)(3) nonprofit without articles of incorporation and bylaws? Not from everything I've read to date. The articles of incorporation tell your state agency and everyone else who's interested about the basic particulars of your corporation and the bylaws tell people working for your company of your corporation's policies and procedures. The IRS will want to see both to approve our nonprofit's tax exemption, regardless of the type of nonprofit we choose, so far as I can tell so far.

Anybody here see anything on the front of this book to give us a clue as to this book's actual, limited coverage as just quoted above from page 7 of the book?

Excuse me while I cool down.

You probably think I'm a crazy person considering all the 5-star reviews prior to this one, being mine is so radically different in comparison. It seems to me that more and more companies feel the need to deceive us to make the kind of money they wish to make and I'm really getting tired of it. I hate being deceived and in this case, I feel deceived... royally.

Based on the title and cover of this book (front and back), I expected this book to tell me how to form a nonprofit corporation. The caveat, however, is that it will if we wish to form a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. There are a lot of other types of nonprofits which this book doesn't cover to the same extent and the author is well aware of this. How did I discern this? I quote below from page 7 of the book:

"This book has been written specifically for nonprofits that want to qualify for federal income tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.... If you are planning on forming one of... (the) non-501(c)(3) nonprofits, this book can help acquaint you with the process of forming a nonprofit. It will not, however, guide you step-by-step through the process of preparing articles of incorporation and bylaws for your group or the tax exemption applications you will need for your nonprofit."

Is it possible to form a corporation other than a 501(c)(3) nonprofit without articles of incorporation and bylaws? Not from everything I've read to date. The articles of incorporation tell your state agency and everyone else who's interested about the basic particulars of your corporation and the bylaws tell people working for your company of your corporation's policies and procedures. The IRS will want to see both to approve our nonprofit's tax exemption, regardless of the type of nonprofit we choose, as I can tell so far. The IRS requires nonprofits wishing to qualify under section 501(c)(3) to submit their request on IRS Form 1023. Most of the other nonprofit types require IRS Form 1024. Only IRS Form 1023 is on this book's list of included IRS forms even though the form 1024 requirement is detailed as a requirement in their list of "all other" nonprofit categories.

Anybody here see anything on the front or back of this book to give us a clue as to this book's actual, limited coverage as just quoted above from page 7 of the book?

Excuse me while I cool down.

In brief, this book helped me go from 0 to 60 in working through the non-profit application process. Not only is it very readable, but it offers excellent tips along the way. I've also been impressed that it does more than just help you do the paperwork, but it also helps you think through the who, what, where, when, why and how of your organization---all items that are crucial for long term success. If you are just starting out on this journey, I recommend this resource.

Very comprehensive as usual for Nolo Press over the years. Has all the forms and such plus they do make an effort to explain why setting up a nonprofit corp. is a pain in the butt and you may not want to do it. And, be advised that states can be quite different from one another and no book can cover all the details. -- I know it's kind of a "duh" because of the title, but this book does not cover UN-incorporated nonprofit associations which are easier to set up and probably what I'll do first. I can still get a 501 c 3 number to be tax exempt without all the hassle.

This book was worth the wait. The quality of the book was excellent. I had to wait because the book was on backorder. However, it was worth the wait!

Really helped a client of mine in starting up a new non-profit. Clear instructions, lots of advice and online help.