Starting a non profit

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http://www.cleaningforcancer.com/directory/resources/resources_texas.html

I am not quite sure what to think about this , where to go, or what to DO.

Someone showed me this website about a month ago. I loved the idea and just knew I should do it. In trying to find some help, even simple help as having one other person just work with me for 2 hours, I get no where. Got nothing. And people just turn around and look somewhere else.

To me, cleaning is the easiest and least amount of investment someone can do for someone else.

once i really started digging through this site I noticed that by putting my name and my little 'company' up there that I would be the only person in the entire state of texas offering this.
That... can NOT be right.

How is it that the entire state of texas has no other volunteers?
Is it that no one knows about it?
Asking that question got me thinking..... what if I could get someone to sponsor me. A company could give 40 bucks for a two hour cleaning once a year and sponsor me to do it for someone else.
Hmm.. neat idea.
Ok, so what if I could find enough companies to have at least 4 different cleanings a month while still keeping the company to only 40 or 50 bucks for a donation.
sounds simple enough.
Then.. i thought .. why stop there.. why not turn this into a small non profit. Minimal charge from the client ( 1.00 if I have to for tax purposes or other rules) and create a company that does only free or low cost cleaning to people with cancer.
I could hire a hand full of people, keep it small and personal and just have large companies ( or companies and people who are willing) to sponsor the cleaning so that we at least have money to cover supplies and pay.

My brain is steady going forward.

Now........... what do I need to know about a non profit?

What should I read to learn?

Where should I go to get information?

Im googling basic questions and ideas.. I just want to know if anyone here has experience, or advice?

I would love to have this up and working in 6 months or less. Smile

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@shewolfnm,

Quote:

Now........... what do I need to know about a non profit?

The paperwork is immense and the "begging" (including grant writing) is endless. I will try and get back to tell you more when I have time.

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Good advice here:

http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-501c3-Nonprofit-Organization

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oh.

holy ****

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Ok.
Only 1/2 way through that page and I can feel my stress rise.
That is extremely overwhelming.

and it sounds like it is going to take a lot of money and time to start .

What if I stay WHO i am (business wise) and accept and drum up donations for just ME to do it.. ?
Would that change my tax status?

Right now I earn just shy of what is required to actually file and receive tax money. I always file and report even though I do not have to. But I do not get anything back. Income is just too low.

How would taking donations effect that?

off to google..

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@shewolfnm,

Are you sure this group is on the up and up?

~~~

The information I can find on the websites of a couple of small companies that appear to be offering this is that it is 1 hour of free cleaning per eligible client - and the individual cleaner is the one that is making the donation of their time and service.

~~~

their website is down for maintenance right now, but

Quote:

CleaningForCancer.com is operated and maintained by CleanOutlook.com

http://www.cleanoutlook.com/

- they have a support forum at that website - perhaps some of your questions could be answered there

~~~

(errr, what happened to your plan to focus on developing a photog business? seems that getting that going AND setting up a non-profit would be a ton of work on top of doing actual cleaning and photography and parenting)

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@shewolfnm,

shewolfnm wrote:

What if I stay WHO i am (business wise) and accept and drum up donations for just ME to do it.. ?
Would that change my tax status?

If you are accepting donations (for whatever reason), don't you have to be able to issue a charitable donation receipt?

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@ehBeth,

I really didnt think that doing this would take as much work as I am finding out it will.
I really am shocked.

I can not make up my mind what it is i want to do. I see opportunities and find ideas on both ends of the spectrum and they all seem so wonderful and soo exciting.
I dont know WHAT to do with myself.

I think sometimes I can find a balance between both, but I know that I can not. I can not focus and make one thing profitable and productive while spending my energy on something entirely different.

I had the idea that getting my little cleaning business to sustain itself with a few employees would free me up to focus on photography so I am looking around now to find things to cling on to and get rolling in hopes of doing that.

But this idea is bigger then I expected it to be. Might be more work then I am willing to give too..
I really just wanted to give a little and thought that if I could get a little subsidizing ( if that is the right word) I could do twice as much .

but, I might be smoking crack.. Smile

I freely admit that.

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You could set up your own charitable non profit agency. The paperwork is not that complicated. the form is scarier than it really is. Donations to this agenc would be tax deductible for the donor.

You will need a group of people to form this. They make up the "board". A small donation from each board member will get you started with supplies, etc. Yes, you can get paid for your work.

Doing cleaning for cancer patients is a nice idea and would benefit everyone who is in that predicament.

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@ehBeth,

ehBeth wrote:

If you are accepting donations (for whatever reason), don't you have to be able to issue a charitable donation receipt?

I have no idea.
I would assume so. especially since a business would want to use that donation on their tax papers..

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@shewolfnm,

If what you want to do is volunteer to clean a home for a cancer patient, there are already avenues set up to do that. Gilda's Clubs and other community groups co-ordinate volunteers for that sort of thing. You normally do have to go through a police check as you're going into people's homes. It's generally also cheaper/easier to go under the protection of an established agency's insurance than trying to set up your own for a non-profit, unless you've got a good history with a volunteer co-ordinator.

I'm not sure why you'd want to set up a non-profit to provide volunteer services that are out there. Granted, there can never be too many volunteers, but it would be easier to join an existing group than go through the process of setting up a non-profit (which means what it says, non-profit, no money in it for you).

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@ehBeth,

I agree here with ehBeth. Why do you need more stuff to do with questionable financial payback? If you want to help people just help them or find an existing group you can work with. It's takes a hell of a lot of time and a bit of money to get a non-profit up and running.

As to donations- I understand it as either you are a non-profit or you're not. People can give you money so you can go clean sick people's homes, but the government will consider it regular taxable income.

The only way to make money in the cleaning business is to hire people to do the cleaning and pay them a lesser rate than you charge the client, plus you take care of the sales and paperwork.

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@ehBeth,

http://www.handsoncentraltexas.org/

click on "volunteer projects" on the left side (you can then drill down further by interest/date etc)

soooooo many things that need to be done for people

you do have to go by the specific agency's guidelines, but it's still easier than setting up a non-profit

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I didnt know of other places to be able to sign up with. I had never heard of this concept until I saw that web page. That is what got me thinking.

i was able to start this little company very easily. I assumed it would be easy to do a non profit too.
I dont know that I would REALLY want a non profit company but, like I said, my brain just went there so I decided to ask and investigate. No thank you. Too much work .

I really am not into working with that company or any other company like that for profit. I just want to help. I work enough and make enough to support myself and I have free time to give. Im not looking to make a lot , or anything at all actually, from doing it. It was just an outloud thought.

Im sure I can find some place in austin to donate some time to, or I can just post my information on that site and pick and choose one person a month to help.
Just reading through that page, they made it sound so easy to get your own small chapter going I thought that would be a fantastic little side project.

BAH!
nothing little about it!

1 Reply

@shewolfnm,

when I was poking around in the North Texas Gilda's Club site, I noticed that one of the volunteer areas they had highlighted was ... photography

I'll bet there are a number of other agencies with a similar need for a volunteer with a good eye and decent camera equipment. Not a bad way to get yourself out there as a photographer.

(have you apprenticed with a weekend gig photographer yet?)

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@ehBeth,

www.volunteermatch.org

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@ehBeth,

http://www.prlog.org/10353631-local-celebrities-volunteer-for-cleaning-service-benefitting-cancer-patients.html

Sept 2009

Quote:

When you are undergoing surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and other treatments as a cancer patient, the last thing you want to worry about is keeping your home clean. Thanks to a local cleaning company, their worries have been lessened; and thanks to local celebrities and restaurant owners, funding for the non-profit business will, for one night, come in the form of tips and good service.

Tokyo Steak House & Sushi Bar in Round Rock is proud to host “Serving for a Reason” benefiting the “Cleaning for a Reason Foundation,” the only national non-profit providing free housecleaning services for women undergoing cancer treatment. During the event, Austin area notable personalities will serve as bartenders at Tokyo Steak House & Sushi Bar. All of their tips and 10 percent of sales will go directly to Cleaning for a Reason and the American Cancer Society.

Organized by Aroma-Chic Cleaning of Austin, the event is something its local woman business owner has wanted to do for some time.

“Through my cleaning service, I’ve been a long-time supporter of Cleaning for a Reason,” says Aroma-Chic owner Susana Garza. “By partnering with Phoenix Pai, owner of Tokyo Steak House & Sushi Bar and some of our city’s well-known faces, we are helping cancer patients and involving numerous participants like Social Thinker, a non-profit designed to encourage the service industry to create new donations for local and national charitable organizations. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

While grateful to be the benefactor of a local fundraiser, Cleaning for a Reason’s founder is also impressed by the coming together of local business entities.

"I am continually amazed at the profound generosity of the companies involved in Cleaning for a Reason,” says the company’s founder Debbie Sardone. “Aroma-Chic Cleaning is an example of how businesses should be interacting with their community. They are giving away what they do for a living, and making a real difference in Austin to women in need. I am so proud to be associated with them."

http://www.cleaningforareason.org/

donate your services as a cleaner

http://www.cleaningforareason.org/cleaningservice.html

You don't need to set up a non-profit to do this. It already exists.

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I'd be checking with whatever your state and local goverment organisation is. This is usually where volunteer offers are co-ordinated.
This web link is for Austin Tx
http://www.austincounty.com/ips/cms/Services.html

Heres another link that may be usefull
http://ccaction.com/Homemaker-Services.htm.

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