Starting a nonprofit organization is a meaningful way to make a difference in your community or address broader societal issues. Nonprofits operate with a mission-driven focus, and while they are exempt from paying certain taxes, they must adhere to strict guidelines to maintain their status. If you’re considering launching a nonprofit in the U.S., it’s important to understand the legal and operational steps involved.

Understanding Nonprofit Organizations

Nonprofit organizations exist to serve a purpose beyond profit-making. Common purposes include:

• Charitable Work: Supporting underserved communities or addressing global challenges.
• Educational Goals: Promoting learning and development through schools, workshops, or training programs.
• Cultural Preservation: Fostering appreciation for arts, history, or heritage.

While nonprofits can generate revenue, these funds must be reinvested into their mission rather than distributed as profits.

Steps to Establish a Nonprofit

Creating a nonprofit involves several critical steps, from defining your mission to filing the necessary paperwork. Here’s a general overview:

1. Define Your Mission and Objectives Clearly articulate your nonprofit’s purpose. A well-defined mission statement will guide your efforts and help attract support from stakeholders and donors.
2. Choose a Legal Structure Nonprofits in the U.S. are commonly established as corporations, trusts, or associations. The structure determines operational requirements and tax implications.
3. Register Your Nonprofit Registration requirements vary by state. For example, establishing a new mexico nonprofit corporation involves filing articles of incorporation with the New Mexico Secretary of State, paying the required fees, and adhering to state-specific guidelines. This step formalizes your organization and provides it with legal recognition.
4. Obtain Federal Tax-Exempt Status To receive tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, you must apply to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This status exempts your nonprofit from federal income taxes and can help secure public funding.
5. Create Governance Policies Establish bylaws, appoint a board of directors, and define roles and responsibilities. Strong governance ensures accountability and compliance with state and federal regulations.

Ongoing Compliance for Nonprofits

Once established, nonprofits must adhere to strict compliance measures, including:

• Annual Filings: Submit tax returns or financial reports as required by the IRS and state authorities.
• Transparent Financial Practices: Maintain detailed records of income and expenditures to demonstrate that funds are used for the nonprofit’s mission.
• Renewal of Licenses: If your nonprofit conducts fundraising or other regulated activities, ensure licenses are renewed annually.

Building a Strong Foundation

Running a nonprofit successfully requires more than compliance; it requires community engagement, effective fundraising, and strong leadership. Utilize these strategies to build a sustainable organization:

• Foster Partnerships: Collaborate with other nonprofits, businesses, and government entities to maximize impact.
• Engage Volunteers: Volunteers can provide valuable support and expand your capacity to serve.
• Leverage Technology: Use digital tools for fundraising, communication, and program delivery.

NASA forecasts that Planet Earth could possibly get hit by a skyscraper-sized asteroid named Bennu, resulting in the creation of a five-mile-wide crater. The Comet Research Group is looking for funding support to accurately assess the effects of such impacts, and provide information that may help avert similar situations in the near future.

Raleigh, United States 2nd November, 2016

It is extremely disturbing to know that Earth is directly in the path of about 500,000 asteroids and comets. Unfortunately, NASA and other space agencies don’t know the location of 498,000 of them! Yet, these killer comets are capable of causing explosions far worse than the world’s largest atomic bombs. Chelyabinsk, a small city in Russia, experienced such as incident in 2013 that seriously injured around fifteen hundred people. NASA warns that an asteroid named Bennu may hit Earth within a few decades. If so, the impact would be powerful enough to destroy any one of the world’s largest cities.

The Comet Research Group is a non-profit organization collaborating more than 60 scientists from sixteen countries all over the world. The discoveries made by the group members have been featured on the History Channel, National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, PBS’s NOVA, and many other television channels and programs. The group’s mission is to

• Accurately assess the hidden effects of comet impacts on human history
• Educate the international public about these effects
• Provide governments with the necessary information to stop future comets from hitting Earth.

One of the upcoming projects from the Comet Research Group is the “Sunken Crater Expedition.” This is an initiative to explore a recently discovered offshore crater in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, just south of Quebec, Canada. According to some scientists, this crater was created 12,800 years ago by a massive comet swarm that pushed millions of mammoths into extinction. To figure out what actually happened at the site, the Comet Research Group plans to collect melted rocks, including tiny diamonds.

The Comet Research Group has just launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $139,500. All funds received from Indiegogo will be spent directly on research, including expenses for travel and for the laboratory research on the samples. In addition to the “Sunken Crater Expedition,” proceeds from the campaign will also support the Comet Research Group’s “Diamonds on Ice Expedition” to Greenland, “Fire from the Sky Expedition” to the Middle East, and the “Burned Badlands Expedition” to North Dakota.  

Unable to get government funding after repeated attempts, the Comment Research Group is appealing for mass support to combat the danger of killer comets. A group spokesperson recently warned, “The chilling news is that Earth is now in a centuries-long episode of increasing bombardments by the shattered remains of a giant comet, one that has hit us again and again for thousands of years. We need to be much better prepared, and you can help us.”

To find out more about this campaign, please visit http://bit.ly/killercomet

The website of the Comet Research Group is https://cometresearchgroup.org/

About the Comet Research Group: this is a non-profit corporation that collaborates with 63 scientists from 55 universities in 16 countries. Their discoveries have been featured on the History Channel, National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, PBS’s NOVA, and more than a dozen other TV programs. Their mission is to accurately assess the effects of comet impacts on human history, to educate the international public about these effects, and, ultimately, to provide world governments with the information they need to stop comets from hitting Earth in the future.