About 'michigan debt collection laws'|Debt Rattle, December 1 2008: Trying to avoid the unavoidable, but at what cost
You hear about them all the time. Foundations. Churches. Initiatives to reduce poverty and homeless, to feed the hungry. These types of organisations are geared toward helping others, and while they don't personally profit the founder (s) of these companies, at least when starting out--they can be personally rewarding to everyone involved. They are known as nonprofit organisations, for a very specific reasons. One cannot legally profit from them--all monies raised must be sent to benefit the people that are, according to the bylaws of that organisation, to be helped. Or they are to go back into the company in question, funding the day to day affairs of the organisation. For example, if a group whose purpose is to help the homeless were to take a church collection for advertising, the founder can't pocket the funds, or even part of them. This is known as embezzlement, and can get that individual in a lot of trouble. In short, the monies are to be used for the purpose they were collected for. Does that mean that you must go without a salary, or a means of paying your people? No. There is one legal way around that fate, but don't expect me to tell you that it's easy. You must become good at grant writing. That is the key that unlocks that door. You must find a company, or foundation, whose interests match yours. If you are on a campaign to relieve homelessness, for example, you must find a foundation, or a company that is interested in bankrolling such organisations. And you must spell out your needs; you must state your case clearly and accurately. There are strict deadlines, you must be concise, and your grant must be free of errors. Or it will be sent back. But that is a different paper altogether. The purpose of this discussion is to talk about how to start a nonprofit organisation of your own. First, you must find a Vision, or a dream. You must find a problem in society that you feel God has called you to have a strong hand in solving. Comedian Jerry Lewis, for example, for some reason he refuses to tell us til this very day--has a heartfelt passion for helping kids with the deadly, still currently incurable muscular dystrophy. Out of that comes the Muscular Dystrophy Association, which produces the yearly Labour Day Telethon. Many of you will watch it this Labour Day weekend on Sunday night, September 6 until Labour Day, Sept. 7. Many of you will laugh, many of you will cry, and many of you who have the means to give will even pledge. The next move to make is to write it down. The very wise words of the Bible can be found in Habakkuk 2: 2, which says, "Write the Vision--make it plain upon tables, that they may run that readeth it." Why do I say this? Because you are going to need people who will run with you. There is nothing worse than a person who is forced to run a non-profit--or any other business for that matter--alone. It is next to impossible. Even Jesus Christ, the founder of the first major successful non profit organisation, the Church--recognised that he needed help. He founded His organisation, and chose 12 people to help Him get His work started. That organisation, known as the Church, is still thriving today, even though its Leader is long gone. Next, you will want to do research. Go out on a fact finding mission to see if your Vision is already being done by someone else. For example, it's fine you want to help people get out of debt, but if there are three other organisations with the same goal--then, instead of forming your own group, you may want to team up with other groups doing the same thing. But should you see the need for your nonprofit in the community, you are going to want to build a work that survives even your departure from the scene. That means that not only should you select people, but you should choose individuals who see your Vision. If your Vision is feeding and clothing the hungry and the naked, select individuals who feel it the way you do, who are just as passionate as you are.(Sidebar: How to identify those people will be a topic of another paper.) The next thing to do is to get Incorporated. By so doing, you protect yourself from a personal lawsuit. They can sue a person, but they can't sue a corporation quite as easily. What happens is, the corporation becomes a separate entity, or person, from its founder. It takes on a whole life of its own. How do you do this? Call your state offices, or your local Chamber of Commerce. There is a small fee, say, maybe $10-$25. Incorporating is a major step towards the all-too important 501c3 status. You have, maybe a year and a half, to finalise your 501c3, or tax-exempt status. Without this you cannot raise monies, advertise on radio, or do anything. That's the law. And getting through the paperwork will cost you. Please google the laws for your state for the exact price. It varies. But in Michigan, for example, $500 will get you tax exemption up to around $10,000. Generally, you will have a year and a half- to two years to finalise the 501c3 process. This is sooooo important--local radio/TV advertisers won't even look at advertising for you without such paperwork filled out! That is your ticket to advertising, to respectability as a non-profit. You may say, "Koolbreeze, I don't have the money right now. How can I fundraise?" So glad you asked that question, my friend. Seek a fiduciary agreement with your pastor, or a friend who has a successful nonprofit. Let that person serve as your fiduciary person until you are able to afford your own 501c3 paperwork. Mind you, you may not have the independence you want right now, but it's a good start. But you must have that piece of paper. Think of that piece of paper as a driving permit--a piece of paper you must carry around with you that enables you to drive under supervision of a licensed adult, until such a time as you get your own full-fledged license. The next thing to do is to schedule interviews with people who may be interested in partnering with you, or advertising with you. These are BUSINESS meetings, and you must treat them as such. Come there organised, and appropriately dressed. Be ready to give a simple presentation of what you are all about. Keep it concise and be respectful of the time they've chosen to give you. In the case of a public presentation, if you are given 10 minutes to communicate your message, take eight. Don't take the whole time. Hit the important points and yield back the balance of your time. Conciseness is the key here. Don't try to oversell your product or service. Don't take too long. That will be a mark against your organisation. You won't be invited back. Also...be prepared to provide the service, or fundraiser, you say you are going to provide the day and time you say you are going to provide it. If you want to hold a car wash, for example--make sure the arrangements for that fundraiser have been made. Make a list of all people who have agreed to be volunteers on that day. Furthermore, don't just pick one day, also pick a rain date. For example, if you choose Saturday, April 27 as your day, pick a rain date, say May 18 as a backup. In other words, have a BACKUP plan, or plan B. The next thing you will want to do is advertise, advertise, advertise. Call your local radio station. In choosing a station, examine things such as cost as well as your intended demographic--i.e., the people who will benefit the most. If you know that for a given project your demographic is African-American churchgoers, you may want to advertise on an African-American station, such as WJLB in Detroit, or The Touch in Kalamazoo, some excellent radio stations in that particular demographic here in Michigan. Advertising goes a long way. Finally, be patient. Don't be discouraged. Just because it's not paying you personally, is no reason to give up. It will one day, if you keep at it, and write grants, and connect with the proper people. For this reason, it's best not to focus on how it will reward you. Your main reward will be that you are doing something worthwhile for someone else. |
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