Non-Profit Services

Articles of incorporation are a set of formal documents filed with a government body to legally document the creation of a corporation. Articles of incorporation generally contain pertinent information such as the firm’s name, street address, agent for service of process, and the amount and type of stock to be issued. The articles of incorporation are used to legally form the corporation.

Nonprofit bylaws are the main governing document for your nonprofit corporation. They supplement the rules already defined by the state corporations code and will guide how the nonprofit is run. When you pursue federal tax exempted or request that you attach a copy to your application. This document guides the actions and decision-making of the board of directors while helping to prevent and/or resolve conflicts or disagreement.

A conflict of interest policy protects the corporation’s interest when it is contemplating entering into a transaction or arrangement that might benefit the private interest of a director, officer, or other key personnel or might result in a possible excess benefit transaction. This policy supplements, but does not replace, applicable state and federal laws governing conflict of interest and nonprofit corporations.

Minutes are a note-keeping format for parliamentary procedure. During a corporate board meeting, minutes are kept by a secretary, a board officer charged with administering the meeting. Minutes should note the precise wording of every motion or resolution that is introduced. They should record who introduced a motion or resolution, and the participant that seconded the motion. If a vote is taken, that should be noted as well. Since a resolution is a written motion, a signed copy should be kept with the meeting minutes on file.
A resolution is a form of a motion, but it's more formal and usually used for more important or ceremonial issues. Resolutions adopted by the board and later approved by the directors are considered a formal act of the corporation and not just a board action.

Use Form 1023, including the appropriate user fee, to apply for recognition of exemption from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3). If approved, the IRS will issue a determination letter that describes your tax-exempt status and your qualification to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions. The determination letter will also show your specific foundation classification.

Nonprofit organizations, in some instances, are required to provide donation acknowledgements or disclosures to their donors. This record allows donors to retain the tax deductible benefits of their donation. Additionally, these records will be useful for the organization to build donor lists and track donation income.

Tax-exempt organizations must make annual returns and exemption applications filed with the IRS available for public inspection and copying upon request. In addition, the IRS makes these documents available. It is vital for nonprofit organizations to institute a record keeping procedure and provide the public with opportunities to view the public records.

Forms 990 and 990-EZ are used by tax-exempt organizations, nonexempt charitable trusts, and Section 527 political organizations to provide the IRS with an annual return, stating specifically the items of gross income, receipts, and disbursements, and such other information for the purpose of carrying out the internal revenue laws.
An organization's completed Form 990 or 990-EZ, and a section 501(c)(3) organization's Form 990-T, Exempt Organization Business Income Tax Return, are generally available for public inspection as required by section 6104. Schedule B (Form 990), Schedule of Contributors, is available for public inspection for section 527 organizations filing Form 990 or 990-EZ. Some members of the public rely on Form 990 or Form 990-EZ as their primary or sole source of information about a particular organization. How the public perceives an organization in such cases can be determined by information presented on its return.