Starting a Nonprofit in High School

Are you passionate about social justice? Do you consistently find yourself seeking out community service opportunities? If there’s an issue in your community that’s not being addressed, you can try addressing it yourself. A very ambitious way to do this is to start a nonprofit. 

Whether you’re interested in learning how to start a nonprofit dog rescue, how to start a nonprofit homeless shelter, or anything in between, we’ve got you covered. In this article, we will answer all of your nonprofit related questions, as well as provide you with a “starting a nonprofit checklist” for you to refer to during every step of the way. 

Creating an umbrella organization is easier than starting from the ground up, but you still need determination and passion. The steps to start this type of organization are very similar to starting your own club.

For more information on high school extracurricular activities, check out our articles, How Important Are Extracurriculars for College Admissions? and Over 50 Extracurricular Activities that Look Good on College Applications.

Another way to do this is to become affiliated to another nonprofit, for example start a branch of the national organization Habitat for Humanity. It is going to vary depending on each individual organization, but this is the basic outline that could be followed when you are interested in doing this type of partnership:

For you to gather sponsors and donations, you need to make sure that your nonprofit is helping solve an issue that is prominent in your society and not being addressed. You also need to make sure that there are no other organizations tackling this problem; otherwise your organization might not be successful because of competition over volunteers and resources.

Every state has different regulations and rules for nonprofit organizations. Look into your state’s guidelines and see if they’re doable for you. See if you can afford legal aid to help you file all the paperwork and determine if you have enough funds to start the organization. Just because it is a nonprofit does not mean it’s going to be free or even cheap to start. 

This plan should cover all aspects of the organization, from a marketing strategy to an organizational structure. Have all this available to make sure you have a guideline to follow.

Here are a few questions you should address in your plan:

• What type of events is your nonprofit going to have?
• Who are you going to help and how?
• Who is your target member audience?
• How can you reach a wider audience?
• How are you going to convince people to volunteer?
• How many and what type of volunteers/staff will you need?

Next up, how are you going to receive income? This question should be answered considering several options of income, like: private contributions, sponsors, fundraising, and government grants. You’ll also want to consider your current and future budget. Ask yourself: What is my budget and how am I going to finance different events and services? After you’ve spent some time outlining current and future financial considerations, it’s time to complete a “SWOT analysis” on your organization. SWOT stands for: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threat. 

The name needs to give some idea of what the organization is going to do. It may have to do with the problem you are addressing (ex: World Wide Fund for Nature) or with the people you are servicing (ex: Alzheimer’s Association) or the people that are volunteering (ex: Best Buddies). After you determine the name, you’ll need to make sure it’s not already taken.

Generally, you’ll want to choose people who are very passionate about what your nonprofit is doing. A lot of states will require you to have this information available to start filing the paperwork. A good option to start with are your teachers. If one of them shares a passion with you to help the community, ask them if they would like to be involved. A lot of times, the board of directors is finalized many years down the line. For example, Matine still runs the organization and is a member of the board.

File the paperwork needed in your state to incorporate your organization: After choosing a business name and appointing a board of directors, you need to choose what type of legal structure your organization will have, which will most likely be an Association. This means that your organization is formed by a “group of persons banded together for a specific purpose,” according to the IRS. Alternatively, you could look into starting a nonprofit llc. 

Next, you will need to file the paperwork needed, which depends on the state. Finally, you will need to apply to be tax exempt. To do this, you will need to become a 501(c)(3) organization. This means you are running an organization that is  considered “charitable” by the IRS. 

After you submit this paperwork, make sure you have all the permits and legal documents that you will need to start running your nonprofit. Note that there are fees to file these forms.

After filing the tax forms, you will need to fill additional documentation to stay exempt. Research what this means for your state and what documents will need to be updated quarterly and annually. Most likely you will need legal assistance to accomplish step 6 and 7 on this list. Follow the business plan you created and make sure to make any alterations you need.