501(c)(3) Formation
User Guide

1. About This Tool

Forming a 501(c)(3) involves dozens of small decisions and three layers of paperwork: state incorporation, IRS recognition, and ongoing compliance setup. This tool walks you through each piece in order, generating the required documents from your answers.

2. Before You Begin

Account setup & what you'll need

• Three people willing to serve on the founding board. Not your spouse + cousin. Three unrelated adults, ideally with relevant skills.
• A clear mission statement — one sentence on who you serve and what you do.
• A name that's not already taken in your state's business registry.
• $275-$1,500 depending on state filing fees and whether you use Form 1023-EZ ($275) or full Form 1023 ($600 + state fees).
• Patience. Form 1023-EZ is typically approved in 4-6 weeks; full 1023 can take 3-6 months.

3. Select Your State & Organization Basics

Step 1: Pick your state

Almost always your home state. Delaware/Nevada formation has very few advantages for nonprofits and adds a foreign-qualification requirement everywhere you operate.

Step 2: Organization basics

Legal name (must include "Inc," "Corporation," or "Foundation" depending on state), registered agent (you or a service), principal office address, fiscal year, EIN status.

4. Board of Directors

Add your three founding directors. Each captures legal name, address, term length, role (Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Director), and a brief bio. Required for both state filing and Form 1023.

5. Mission Statement & Programs

Your mission as a single sentence that names your beneficiaries and what you do for them. The Form 1023 narrative builds out from here — programs, activities, who you serve, how you measure impact.

The assistant helps you sharpen mission language and tests it against IRS "exempt purpose" categories (charitable, educational, religious, scientific, literary, fostering amateur sports, preventing cruelty).

6. Review & File

Once your inputs are complete, the assistant generates:

• Articles of Incorporation — state-specific format, including required IRS language
• Bylaws — full template tailored to your state
• Conflict-of-Interest Policy — IRS-recommended version
• First Board Meeting Minutes — adopts bylaws, elects officers, authorizes EIN application
• Form 1023 or 1023-EZ — depending on eligibility, with your answers prefilled

Review each document carefully. Use the 🚀 File Now panel to find current state filing links and IRS submission addresses.

7. Save, Export & Compliance Reminders

Export every document as Word .docx. Set up compliance reminders for your post-formation calendar: state annual report, charity registration, EIN setup, sales tax exemption, payroll registration if you'll have employees.

You've completed the guide!

Once your 1023 is filed, you wait. The IRS will send a determination letter when approved. Bookmark the Nonprofit Compliance Tracker for ongoing filings.

Administrator Access

The sign-in screen has an Administrator Access link below the Sign In button. Use it to sign in as Administrator with just a password — no email needed. This is a per-browser admin role; the password is stored only on the current computer.

• First time: Click Administrator Access. You'll see a "First-time setup" prompt with two password fields — enter a password (6+ characters) and confirm it. Click Create Admin Password.
• Subsequent times: Click Administrator Access, enter that same password, and click Enter Admin Panel.
• Once signed in as Administrator, you'll land on the dashboard with full admin privileges, including visibility into all teams, users, and activity stored in this browser.
• Click ← Back to regular sign-in at the bottom of the admin panel to return to the normal email/password form.

Note: the admin password is unique to each browser. If you set it up at home and then visit the app on a work computer, you'll see the first-time-setup prompt again. To grant admin access on a new machine, register a regular user account or set up a fresh admin password there.

Contact & Support

For questions, feedback, or feature requests, contact the Build Your Club Academy team at support@buildyourclub.org. We update these tools regularly — check back for new features.