VOLUNTEER
ATTORNEY AND CLIENT GUIDE TO FORMATION OF A
TAX-EXEMPT CALIFORNIA NONPROFIT CORPORATION
Dear Nonprofit Clients and Volunteer Attorneys:
Each
year, the volunteer and staff attorneys in Public Counsel’s Community
Development Project incorporate and obtain tax exemption for about 100 nonprofit
community-based organizations.The
following is an in-depth guide to the steps involved with the process of
incorporating and obtaining federal and state tax-exemption in California.Please note that this guide
should not be construed as all-inclusive or as legal services to any
organization or individual.The
guide should only be used as a starting point to understand the steps involved
with becoming a tax-exempt California nonprofit corporation.
•Application
for Legal Assistance.If you are seeking Public Counsel’s assistance, we recommend that you
spend some time filling out this application. It will help your organization
gather the information and make the decisions required throughout this process.
You can save significant time by planning and answering all the questions in
the
application now instead of in a piecemeal fashion as they come up.Please note -- We cannot determine whether we can assist you unless
you complete the application.[Application
for Legal Assistance]
•Mission
Statement.Putting
together a mission statement is an important step in establishing a basic
framework for the goals and purposes of your organization. What
should your mission statement say?
Memorandum
on liability of volunteer directors of nonprofit corporations (The attached
legal memorandum addresses the California and federal law protections that exist
to shield volunteer directors of nonprofit corporations from personal liability
for their actions on behalf of the corporation.)
