How can I get sponsers for my public service program?

Question

I would love to have my college as well as other individuals supply funds for a charitible organization I plan to create. How can I go about this? It is a new idea but I am very excited.

It will be a non-profit organization, a good volunteering oppurtunity. I will need loads of volunteers.

Answer 1

First, you have to form the nonprofit -- no funding from any grocery stores, companies, foundations, etc., until that's done. You need a board of directors (and they need to provide at least some of the start up funds), and all of your paperwork filed with the state and federal government for 501(c)(3) status. You need to get letters of endorsement from existing organizations (your school, churches, businesses, etc.) saying this organization is needed because no other organizations are providing whatever service it's going to provide, and you need to have data that shows your target group is in need whatever service it is that you want to provide and that they are not served otherwise.

The Nonprofit FAQs (http://www.nonprofits.org) provides information on the paperwork you will need to file and administrative tasks you will have to go through in order to form a nonprofit.

You will also need a business plan for at least the first year -- preferably the first three years -- showing how this organization will be managed: what positions will need to be filled, how you will go about recruiting people for those positions, what your measurable goals will be for the first year and how you will report against those goals, the number of people you will serve in the first year, etc.

And once you have all of that, *then* you can start looking for sponsors, soliciting your college for a donation, etc.