How can I start a nonprofit organization to help clean up the environment?

Question

Our world needs help!

Answer 1

You might want to first *join* a nonprofit organization working to help clean up the environment. Volunteer with such an organization (or more than one), and learn what's being done, and how your added efforts could help.

In the USA, you can find such organizations at:

VolunteerMatch, http://www.volunteermatch.org

Idealist, http://www.idealist.org

HandsOn Network, http://www.handsonnetwork.org/

Change.org, http://www.change.org

CraigsList, http://www.craigslist.com

Network for Good, http://www.networkforgood.org

http://www.1-800-volunteer.org/

ServeNet, http://servenet.org/

If you see an organization that you would like to help, but don't see a volunteering opportunity posted by that organization, it's okay to call them and say you would like to volunteer -- they may have opportunities they haven't posted. Also, many organizations are open to your own suggestions for volunteering activities.

If you want to start yet another organization, then:

you need to get a very impassioned group of people together who support your idea and will provide some start up funding and serve on the board of directors, you need to get letters of endorsement from existing organizations saying this program is needed,  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, and you need to have a draft of what your first year's budget would look like (what expenses you expect to incur, what you expect to pay staff, etc.). It will take many months. And *then*, you could start filing the paperwork to start your organization, raising funds, etc.:

Starting a Nonprofit Organization

http://www.managementhelp.org/strt_org/s... (one of my favorite resources)

Starting a Non-Profit

Checklist- The Things You Must Do to Start a Nonprofit Organization

http://www.ctnonprofits.org/pages/NonPro...

Starting a Nonprofit Organization - How to Start a Nonprofit http://nonprofit.about.com/od/nonprofitb...

How to Start a 501c3 Nonprofit Organization

http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-501c3-Non...

Answer 2

It might be more effective to join an existing organization.  Legally and financially establishing a non-profit is a lot of work; it's like setting up your own company.

You can have a bigger impact my contributing your efforts and combining your resources with an existing organization that matches your goals.

www.charitynavigator.org can provide you listings and ratings for thousands of non-profits in the U.S., with a special section for environmental groups.