How do i start my own charity?

Question

well i was watching reading rainbow one time (yes i still watch reasding rainbow) and they showed how these kids made boxes and all this cool stuff to help other unfortunate kids and that really inspired me to statrt my own and ive only told two people about my idea oh and by the way im 12 and me and my thirteen year old best friend were thinking about starting one were only in middle school so we really dont know what the priorities are about startin our own charity so if thers any adult or charities qualified cna you please help us you can email me on yahoo. please help us. the reason why im asking this online is because the people who i hang out with really dont do that kind of stuff and they really dont understand why i would want to do that. also im afraid of their reaction when i ask them so right now its only me and my friend but we really need help. our pupose for this is for the kids in china or asia who have to work for a living and we want to send them paper and all that.

Answer 1

First let me say.. .good for you!  Your parents should be very proud of your kind heart!  I would love to give you some pointers and advice.  I live in Michigan, I am 38 years old and my children (ages 6 & 4) started a charity last year.  We get donations from the community and give backpacks full of items (shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, night light, book, blanket, stuffed animal) to children that are entering into foster care.  I did mine on a larger scale.  I went through the federal and state governments to make a true charity.  But you could just base it on gathering donated items.  Start with putting together a flyer.  List what you plan to do with the items and list what items you need.  Let people know where they can drop off the items and maybe a phone number they can contact you through.  Maybe your school district would allow you to place a collection tub at each school.  This would make it easier for people.  Pass out your flyer, parents picking up their kids from school, local grocery stores, attend the parent teachers group and talk to them.  you get the idea.  Soon you will start getting donations.  Then you can figure out a way to pack them, what should go into each pack for each kid.  Get your parents involved.  They will be able to really help you out.  Good luck.  Check out my website www.sleeptightfoundation.org email me if you have any additional questions or anything.

Answer 2

just do it like Nike.

Answer 3

It's a very complicated process. A better idea is for you and your friend to volunteer for an *existing* charity. Then you don't have to spend months on paperwork -- you get to start helping *right away*. You can find volunteering opportunities here:

VolunteerMatch, http://www.volunteermatch.org

Idealist, http://www.idealist.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.

Also, contact your local volunteer center; you can find this via the Points of Light Foundation web site,

http://www.pointsoflight.org/centers/

There's also this government sponsored site, http://volunteer.gov/gov/ which provides volunteer positions through USA federal land agencies like Fish & Wildlife, Forest Service, National Parks, etc.

Remember that finding a volunteering gig can be like finding a job: you may have to interview several times before you are chosen for an assignment.

If you want to be a volunteer to help with the consequences of a natural disaster, such as Hurricane Katrina, you need to register and prepare NOW. Here's a web site where you can register and start your preparation so that you can help the next time disaster strikes:

http://www.helpindisaster.org/

NetAid has programs specifically for high school students in North America who want to help in the developing world. NetAid is now a part of MeryCorps

http://www.netaid.org

TakingIT Global is another resource for young people in the USA who want to do something to affect the situation positively in developing countries

www.takingitglobal.org/

If you are really bent on starting your own charity, with no experience and no knowledge of how to do it, then here are all of the steps outlined on various web sites:

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...