Start Your Nonprofit
in Minutes, Not Months

So glad you asked! Unlike the misleading information found all over the Internet, there's a little-known IRS policy that allows you to start fundraising much sooner than previously believed.

The IRS' official policy is to back-date your 501(c)3 Tax-Exempt Status to the date when we file your Articles of Incorporation.

This means that your donors (both individual and corporate) can get a tax break by donating to you even before you receive your IRS Approval letter in the mail!

Every Nonprofit Launch Package comes with a document containing the exact IRS rule that makes this possible, so you can use it to raise money right away!

Not a problem! While most of our customers come to us for a fresh start so we can do everything from A to Z, some have already taken a step forward by starting an LLC or another entity with the intent of obtaining Tax-Exempt Status.

We commend those efforts — it's much better to try something than to try nothing!

In every case, we will inspect your paperwork for accuracy and ensure all required language is included. We find that in about 66% of cases, customers who self-incorporate fail to add the required addenda — known as the Purpose and Dissolution Clause.

Your state may not require these provisions, but if they are missing, we will need to amend your articles, or the IRS will reject your application. We do this at no extra charge, but government filing fees apply.

Also, any EIN that was assigned to another entity at any time cannot be applied to your new nonprofit — you'll need a new one.

The BEST thing to do before starting with us is… NOTHING! It's easiest to start fresh with InstantNonprofit — because we do it all FOR you!

GREAT QUESTION! So many founders put forth their own hard-earned money to start a nonprofit by paying for filing services, building a website, or purchasing other products and services before officially launching — then wonder if there is any way to be credited for those expenses.

The great news is that YES — you can choose to be reimbursed (your nonprofit can pay you back after raising funds or receiving a grant), or you can choose to write it off as a charitable donation on your personal or business income taxes.

Keep receipts for these expenditures, and it's wise to create a paper trail, such as an invoice or acknowledgment of the expense provided by the nonprofit to the source of the funds.

The IRS has created two paths to 501(c)3 tax-exempt status based on expected donations:

1. Organizations confident they will raise more than $50,000 in the current tax year or in any of the following two tax years qualify for our Enterprise Plan.

2. Organizations with expected donations below $50,000/year, or without a clear path to exceed that amount, qualify for our Express Plan.

About 82% of our customers qualify for the Streamlined IRS Application for Tax Exempt Status, while the other 18% must use the Long-Form 1023 Process (see Enterprise and Evolved).

If you are a small, local, or limited-funds founder with a modest projected budget and scope of activities, choose the Express Launch Package. If you exceed your wildest fundraising dreams under this package, don't worry! There is no penalty, and you do not have to re-file anything. You will simply report your donations to the IRS as normal in the following year.

However, if you have a projected budget larger than $50k in 2025, 2026 or 2027 you will choose between Enterprise and Evolved.

The Enterprise Plan certainly gets the job done and, as you can see on this page, it includes far more than other offerings from providers who claim to be effective at creating 501(c)3 organizations.

But for those proven leaders who want to get out of the gate faster and more effectively to maximize their impact — by getting support not only for creating the organization and covering the required items — there is the premium Evolved Launch Package.

With Evolved, once we file your IRS application, we move on to coaching and training, and together we embark on the two other major pillars of your nonprofit's success:

1. We build your organization's Case for Support (by wrapping up Mission, Vision, Values, Milestones, and Strategy into a set of "North Star" guiding documents).

2. We guide you through our Fundraising Masterclass, so you can have the Tools, Strategy, and Assets to go from zero to $1 Million or more in your first 12 months.

Learn more details, choose the right plan for you, and get started by clicking "Get Plans & Pricing" on this page.

Yes, you can build a strategic partnership between your for-profit and nonprofit. However, your nonprofit will be set up as its own entity and must operate independently, with separate decision-making processes and finances from your for-profit.

While we don't claim to control the IRS (if we did, we'd gladly lower your taxes!), InstantNonprofit is known to cut IRS approval times by half to two-thirds thanks to our "love letter to a bureaucrat" approach.

We don't just rely on the IRS online process — we also attach a detailed, professionally formatted 54-page PDF outlining your organization's activities. This helps the IRS agent reviewing your file feel confident, organized, and ready to hit the "APPROVED" button without delays or questions.

There are two factors influencing how long this takes:

1. Your time investment: Depending on the IRS 1023 application type:
- Streamlined: Less than 30 minutes of your time.
- Long-Form: Around 90 minutes on average.

2. Our submission time and government processing times:
- Once we have your information, our team double-checks for accuracy and submits within 48-72 hours.

State Incorporation:
Post-COVID, state wait times vary:
- Florida: 6-12 weeks.
- AL, AZ, CT, DC, GA, IL, IA, MI, NE, NY, ND, PA, SD: 2-4 weeks.
- All other states: 2-3 days to 2 weeks.

IRS Processing Times:
- Streamlined: 6-9 weeks on average.
- Long-Form: 8-20 weeks on average.

We take a complex, bureaucratic process and turn it into clear, simple steps you can understand — just like a conversation over coffee.

Pros of Starting a 501(c)3 Nonprofit:

1. Tax Benefits: Donations are tax-deductible, and the organization is exempt from federal income tax.

2. Access to Grants: Eligible for a wide range of public and private grants, as well as government resources, including a $120,000/year Google Ads grant.

3. Positive Image: The "Halo Effect" enhances reputation and attracts support.

4. Sense of Purpose: Employees are motivated by the intrinsic rewards of meaningful work.

5. Perpetuity: Nonprofits exist indefinitely, ensuring long-term impact.

6. Liability Protection: Provides limited liability protection for directors, officers, and staff.