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The deadlines, tools, and how-tos nonprofits actually need.
Checked against real sources and updated as the rules change, for nonprofits of every size.
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- The new-nonprofit survival guideDeadlines, free tools, and key dates, start here.Read the guide
- Start a nonprofit: the free checklistIncorporation, EIN, bylaws, 501(c)(3), and the steps people miss, in order.Open the checklist
- Nonprofit glossaryThe terms you'll run into, from 501(c)(3) to quorum, in plain English.Look it up
- What do your tools cost? Free calculatorCheck the tools you pay for and see the total, with 2026 published prices.Use the calculator
Studies
We dig into public data, like IRS records, and share what we find in plain English, showing how we did it.
Starting out
Forming the nonprofit: the paperwork, the fees and the order to do it in.
- How to start a nonprofitThe real steps, costs, and timelines to form a 501(c)(3).Read the guide
- 501(c)(3) purpose & dissolution clauseThe two clauses the IRS requires in your Articles.Read the guide
- TemplateBylaws & conflict-of-interest templatesFree templates for both, and why the IRS asks about them.Get the template
- ToolCost to start a nonprofit, every stateAll 50 states' fees in one sortable table, with a CSV.Use the tool
- ToolCost-to-start calculatorAdd up your state fee, the IRS fee, and the rest.Use the tool
- ComparisonForm 1023 vs. 1023-EZWhich 501(c)(3) application to file, with fees, limits, and timing.Compare them
- How to get an EINIt’s free, it’s on the IRS site, and you usually get it the same day.Read the guide
- How to name a nonprofitState naming rules, availability checks, and a name that lasts.Read the guide
- How to start a booster clubPlus the IRS rule that trips clubs up: no individual fundraising accounts.Read the guide
- How to start a food bankThe 501(c)(3) steps, plus sourcing, food safety, and storage.Read the guide
- How to start a private foundationHow it differs from a public charity, and the 5% payout rule.Read the guide
- How to start a scholarship fundTwo routes, and the IRS rule on selecting fairly.Read the guide
- How to start an animal rescueThe 501(c)(3) steps, plus licensing, a vet, and a foster network.Read the guide
- How to write your ArticlesSection by section: name, agent, incorporator, and the IRS clauses.Read the guide
- Nonprofit associations by stateWhat your state's association gives away free, and what joining costs.Read the guide
- GlossaryNonprofit glossaryKey nonprofit terms explained simply: 501(c)(3), Form 990, grants, DAFs.Look it up
- Nonprofit insuranceGeneral liability, D&O coverage, and what your nonprofit actually needs.Read the guide
- Nonprofit startup budgetAn honest look at first-year costs, fee by fee.Read the guide
- GlossaryRegistered agentWhat the role does, and whether you can be your own.Look it up
- GlossaryWhat is a 501(c)(3)?What the status means, who qualifies, and how to apply with the IRS.Look it up
Start in your state
Your state's forms, fees and filing rules, one page per state.
- Start a nonprofit in Alabama
- Start a nonprofit in Arizona
- Start a nonprofit in California
- Start a nonprofit in Colorado
- Start a nonprofit in Connecticut
- Start a nonprofit in Florida
- Start a nonprofit in Georgia
- Start a nonprofit in Illinois
- Start a nonprofit in Indiana
- Start a nonprofit in Kentucky
- Start a nonprofit in Louisiana
- Start a nonprofit in Maryland
- Start a nonprofit in Massachusetts
- Start a nonprofit in Michigan
- Start a nonprofit in Minnesota
- Start a nonprofit in Missouri
- Start a nonprofit in New Jersey
- Start a nonprofit in New York
- Start a nonprofit in North Carolina
- Start a nonprofit in Ohio
- Start a nonprofit in Oklahoma
- Start a nonprofit in Oregon
- Start a nonprofit in Pennsylvania
- Start a nonprofit in South Carolina
- Start a nonprofit in Tennessee
- Start a nonprofit in Texas
- Start a nonprofit in Utah
- Start a nonprofit in Virginia
- Start a nonprofit in Washington
- Start a nonprofit in Wisconsin
Compliance
What to file, when, and how to stay in good standing.
- Nonprofit compliance calendarWhen your 990 is due, what your state wants, and what happens if you miss.Read the guide
- Charitable solicitation registrationMost states make you register before you can ask the public for donations.Read the guide
- Form 990 deadline 2026Every due date by tax year end, the 8868 extension, and what a missed year costs.Read the guide
- How to dissolve a nonprofitThe board vote, where the assets go, Texas Form 652, the final Form 990 and what to export first.Read the guide
- How to get tax-exempt status reinstatedLost it for missed filings? The four IRS ways back, which form, the fee, how long it takes, and what to do meanwhile.Read the guide
- Nonprofits that lost tax-exempt status, by stateOur study of IRS data: the states where nonprofits lose tax-exempt status for missed filings most often, with the data free to download.Read the guide
- Texas 990-N guideFor Texas groups that file the e-Postcard: the three-year rule, how to check your record, and how to file free.Read the guide
- What happens when you lose tax-exempt statusRevoked for missed filings? What changes for taxes, donors, your state and funders, when, and what to do first.Read the guide
- ToolWhich Form 990 do I file?Answer three questions to get your form and your deadline.Use the tool
Free tools
Free tools for the fiddly parts.
Compare every state's startup fees, work out what starting costs, write a donation receipt, find your Form 990, put a value on volunteer hours and add up what your tools cost. No account needed.
- Cost to start a nonprofit, every stateAll 50 states' fees in one sortable table, with a CSV.
- Cost-to-start calculatorAdd up your state fee, the IRS fee, and the rest.
- Which Form 990 do I file?Answer three questions to get your form and your deadline.
- Donation receipt generatorMake an IRS-compliant acknowledgment letter in seconds.
- Volunteer hour value calculatorWork out what your volunteer hours are worth, with a sentence for your grant report.
- Software cost calculatorAdd up what your tools cost, with 2026 published prices.
Grants
Finding grants, applying, and keeping the money once you win it.
- Finding grants for small nonprofitsWhere to look for free, and how to spot a real fit from a long shot.Read the guide
- Types of grants for nonprofitsGovernment, foundation, operating, matching, and more, explained.Read the guide
- Unrestricted grants for nonprofitsWhat unrestricted funding is, and how to ask for more of it.Read the guide
- GlossaryWhat is a letter of inquiry?The short pitch many funders ask for first, and sometimes enough to win the grant.Look it up
- ChecklistGrant reporting requirements checklistWhat funders ask for, when, and what to have ready.Open the checklist
- Off-mission funding: now what?The real cost of yes, three honest versions of no, and the rare right yes.Read the guide
- 2 CFR 200.302 explainedFinancial management: the seven things your accounting system must do.Read the guide
- 2 CFR 200.303 explainedInternal controls over a federal award, including the cybersecurity duty.Read the guide
- 2 CFR 200.305 explainedAdvance or reimbursement, and how long you may hold the cash.Read the guide
- 2 CFR 200.306 explainedWhat counts as match, and how to value volunteer time.Read the guide
- 2 CFR 200.313 explainedEquipment bought with federal funds: title, inventory, and disposal.Read the guide
- 2 CFR 200.318 explainedThe procurement rules that apply to every purchase, at any size.Read the guide
- 2 CFR 200.320 explainedProcurement methods, and the thresholds that decide which one you use.Read the guide
- 2 CFR 200.331 explainedSubrecipient or contractor? The substance of the relationship decides.Read the guide
- 2 CFR 200.332 explainedPassing federal money on: what every subaward must carry.Read the guide
- 2 CFR 200.333 explainedFixed amount subawards, and the approval you need first.Read the guide
- 2 CFR 200.344 explainedCloseout deadlines, and the shorter clock subrecipients run.Read the guide
- 2 CFR 200.403 explainedThe eight tests a cost has to pass to be allowable.Read the guide
- 2 CFR 200.405 explainedWhich grant a cost belongs to, and splitting shared costs.Read the guide
- 2 CFR 200.414 explainedIndirect costs, and the de minimis rate that rose to 15%.Read the guide
- 2 CFR 200.430 explainedThe salary-charging rule, translated out of regulation-speak.Read the guide
- 2 CFR 200.501 explainedWhen a single audit is required, and what counts toward the threshold.Read the guide
- 2 CFR 200.502 explainedWhat actually counts toward the $1,000,000 audit threshold.Read the guide
- 2 CFR 200.512 explainedThe single audit deadline, and the 30-day rule that often comes first.Read the guide
- 2 CFR 200.516 explainedWhat an auditor has to report as a finding, and the threshold.Read the guide
- Common single audit findingsThe problems auditors flag most, and how to prevent each.Read the guide
- Do we need timesheets for federal grants?Not as a set form. Here's what's actually required.Read the guide
- How to allocate staff time across grantsSplitting time defensibly across several funders.Read the guide
- ComparisonPersonnel activity reports vs timesheetsTwo terms that get confused, and why it matters.Compare them
- The Uniform Guidance, explainedA plain map of 2 CFR Part 200, subpart by subpart.Read the guide
- TemplateTime and effort certification templateThree templates for federal grants, and what 2 CFR 200.430(g) asks for.Get the template
- GlossaryWhat is time and effort reporting?What federal grant rules ask for when you pay staff from a grant.Look it up
- What triggers a single audit?The $1,000,000 threshold, and what counts toward it.Read the guide
Fundraising
Asking, thanking and keeping the donors you have.
- Nonprofit fundraising ideasWhat actually raises money, without a big budget.Read the guide
- TemplateDonation acknowledgment lettersWhat the IRS wants at $250, and at $75 when you give something back.Get the template
- ToolDonation receipt generatorMake an IRS-compliant acknowledgment letter in seconds.Use the tool
- Donor management basicsWhat a donor CRM does, and when a spreadsheet stops working.Read the guide
- Donor retention & stewardshipThe second gift is the hard one. The simple habits that win it.Read the guide
- TemplateDonor thank-you lettersWhat to say, how fast to send it, and templates to copy.Get the template
- How to accept donationsThe ways to take gifts online, by check and in person, what each costs on $100, and the $250 rule.Read the guide
- How to ask for donationsWho to ask first, and how to make the ask easy to say yes to.Read the guide
- In-kind donationsHow to record and acknowledge them: describe, don't value.Read the guide
- GlossaryWhat is a matching gift?Employers doubling donations, and why most matches go unclaimed.Look it up
Volunteers
Finding volunteers, scheduling them and counting their hours.
- Volunteer management guideRecruit, schedule, track hours, and keep people coming back.Read the guide
- Fall volunteer recruitmentParents get weekday hours back when school returns. How to recruit in the fall.Read the guide
- How to collect volunteer availabilityAsk once, ask for a weekly pattern, and stop chasing the sheet.Read the guide
- How to recruit volunteersPractical, low-cost ways to find volunteers for your nonprofit.Read the guide
- How to track volunteer hoursSimple methods, what counts, and turning hours into reports.Read the guide
- Volunteer appreciation ideasLow-cost ways to thank volunteers and keep them.Read the guide
- ToolVolunteer hour value calculatorWork out what your volunteer hours are worth, with a sentence for your grant report.Use the tool
- TemplateVolunteer job description (free template)Define the role so the right people sign up.Get the template
- ChecklistVolunteer onboarding checklistThe steps to welcome and keep a new volunteer.Open the checklist
- Volunteer program policiesFive principles to write them from, and a one-page policy to copy.Read the guide
- Volunteer recruitment strategiesThe channels that actually bring volunteers in.Read the guide
- TemplateVolunteer sign-up sheet templatePaper and digital, plus the fields that quietly lose you people.Get the template
- GlossaryWhat is a volunteer management system?What it does, and whether your nonprofit needs one.Look it up
- TemplateWhat is a volunteer waiver? (free template)What to include, when you need one, and a template to copy.Get the template
Board
Recruiting a board, running meetings and keeping minutes.
- Board meeting minutesWhat to include, how much detail, and a template to copy.Read the guide
- TemplateBoard meeting agenda templateA free, copy-ready agenda plus a prep checklist.Get the template
- Board member liabilityWhen board members are, and aren't, personally at risk.Read the guide
- Board member responsibilitiesThe three fiduciary duties, and what board members actually do.Read the guide
- Board vs. staff: who decides whatThe board governs and sets direction; staff run the daily work.Read the guide
- Does this fit our mission?Five questions that separate mission fit from mission creep, with a board worksheet.Read the guide
- How much D&O insurance do you need?What drives the limit, what drives the premium, and what to ask a broker.Read the guide
- How to recruit board membersHow many you need, where to find good people, and what to look for.Read the guide
- How to run a board meetingAgenda, quorum, clear votes, and minutes that hold up later.Read the guide
- ChecklistLeadership handover checklistBank signers, IRS Form 8822-B, state filings, logins and keys, with a 30-day plan for a new leader.Open the checklist
- GlossaryWhat is a consent agenda?One vote for the routine items, so meetings spend time on decisions.Look it up
- GlossaryWhat is a quorum?The minimum for votes to count, and what happens without it.Look it up
Impact reporting
Showing funders and your board the good your work does.
- Impact reporting for fundersOutputs vs. outcomes, and what belongs in a funder report.Read the guide
- Nonprofit annual reportWhat to include, an outline, and eight real reports to borrow from.Read the guide
- GlossaryOutputs vs outcomesWhat you did versus what changed, and why a good report leads with the second.Look it up
- What a program really costsStaff time, volunteer value, and direct costs against the same work.Read the guide
- GlossaryWhat is a logic model?The one-page map from resources to results, built in an afternoon.Look it up
Tools & technology
Choosing tools without overspending, and the free ones worth having.
- GlossaryWhat is nonprofit software?What the tools do, how they differ, and how to get them free or cheap.Look it up
- ComparisonAplos alternativesFund accounting first, now inside Velora.Compare them
- ComparisonBloomerang alternativesWhen the contact curve outgrows the budget.Compare them
- ComparisonCiviCRM alternativesFree to license, expensive to run.Compare them
- Doing two jobs at a nonprofitSort the work into stop, hand off, automate and keep.Read the guide
- ComparisonDonorPerfect alternativesDeep and long-established, quoted by record count.Compare them
- ComparisonFree fundraising softwareZeffy, Givebutter, Donorbox and CiviCRM, and who pays when you don't.Compare them
- ComparisonFree volunteer management softwareWhat each free version includes, where it stops, and which one fits your program.Compare them
- ComparisonGivebutter alternativesFree with donor tips, 3% without. The real alternatives, priced.Compare them
- Google Workspace, free for nonprofitsEmail on your own domain, Docs and Drive. How to qualify and set it up.Read the guide
- ComparisonInitLive alternativesVolunteer tools compared, now that InitLive is Bloomerang.Compare them
- ComparisonKeela alternativesKeela was acquired. The real alternatives, priced and honestly fitted.Compare them
- ComparisonLittle Green Light alternativesGood, cheap, and priced on your record count.Compare them
- ComparisonNeon One alternativesRevenue-based pricing, and what it costs you.Compare them
- Nonprofit time auditLog one week, circle what repeats, and find time back.Read the guide
- ToolSoftware cost calculatorAdd up what your tools cost, with 2026 published prices.Use the tool
- Software pricing models, explainedPer contact, per seat, by revenue, or by budget: what each punishes.Read the guide
- ComparisonZeffy alternativesFree to you, because your donors get asked.Compare them
Kindling: practical ideas on AI and digital strategy for nonprofits
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