# The Nonprofit Guide > Independent reference for people running nonprofits. Every figure is traced to a primary source and every page carries the date it was last checked. This publication takes no affiliate money, no sponsored content and no payment for coverage. Generated 2026-08-04. ## Starting out - [Charity vs Foundation vs Nonprofit: The Differences That Matter](https://thenonprofitguide.com/compare/charity-vs-foundation-vs-nonprofit/): Nonprofit is the widest category, charity usually means a 501(c)(3), and foundation is the one with teeth: private foundations pay an excise tax, must distribute annually, and offer donors a lower ... - [How Much Does It Cost to Start a Nonprofit?](https://thenonprofitguide.com/questions/cost-to-start-a-nonprofit/): Between $283 and $830 in filing fees if you do it yourself. That is one state incorporation fee, from about $8 in Kentucky to $226 in Maryland, plus one IRS fee of either $275 for Form 1023-EZ or $... - [How to Get 501(c)(3) Status](https://thenonprofitguide.com/guides/how-to-get-501c3-status/): Six steps, in order, with the real costs. The IRS user fee is $600 for Form 1023 and $275 for Form 1023-EZ. The 27-month window is the deadline that actually matters, and it is the one most founder... - [How to Name a Nonprofit](https://thenonprofitguide.com/guides/naming-a-nonprofit/): Five checks before you commit: state availability, other charities using it, the domain, trademark, and whether it survives being said aloud. The name goes in your articles, and changing it later c... - [How to Start a Nonprofit](https://thenonprofitguide.com/guides/how-to-start-a-nonprofit/): Six steps: check the name, file articles of incorporation with your state, recruit a board and adopt bylaws, get an EIN, apply to the IRS for exemption, and register to solicit donations. Roughly $... - [How to Start a Nonprofit With No Money](https://thenonprofitguide.com/questions/start-a-nonprofit-with-no-money/): The hard floor is a few hundred dollars: a state incorporation fee plus $275 for Form 1023-EZ or $600 for the full Form 1023. Fiscal sponsorship removes even that, and for most people starting from... - [Nonprofit Articles of Incorporation Template](https://thenonprofitguide.com/templates/articles-of-incorporation/): Two clauses decide whether your exemption application succeeds, and generic state templates omit both because the state does not require them. Check your own state's form and statute before using a... - [Nonprofit Business Plan Template](https://thenonprofitguide.com/templates/business-plan/): A nonprofit business plan answers what a strategic plan does not: how does this organization pay for itself, and for how long. Write the money section first, because if it does not work the rest de... - [Nonprofit Corporation vs LLC: Which Structure to Choose](https://thenonprofitguide.com/compare/nonprofit-corporation-vs-llc/): If you want 501(c)(3) status, form a nonprofit corporation. An LLC can only hold exemption in narrow circumstances that do not apply to a normal charity, and the benefit corporation people confuse ... - [Nonprofit EIN: How to Get One and What It Is For](https://thenonprofitguide.com/questions/nonprofit-ein/): Free, from the IRS on Form SS-4, usually issued immediately online. You need it before a bank account and before your exemption application, and it is not the same thing as tax-exempt status, which... - [Nonprofit Organization Examples](https://thenonprofitguide.com/examples/nonprofit-organizations/): Real examples across every major 501(c) subsection, from public charities to trade associations and social clubs, with what each one is allowed to do and whether donations to it are deductible. - [Nonprofit vs Not-for-Profit: What Is the Difference?](https://thenonprofitguide.com/compare/nonprofit-vs-not-for-profit/): In US federal tax law there is no separate 'not-for-profit' category, and for most practical purposes the terms are interchangeable. Where a distinction is drawn, 'not-for-profit' is the broader ac... - [What Is a Nonprofit Organization?](https://thenonprofitguide.com/what-is/nonprofit-organization/): A nonprofit is an organization barred from distributing its surplus to owners or shareholders. It can earn a profit, pay salaries, and hold reserves. It simply cannot hand the money out. Nonprofit ... - [What Is Fiscal Sponsorship?](https://thenonprofitguide.com/what-is/fiscal-sponsorship/): An arrangement where an existing 501(c)(3) accepts tax-deductible donations on behalf of a project that does not have its own exemption. The sponsor holds legal and financial responsibility and typ... ## Running a nonprofit - [Do I Send a 1099 to a Nonprofit?](https://thenonprofitguide.com/questions/nonprofit-1099/): Usually not, and for a reason people get wrong. The exemption is for corporations, and most nonprofits are incorporated. It is not because they are tax exempt. Collect a W-9 first and let the form ... - [Executive Director vs CEO: What the Difference Actually Means](https://thenonprofitguide.com/compare/executive-director-vs-ceo/): In most US nonprofits the two titles describe the same job: the senior employee, hired by and reporting to the board. Where the difference becomes real is when the person also sits on the board, an... - [Form 990: Which One You File and How](https://thenonprofitguide.com/guides/form-990/): 990-N at gross receipts normally $50,000 or less, 990-EZ under $200,000 receipts and $500,000 assets, the full 990 at or above either. Due the 15th day of the 5th month after your year end, and thr... - [How Many Board Members Does a Nonprofit Need?](https://thenonprofitguide.com/questions/how-many-board-members/): Your state sets the legal minimum, most commonly three. The right number is higher: a board sitting exactly on the floor loses quorum the moment one person resigns and cannot then lawfully act to f... - [How to Become a Board Member of a Nonprofit](https://thenonprofitguide.com/questions/become-a-board-member/): Most board seats are filled by invitation, not application, so the route is to become known to an organization before a vacancy exists. Before you accept, there are seven things to ask for and read. - [How to Fill Out a W-9 for a Nonprofit](https://thenonprofitguide.com/questions/nonprofit-w9/): Being tax exempt does not exempt you from Form W-9. Line 3 is the one everyone gets wrong: a nonprofit corporation ticks Other and writes its exempt status, and the exempt payee code box is not for... - [How to Run a Nonprofit: The Operating Guide](https://thenonprofitguide.com/guides/how-to-run-a-nonprofit/): What actually has to happen each month, quarter and year for the organization to stay compliant, solvent and worth supporting. Most failures are calendar failures rather than knowledge failures. - [Nonprofit Annual Report Template](https://thenonprofitguide.com/templates/annual-report/): An annual report is not required by the IRS. Your Form 990 is. This is the document you choose to publish, and the nine sections below are what a donor, a funder and a prospective board member actu... - [Nonprofit Audit: When You Need One and What It Costs](https://thenonprofitguide.com/guides/nonprofit-audit/): Most small nonprofits are not required to have an audit and many buy one they do not need. Three things can trigger the requirement: your state, a funder, or federal money above the Single Audit th... - [Nonprofit Board Matrix Template](https://thenonprofitguide.com/templates/nonprofit-board/): A board matrix turns recruitment from asking whoever is nearby into filling a named gap. Fifteen skill rows, a tenure grid, and an automatic flag on any row where nobody is marked. - [Nonprofit Board of Directors: A Practical Guide](https://thenonprofitguide.com/guides/nonprofit-board-of-directors/): Three duties, a handful of jobs only the board can do, and the recruitment and meeting practices that separate a board that governs from one that attends. Most states require three directors; sitti... - [Nonprofit Budget Template](https://thenonprofitguide.com/templates/nonprofit-budget/): A twelve month operating budget with the income and expense lines a small nonprofit actually uses, and live formulas so totals update as you type. Free spreadsheet, no email required, and the full ... - [Nonprofit Bylaws Template](https://thenonprofitguide.com/templates/nonprofit-bylaws/): A ten article bylaws template covering directors, meetings, officers, conflicts, records and dissolution, with every clause explained and the state variables flagged. Free Word document, no email r... - [Nonprofit Chart of Accounts Template](https://thenonprofitguide.com/templates/chart-of-accounts/): Build it around the Form 990 functional expense categories on day one. Getting this wrong means reallocating a year of transactions by hand at the point you can least afford the time. - [Nonprofit Conflict of Interest Policy Template](https://thenonprofitguide.com/templates/conflict-of-interest-policy/): A conflict of interest policy with disclosure procedures, recusal rules, compensation approval and an annual acknowledgement form. The full Form 990 asks whether you have one. Free Word document, n... - [Nonprofit Financial Statements: Templates and Examples](https://thenonprofitguide.com/templates/financial-statements/): Three statements with different names from the business versions: financial position, activities, and cash flows. Same arithmetic, different labels, plus one genuinely nonprofit feature that is the... - [Nonprofit Forms: The Complete Directory](https://thenonprofitguide.com/templates/nonprofit-forms/): Every federal form a US nonprofit files, what triggers it, when it is due and what happens if you miss it. Links go to the IRS rather than to copies hosted here, because a stale copy of a federal f... - [Nonprofit Insurance: What You Actually Need](https://thenonprofitguide.com/guides/nonprofit-do-insurance/): Directors and officers cover is the one that decides whether informed people will join your board. General liability is the one your landlord and your funders will require. Everything else depends ... - [Nonprofit Internal Controls and Policies Template](https://thenonprofitguide.com/templates/nonprofit-policies/): Small organizations cannot segregate duties, because one person does everything. That is normal, and the compensating control is a director who reviews the bank statement independently every month. - [Nonprofit Mission Statement Examples and How to Write One](https://thenonprofitguide.com/examples/mission-statements/): Worked mission statements across nine cause areas, written to be adapted rather than admired, plus the four-part structure behind them and the failure modes that produce a sentence nobody on your o... - [Nonprofit Strategic Plan Template](https://thenonprofitguide.com/templates/strategic-plan/): Three to five priorities, each with a named owner and a measure, plus the section almost every plan omits: what you are not doing. Plans die from never being looked at again, so the review dates go... - [Nonprofit Tax Filing: Everything You Actually Owe](https://thenonprofitguide.com/guides/nonprofit-tax-filing/): Exemption covers federal income tax on exempt activities and nothing else. Payroll taxes, state registrations, sales tax and unrelated business income are all separate, and they are where organizat... - [Which Form 990 Do We File?](https://thenonprofitguide.com/questions/which-form-990/): Gross receipts normally at or under $50,000: file Form 990-N, the electronic postcard. Receipts under $200,000 and assets under $500,000: Form 990-EZ. Receipts at or above $200,000 or assets at or ... ## Funding - [Can I Donate to My Own Nonprofit?](https://thenonprofitguide.com/questions/nonprofit-own-for-profit/): Yes, and the deduction is real. What is not real is the control. Once given, the money belongs to the charitable purpose, you cannot take it back, and the arrangements founders assume are fine are ... - [Companies That Donate to Nonprofits: How to Find and Ask](https://thenonprofitguide.com/guides/companies-that-donate/): Corporations gave 7.1% of all US charitable giving in 2025. The single most under-claimed opportunity is not a company giving programme, it is employer matching gifts your existing donors never claim. - [How Does a Nonprofit Make Money?](https://thenonprofitguide.com/questions/how-nonprofits-make-money/): Six revenue types, and donations are not the largest across the sector. Fees for services and government funding are. A nonprofit may charge, may hold a surplus, and may pay salaries. What it canno... - [How to Get Donations for a Nonprofit](https://thenonprofitguide.com/guides/how-to-get-donations/): Individuals give 63.9% of everything. Donor numbers fell 3.6% in 2025 and retention sat at 43.3%, so keeping the donors you have is worth more than finding new ones, and costs a fraction as much. - [Nonprofit Donation Letter Templates](https://thenonprofitguide.com/templates/donation-letters/): Six letters, and the first two carry wording a donor needs to claim a deduction. Gifts of $250 or more require a written acknowledgement stating the amount and whether anything was received in return. - [Nonprofit Email Marketing: The Channel You Own](https://thenonprofitguide.com/guides/nonprofit-email-marketing/): Email outperforms social media for donations at small scale, because you own the list. Aim for two updates for every ask, honour unsubscribes immediately, and watch deliverability, which is what si... - [Nonprofit Fundraising Plan Template](https://thenonprofitguide.com/templates/fundraising-plan/): Start with retention, not growth. Sector retention is 43.3% and donor numbers fell 3.6% in 2025, so keeping the donors you have is cheaper than replacing them and most plans skip it entirely. - [Nonprofit Grant Proposal Template](https://thenonprofitguide.com/templates/grant-proposal/): Most rejections are fit, not quality. Check geography, field, grant size, organization size and whether the funder accepts unsolicited applications at all before writing a word. Then make the budge... - [Nonprofit Grants: How to Find and Win Them](https://thenonprofitguide.com/guides/nonprofit-grants/): Foundations gave $117.15 billion in 2025, 19% of all giving, against 63.9% from individuals. That ratio should shape how much of your effort goes here, and for most small organizations grants are t... - [Nonprofit Marketing: Where the Effort Should Go](https://thenonprofitguide.com/guides/nonprofit-marketing/): Individuals give 63.9% of everything and corporations 7.1%, yet most small organizations allocate effort in close to the opposite proportion. This is about where the hours go, not about tactics. - [Nonprofit Statistics and Sector Benchmarks](https://thenonprofitguide.com/statistics/nonprofit-sector/): Americans gave $617.20 billion in 2025, 63.9% of it from individuals, while donor counts fell 3.6% and retention held at 43.3%. Every figure here carries its source and its data year. - [Social Media for Nonprofits: A Realistic Approach](https://thenonprofitguide.com/guides/social-media-for-nonprofits/): One platform, done properly, beats four done badly. Social media builds credibility and reaches people already connected to you. It rarely raises money at small scale, and treating it as a fundrais... - [Text Fundraising for Nonprofits](https://thenonprofitguide.com/guides/text-fundraising/): Text-to-give works at events where people already have their phones out. It works poorly as a cold channel, and the consent rules are stricter than email, with penalties assessed per message. ## Technology - [Best Nonprofit Accounting Software](https://thenonprofitguide.com/best/nonprofit-accounting-software/): The real question is whether you need fund accounting or can emulate it. Below about a dozen restricted funds, QuickBooks at $80 a year through TechSoup wins on cost and hireability. Above it, the ... - [Best Nonprofit CRM Software](https://thenonprofitguide.com/best/nonprofit-crm/): Salesforce gives ten free licences and costs the most, because licences are not the cost. For most organizations under $2m a purpose-built donor CRM is the right answer, and this page sets out exac... - [Best Nonprofit Fundraising Software](https://thenonprofitguide.com/best/nonprofit-fundraising-software/): Two platforms now charge nonprofits nothing and cover card fees from optional donor tips. That changes the maths for small organizations more than any feature on a comparison grid, and this page ex... - [Best Nonprofit Website Builders and Examples](https://thenonprofitguide.com/best/nonprofit-websites/): Your website has three jobs and most nonprofit sites fail at all three. This covers what to build, which platform suits which situation, and the accessibility obligation that is easier to design in... - [Best Volunteer Management Software](https://thenonprofitguide.com/best/volunteer-management-software/): Most organizations need scheduling and hour tracking, not a platform. At $36.14 an hour, recorded volunteer time is a number your board and your funders should see, and it is the main thing this so... - [Payment Apps for Nonprofits: Venmo, PayPal and the Rest](https://thenonprofitguide.com/guides/payment-apps-for-nonprofits/): A Venmo charity profile requires a PayPal Business account with confirmed charity status and matching owner names. Personal accounts are the mistake to avoid: they mix funds, produce no compliant r... - [QuickBooks for Nonprofits: Review and Pricing](https://thenonprofitguide.com/reviews/quickbooks-nonprofit/): QuickBooks Online has no true fund accounting, and nonprofits work around it with class and location tracking. That workaround is the whole review. Plus $80 a year and Advanced $170 a year through ... - [Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud: Review and Pricing](https://thenonprofitguide.com/reviews/salesforce-nonprofit-cloud/): Ten free licences through Power of Us, and licences are not the cost. Implementation and an administrator are. Also covers the NPSP transition, which is the decision most nonprofits are actually fa... ## Tools - [Donation fee calculator](https://thenonprofitguide.com/donation-fee-calculator/): Enter any gift size to see what each payment route costs and what actually reaches your account. The cheapest option changes with donation size, because a lower percentage with a higher flat fee lo... ## About this publication - [About](https://thenonprofitguide.com/about/): If you run a US nonprofit, this is the reference built for you: what filings cost, which form applies at your size, and which tools are worth paying for. Traced to primary sources, dated, and funde... - [Methodology](https://thenonprofitguide.com/methodology/): Figures come from the body that issued them: IRS instructions, state registries, and vendors' own published pricing. Every page carries the date it was last checked. Where sources conflict, the pag... - [Editorial standards](https://thenonprofitguide.com/editorial-standards/): No company covered here pays for coverage, influences it, or sees a page before publication. Every factual claim traces to a checkable source. Material errors are corrected, dated, and logged in pu... - [Disclosure](https://thenonprofitguide.com/disclosure/): No affiliate links, no sponsored posts, no payment for coverage, and no vendor sees a page before publication. This site earns nothing when you click a link, which is what makes a recommendation he... - [Corrections](https://thenonprofitguide.com/corrections/): Every material correction to a page on this site is logged here with the date, the page, what was wrong, and what it now says. Entries are never removed. An empty log means the site is new, not tha... - [Contact](https://thenonprofitguide.com/contact/): Email hello@thenonprofitguide.com. Corrections get answered fastest and are credited. Requests for topics we have not covered genuinely shape what gets written next. Commercial pitches are not answ...