Start your nonprofit on solid ground.
You bring the mission. We handle the filings that make it official and set up the governance your board will rely on for years.
Schedule a ConsultationThe decisions you make in month one are the hardest to undo.
You’ve picked a name and recruited a board. Now someone asks whether you need a fiscal sponsor, whether you should be a 501(c)(3) or a 501(c)(4), and who should sign the bank forms.
Formation happens in a set order, and early shortcuts get expensive later: bylaws copied from another organization, a purpose clause the IRS won’t accept, or a board made up entirely of family members. We get it right the first time, so you can get to the work you started this for.
Everything it takes to go from idea to tax-exempt.
Incorporation and bylaws
Your certificate of incorporation, bylaws written for how your board will actually operate, initial resolutions, and your first organizational meeting.
Federal tax exemption
Your Form 1023 application to the IRS for recognition as a 501(c)(3) public charity, prepared so it reads clearly to the reviewer.
The policies the IRS asks about
Conflict of interest, whistleblower, and document retention policies: three your annual Form 990 asks whether you have adopted.
State registration and exemption
Charitable solicitation registration and state tax exemption in your home state, so your fundraising starts on the right side of state law.
Advocacy-focused structures
If advocacy is central to your mission, a 501(c)(4), or a paired 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4), set up to work side by side.
Fiscal sponsorship
A candid look at whether to incorporate now or launch under a fiscal sponsor first, and a sponsorship agreement reviewed if you go that route.
The Founders Package: one flat fee, start to finish.
One flat fee covers formation in your home state, from incorporation through the filings that follow your IRS determination. We work in stages: organize the corporation, adopt your core policies, then file Form 1023. After the IRS responds, we complete your state registration and exemption filings.
Government filing fees are billed at cost. Operating or fundraising in a second state is quoted before we start.
Already formed, but not sure it was done right? Our Founders Refresh brings an existing organization’s documents up to date.
Start small, or bring us in for the long haul.
Every engagement starts with a free 30-minute consultation. From there, pick the level of help that fits. Fees scale to your operating budget, so a small organization never pays big-organization rates.
Legal Spotlight
One question, one flat fee. We review your documents and send short written findings, priority next steps, and a 30-minute readout call. The fee credits toward a Legal Floodlight if you go further.
Legal Floodlight
A full legal checkup across governance, compliance, employment, contracts, and more. You get a Remedy Roadmap: a sequenced list of what to fix, in what order. The fee credits toward an Outside General Counsel subscription.
Outside General Counsel
Ongoing counsel on a 6- or 12-month plan, paid in equal monthly installments. Choose Essential, Standard, or Partner by the services you need, from on-call answers and document reviews to a seat at every board meeting.
Ready to talk?
Tell us what’s on your desk. We’ll tell you, without legalese, what it will take to handle it.
Schedule a Consultation