Non-profit business (fee, organization, fundraising, requirements)

[maf763]

After kicking around an idea for a couple of days, I'd like to see if I can get any feedback from people about what's involved in starting a non-profit organization. This is a nascent idea so there are still a lot of missing details that I need to consider.

The questions are:
- what is involved in setting up and running a non-profit compared to a for-profit business entity?
- what kind of governance requirements are there? Can it be a solo operation or does there need to be a board of directors?
- would charging a discounted fee for services, offering a sliding scale, and running a free service component be sufficient to get non-profit status?

Becoming a non-profit is based on the fact that virtually all of the users of the services would be people working for non-profits or local governments. It might also open up possibilities for grants and fundraising.

TIA

[Rapture]

This is a good question and I'd also like to know what's involved in starting a non-profit.

[HIF]

Not sure if you mean nonprofit or not-for-profit. The IRS website has information and most states require nonprofit or not-for-profit registration/approval.

The Foundation Center has info that would be helpful. Foundation Center - How do I establish a nonprofit organization?