This week our official letter arrived from the IRS announcing that we are a 501 (c) (3) public charity. I am proud to say we accomplished this on our own without the help of a lawyer saving several thousand dollars.
While it was time consuming it wasn’t hard. I carefully filled in Form 1023 and followed their checklist. There was lots of help on line from the IRS and from various other websites. I did not spend full time on it so it took me about a week from start to finish. I mailed it off to the IRS in mid-December. I knew it would take a minimum of three months.
A letter dated May 6th asked for more information. It had a number for me to call an agent if I had questions. I did and the agent was very helpful. Board members helped proof answers to the questions. I found responding to the questions helped us refine our mission and purpose more clearly. We mailed the requested information back the beginning of June and a letter signed June 23rd gave us our formal statement.
Having this on file gives us momentum as we prepare for our first event September 1 and begin the grant writing process for our first project.
Now I can say confidently ask for contributions assuring our donors that we are a tax deductible organization. Please be among the first to help support us as we great media for women striving to overcome abuse. Visit our website and make a TAX DEDUCTIBLE contribution. Help support and be recognized in our first film project with the working title “You are Not Alone.”
