Non Profit --Shall I get a free attorney consultation?

[Guest guest]

Dear Group,

Choosing a name for our non-profit org. is the fun part. Figuring how

to set up a non profit corporation is hard. I have spent a lot of time

reading online to see how this is to be done. Whenever I think I have

found a cheap legal firm that will do this for us, I find they don't

do the complete job--strings attached and more fees. It must be set up

legally and properly or we may owe taxes and I can be personally

liable. This really scares me. Tangling with the IRS and filing

corporate state and federal income tax forms is something I am not

comfortable with.

Here are the many steps that must be taken:

http://www.nonprofits.org/npofaq/02/04.html

I think we need to have an attorney or CPA set this up properly for

everyone's protection.

I have asked a friend who is a CPA, and she said this is a field she

is unfamiliar with. :-(

Does anyone in the group work for an attorney?

I found a free online attorney consultant:

http://tswrobel.com/Non_Profit.html

and to be honest, if we cannot find a lawyer among us, hiring an

attorney may be the only way to go.

Here is a letter I am thinking of sending. Any suggestions or

additions? I'm so sorry to continue posting my many questions, but I

want to keep everyone in the loop

Love,

********

Dear Tom Wrobel,

My name is Strecker and on July 17, 2003 I set up a Yahoo

Support Group:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/erythema_nodosum_Group/

for those who share my rare disorder called erythema nodosum. We have

grown to 585 members and our membership includes people in many

countries besides the USA.

Since little medical research is being done on EN, we want to start

collecting funds to make grant money available to a researcher.

Our group already provides free education as well as support to our

members.

Membership is free to anyone who agrees to respect others and not to

post ads for their products or sevices on our group site.

We are tossing around names and like " Erythema Nodosum United

Foundation " (ENUF). I am pretty sure it has not been taken :-)

We have no funds set aside, so I need to know how much your services

will cost us, and how long the process will take.

Also, we are unsure if we should set up in Delaware (special tax

filing advantages?) or California which is where I live. I am hoping

to avoid filing taxes, and am not sure if this is possible.

Please tell me about your nonprofit startup package and free guide.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to your reply.

Best wishes,

Strecker

founder of the erythema nodosum Group

[Guest guest]

Dear james,

Thanks for you continued good suggestions!

I will indeed invest in some high quality stationery

and go the " snail mail " route. Before I send out any

letters, I will post them for your review and input.

Love,

__________________________________________________