Starting a Nonprofit or
Charitable Project
An overview of pathways for social good through a sharing economy
Amanda LaFleur, Executive Director
amanda@thenopi.org

Start a nonprofit
Don’t start

37,627
nonprofits in Massachusetts
Official data undercounts independent nonprofits and informal charitable projects not required to register with
the IRS, so the true size of the Massachusetts nonprofit sector is probably much larger.
Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, 2020

Alternatives Show the audience you anticipated
their questions.
Leave room for Q&A, but use the Appendix
as a way to show that you both thought
about those questions and have solid
answers with supporting information. Let
the audience test their understanding of the
problem and the solution you’ve outlined -
questions give them a chance to talk
themselves into your approach, and give you
a chance to show mastery of the subject.
➔ Volunteer
➔ Donate
➔ Fundraise
➔ Collaborate
➔ Apply

Let a hundred
flowers bloom; let a
hundred schools of
thought content

We need
diversity in the
nonprofit
sector
➔ Ideas
➔ Experiences
➔ Perspectives
➔ Solutions
➔ Participation

Traditional Path
Step 1
Ideas, participants,
plans, goals, gather info
Step 2
Board of directors, bylaws, state
registration, Apply for 501(c)
Step 3
Fundraising, infrastructure,
compliance, finances, grants,
delivery of services
Recommended Resource:
https://www.harborcompliance.com/information/nonprofit-governance-by-state

Options
There are many options for
nonprofits to establish themselves
as agents of social change, each
with varying levels of commitment
and legal requirements.
Volunteer / Donate
Become a 501(c)(3)
Fiscal Sponsorship

What is fiscal sponsorship? “The shared economy”
A fiscal sponsor, is a nonprofit backbone organization that provides shared corporate structure, finance,
HR, legal, insurance, risk management and other resources among multiple semi-autonomous missions.
Source: Social Impact Commons

Fiscal
Sponsorship is
ideal for
➔ Individuals and groups forming
new nonprofit organizations
➔ Time-specific charitable projects
and programs
➔ For-profit businesses engaging
in charitable work
➔ Programs responding to an
urgent need
➔ Pending or soon-to-be 501c3
organizations
➔ Spin-off programs from other
nonprofit organizations
Source: Social Impact Commons
Learn more at thenopi.org/fiscal-sponsorship

No matter
the path
➔ Theory of change
➔ Leadership
➔ Governance
➔ Sustainability
➔ Compliance

Financial Sustainability
Source: https://araize.com/nonprofit-funding-sources-top-5-revenue-streams/

Resources
➔ thenopi.org
➔ catchafire.org
➔ techsoup.org
➔ google.com/nonprofits
➔ boardsource.org
➔ candid.org

nonprofit incubator
Amanda LaFleur, Executive Director
amanda@thenopi.org
617.702.2929
thenopi.org
Advancing social change many
projects at a time