Blog Posts

How to Find Time to Start Your Nonprofit? There are people with the same 24 hours a day that you have that find time to start their nonprofits while juggling work, relationships, children and more. What is their secret? For many of them, they hire people. They don’t spend hours on Google trying to become…

How Long Does it Take to File For Tax-Exempt Status? The second part of the process can be daunting and the amount of time it will take if you are attempting to file it yourself will depend on: ● Which form(s) you’re filing (some organizations qualify for the expedited review process while others require the…

How much time does it take to start your nonprofit organization? Now that you understand why it may benefit you to incorporate your nonprofit, let’s talk about the time frame you can expect. Often the first question clients ask me as it relates to starting their nonprofit is “How long will the process take?” The…

Can You Incorporate A Nonprofit & what does it mean to incorporate a nonprofit After hearing all of the great ways that you can start small with giving back through your 501c3 nonprofit, you may be thinking “Do I even need a 501c3 nonprofit?” Can’t I just volunteer or donate my resources and services? Isn’t…

What Is a Non-Profit? For me, it all started my sophomore year of college. I was 17 years old and a student at Florida State University. On this particular day, I wasn’t feeling well so I went to my dorm room after class to get some rest. While I was in my bed, I felt…

What Does it Take to Start Your Own Nonprofit If you’re thinking about starting your own 501c3 nonprofit, there are several things that youshould consider before deciding to move forward – but they may not be what you think they are.Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of advising clients throughout the United States aboutmaking…

How to Apply for a Federal Trademark Now that we understand the benefits of having a federal trademark to protect and own your nonprofit’s name, let’s walk through the specific steps that you will need to take in order to register your nonprofit’s name as a federal trademark. My firm has handled this process for…

Common Law Trademark Rights Believe it or not, you do not have to actually apply for a federal trademark to begin building legal rights in the name or logo of your nonprofit. Generally, the person that uses the name first “in commerce” has the right to the name as long as no one else used…

Do you Need A Trademark If You Have Incorporated Your Nonprofit?  Some people think that just because they incorporated or formed their nonprofit with their State that they do not need to apply for a federal trademark to own the name. Please know that registering your nonprofit with your state by filing Articles of Incorporation…

How to Protect Your Nonprofit’s Name from  Counterfeits and Identity Thefts I still remember the awful feeling I had when I first became aware that someone was using my nonprofit’s name without our permission. I remember thinking “What type of person would do this to a nonprofit that is helping students?” I was devastated and…

What is a Name Search? Now that you feel you have chosen a good name, here is how you check to verify if it is available. The only way to know if someone already has the rights to the name that you want to use is to conduct a professional name search. This involves looking…

6 Things to Consider When Choosing a Name Now that you know the legal standard that will be considered if a court ever has to decide if your mark is too similar to someone else’s, you can keep them in mind as you are narrowing down your choices. Here are just a few more factors…