How to Start a Nonprofit in Colorado

Known for its great skiing and beautiful landscapes, Colorado has much to offer anyone and everyone. Actually, ⅓ of Colorado’s land is own by the Federal government, most of which is national parks (which are considered nonprofits). In terms of their nonprofit industry, there are over 25,000 nonprofits in the colorful state of Colorado. Nonprofits have a big impact on improving communities as well as the economy throughout the Rocky Mountain State. Colorado provides jobs to 8% of the state’s workforce and generate more than $32 billion in annual revenues (Independent Sector).Follow these three easy steps to start you Colorado nonprofit.

• Step 1: Choose initial directors
  1. When filing the proper paperwork, you are required to have a minimum of three board of directors (president, secretary and treasurer). The name and physical address of each director is also required.
• Step 2: Appoint a registered agent
  1. A registered agent acts as the middleman between your corporation and the government. Your registered agent must be a current resident of Colorado.
• Step 3: Prepare and file your nonprofit’s Articles of Incorporation
  1. You must file your Articles of Incorporation with the Colorado Secretary of State Office. The filing fee is $50 and may be found online through the Secretary of State website.
  2. Your articles must include information such as, the name of your corporation, the primary physical address of your organization, mission statement, statement of purpose, dissolution clause, and the names and addresses of your initial directors and your registered agent.

A Faster, Easy Way to Start Your Nonprofit in Colorado

Now you have your Colorado nonprofit corporation, you can use your state information and federal EIN to open a bank account for your nonprofit. However, setting up your nonprofit in Colorado is just part of the process of becoming a formal tax-exempt organization. The next step is to file for a federal tax exemption using either IRS form 1023 or 1023-EZ.The average nonprofit takes 100+ hours of time and often several thousand dollars in professional  fees to create. In the past, you were faced with locating, understanding, and filing the forms yourself or hiring an expensive attorney who likely doesn’t specialize in nonprofits.ExemptMeNow is the only secure, fully automated, online platform for creating your Colorado Nonprofit Corporation.