How to Start a Nonprofit in Ohio

Home to the American Football Hall of Fame and 8 American presidents, Ohio has much to offer. Whether you’re a Cleveland Browns fan or root for the Cincinnati Bengals, all Buckeyes can agree on bettering their community. They are inspiring with the missions and work that they do and you can help by volunteering or starting your own nonprofit. If you are thinking of starting your own nonprofit in Ohio, here’s exactly how to do so.

1. The first step is to choose your initial directors
   • You must have three or more board of directors. The name and physical address of each director is required when filling out official forms. You must recruit a president, treasurer and secretary.
2. Next you’ll have to appoint a registered agent
   • This person will act as the middleman between you, the state and the IRS. Your registered agent must be a current resident of Ohio.
3. Prepare and file your nonprofit’s Articles of Incorporation
   • When filing your Articles of Incorporation, you’ll need the primary physical address of your organization, a mission statement/purpose, your registered agent (see the above step for details), initial directors and members, and make sure that a purpose and dissolution clause is included in additional provisions. You must file these papers with the Ohio Department of Secretary of State and the filing fee is $99 online or through mail.
4. Get Ohio State Tax Identification Numbers/Accounts
   • “All business taxpayers must be registered with the Ohio Department of Taxation. You can register online for commercial activity tax (CAT), sales tax, employer withholding, unemployment compensation, workers' compensation, and municipal income taxes for nearly 500 cities and villages.”

A Faster, Easy Way to Start Your Nonprofit in Ohio

Now you have your Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio Nonprofit Corporation.