public charities onlineJohn B. Manos @jbmanos

Non-Profit Websites

@jbmanosSunday, August 25, 13

What is a non-profit?A corporation that:

• Has a charitable purpose (mission)

• Has no private owners

• Pays no dividends

• Promises not to give its assets to private interests

@jbmanosSunday, August 25, 13

What is an Exempt Organization?

• An exempt organization is a Non-Profit Corporation that has been determined by the IRS to have an exempt purpose and meet the conditions of one of 29 categories.

@jbmanosSunday, August 25, 13

Exempt Orgs types are referred to as 501(c)

• There's 29 different kinds of Exempt Organizations!

@jbmanosSunday, August 25, 13

The 501(c)3 public charity

• Most Non-profits are in the 501(c)3 category

• They are "Religious, Educational, Charitable, Scientific, Literary, Testing for Public Safety, to Foster National or International Amateur Sports Competition, or Prevention of Cruelty to Children or Animals Organizations"

@jbmanosSunday, August 25, 13

How a Non-Profit Becomes a 501(c)3

• A corporation organized for nonprofit activity applies to the IRS to be one

• Form 1023 that lists its exempt purpose

• The IRS determines that the non-profit corporation exists for 501(c)3 purposes

• "Determination Letter"

@jbmanosSunday, August 25, 13

EVERY 501(c)3 has an exempt purpose

• In order to become a tax exempt public charity, they had to declare the exempt purpose they exist on Form 1023

• Form 1023 is public

• The exempt purpose is reported on public 990s every year

• We can find these online

@jbmanos

foundation center 990 finder

exempt purpose is a well written explanation of what the charity does -- will help determine what WP can do for them

Sunday, August 25, 13

@jbmanosSunday, August 25, 13

@jbmanos

look at how the WP sites run by Wordpress Foundation help it accomplish these goals!

Information, collaboration, multi-author, and easy to use -- for FREE

Sunday, August 25, 13

@jbmanosSunday, August 25, 13

@jbmanos

The 990 even gives you easy reference of who the people responsible for the charity are -- also an easy list for the website

Sunday, August 25, 13

Nonprofit no-nos

@jbmanosSunday, August 25, 13

Non-profit no-nos• Avoid excessive UBIT (unrelated business tax)

• Generally, no advertising (but sponsors OK)

• Generally, no affiliate links

• Political Campaign intervention (no endorsements for or against a candidate for office) or lobbying

• But issue advocacy OK all day long

@jbmanosSunday, August 25, 13

Have Exempt Purpose Need Website

Church Tutoring Food bank

@jbmanosSunday, August 25, 13

Have Exempt Purpose Need Website

ChurchService schedule

Announcements

Location

Pictures and events

Beliefs

TutoringFind tutors with skill

Find students

Match and schedule

Donor reports

Success stories, testimonials

Take donations

Food bank Announce operation

Solicit specific needs

Take donations

Schedule volunteers/make it easy for

people to show up

Donor reportsMedia information

@jbmanos

all of these functions can be easily accomplished in wordpress, but every nonprofit is a different animal with a wide variety of functions that make sense for their website.

WP can handle it all, but there isn’t a real, “ONE SIZE fits all NPO/EO solution for the functions -- WP is a one CMS can add it all solution, though

Sunday, August 25, 13

Who is going to do it?

@jbmanosSunday, August 25, 13

Free wordpress

• Easy to update

• Email

• Docs to posts

• Apps

• Easy to teach and intuitive

@jbmanos

teach the nonprofit to make its own update regularly.

what nonprofit doesn’t know how to email?

Set up email to post for them

Make it easy for them to get current information on their site!!!

Sunday, August 25, 13

Free hosting

• Dreamhost offers free hosting for any 501(c)3

• Email

• Announcement lists

• Discussion lists

• Wordpress

@jbmanosSunday, August 25, 13

CHALLENGE:• You, in this room, know how to set up wordpress, or can learn

it

• Wordpress is free

• Dreamhost will give a 501(c)3 free hosting, with email announcement lists and all

• Find a low resource nonprofit you like that doesn’t have a website or has an old one and make a site for them for free!

• Next year: we can have a showcase and stories of how wordpress + wp camp bham made a difference

give back, and spread WP appreciation - learn in the process

help a low resource get a functional, current, easy to update website -- the #1 thing nonprofits orgs need is a current information (content)

even a twenty twelve site that is current is WAY better than a glitzy out of date site

Sunday, August 25, 13

public charities onlineJohn B. Manos @jbmanos

Non-Profit Websites

@jbmanosSunday, August 25, 13