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Question 1 of 10

Where are you in your nonprofit journey?

Select the option that best describes your organization right now.

💡
Just an idea
Exploring whether to start a nonprofit
🚀
Startup (0–2 years)
Newly formed, still building structure
🌱
Growing (2–10 years)
Established and expanding programs
🏆
Mature (10+ years)
Established, sustaining and improving

What's your 501(c)(3) status?

Where things stand with the IRS right now.

Not yet incorporated
We haven't formed the organization yet
Awaiting IRS determination
Incorporated; 1023 filed or in progress
Have our 501(c)(3)
IRS determination letter in hand
Not sure
We could use help figuring this out

How many paid staff do you have?

Count paid employees, not volunteers or board members.

All volunteer
No paid staff yet
1–2
3–10
10+

What's your approximate annual budget?

Under $50,000
$50,000 – $500,000
$500,000 – $2 million
Over $2 million

How would you describe your board?

No board yet
We don't have a formal board
Informal board
We have a board but governance is loose
Structured but improving
Policies in place with room to improve
Strong & well-governed
Clear roles, policies, and processes

How do you fund the work today?

Pick up to two.

💜
Individual donations
Gifts from individual supporters
📄
Grants
Foundation, government, or corporate grants
🎉
Events
Galas, fundraisers, and community events
🎟️
Membership dues
Recurring member or chapter dues
💰
Earned revenue
Program fees, services, or sales
🌱
Just getting started
We haven't really started raising money yet

How do you track your work today?

Donors, finances, deadlines, documents, and the day-to-day.

Spreadsheets & email
Paper or nothing
A mix of tools
Dedicated software

What are your biggest challenges right now?

Pick up to two.

Staying legally compliant
Filings, deadlines, policies, and audit readiness
⚖️
Board governance and structure
Board engagement, meetings, roles, and policies
💜
Raising money from individual donors
Finding donors, building relationships, following up
📄
Writing and winning grants
Finding funders, writing proposals, tracking deadlines
🤝
Managing volunteers
Recruiting, scheduling, tracking, and recognizing volunteers
👥
HR and staff management
Policies, onboarding, time off, and employment compliance
📢
Marketing and telling our story
Brand, content, email, social, and community outreach

If you could fix one thing, what would it be?

Your single most important priority right now.

📄
Getting properly incorporated
501(c)(3), board, and legal foundation
⚖️
Stronger board governance
Structure, meetings, roles, and leadership
⚙️
More efficient operations
Compliance, HR, documents, and systems
📈
Raising more money
Donors, grants, and fundraising strategy
🎯
Measuring & proving our impact
Outcomes, metrics, and reporting

How confident are you that you're meeting all compliance and filing obligations?

Federal and state filings, deadlines, and required policies.

Very confident
Somewhat confident
Not very confident
I honestly don't know

See the nonprofit life cycle and what to do at each stage →