Starting a little non-profit/charity thing?

[T-1 Thunder]

Can you take an existing business and simply conduct "charity" work?
Like where you would ask businesses or people for "donations" for a cause that a business will facilitate?

Or is required that you set up a separate thing and file all the papers to create an entity solely to function as a non-profit?

This would be for something extremely low budget, likely only requiring $15,000 a year to sustain.

As a follow-up question: If someone runs a non-profit, what do you think is a fair percentage to promise and dedicate to put to the cause? I hear a lot of charities brag about putting 90% of the money to the cause. In this case, I'm thinking it would be 95%-99%.

PS: It has to do with babies, and mommies, and hospitals. We would love to do this out of our pocket, but we can't afford to.

 

[mlm]

Can you take an existing business and simply conduct "charity" work?
Like where you would ask businesses or people for "donations" for a cause that a business will facilitate?

Or is required that you set up a separate thing and file all the papers to create an entity solely to function as a non-profit?

This would be for something extremely low budget, likely only requiring $15,000 a year to sustain.

As a follow-up question: If someone runs a non-profit, what do you think is a fair percentage to promise and dedicate to put to the cause? I hear a lot of charities brag about putting 90% of the money to the cause. In this case, I'm thinking it would be 95%-99%.

PS: It has to do with babies, and mommies, and hospitals.

You need tax id from both the IRS and state. It basically works like a SSN for the charity. If you're serious, and want to save some $$, google "NOLO Press" and see if they have anything.
http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/faqEditorial-29113.html

Expenses are just overhead. It isn't about fair, but what it takes to run things.

Good luck.