Draft Articles of Incorporation
Before starting the process of actually applying for 501(c)(3) status, the organization will need to be legally established as a corporation. Although the process of incorporating in California is relatively straightforward, there are accompanying organizational documents that need to be drafted and approved by the board of directors before filing to incorporate with the California Secretary of State. One of these organizational documents is the articles of incorporation, which is a legal document that establishes the corporation as a legal entity and outlines the purpose of the corporation, the powers of the corporation, and the initial board of directors.
Tasks
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Download the form: Download the form for articles of incorporation from the California Secretary of State website. The form is called “Articles of Incorporation - Nonprofit Public Benefit”.
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Fill out the form: Fill out the form with the required information, including the name of the corporation, the purpose of the corporation, the initial board of directors, and the agent for service of process.
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Review the form: Review the form to ensure that all required information is included and that the form is filled out correctly.
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Board review: Present the draft articles of incorporation to the board of directors for review and approval. The board will need to approve the articles of incorporation before they can be filed with the California Secretary of State.
Cost
- None