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The New Wild West
Texas is a huge state, and it may just be me, but it feels like the real Wild West when it comes to charitable giving. I must admit that I hail from California, the land of excess regulation and that’s my frame of reference. That doesn’t mean that I haven’t adjusted to Texas and the way things are done, but whenever I begin to research a particular subject, I’m struck by the number of differences.
While growing up on the West Coast, I didn’t have occasion to track the regulatory practices of non-profit organizations or their fundraising subsidiaries. So, when I began by helping a group that I’m connected with set up their 501(c)3 status, I was amazed at the process at the state level. File the Certificate of Formation. That’s it. If there’s never a question about your organization at the state level, they won’t bother with you at all. If you’re an outright charity, then file for state exemption first and federal exemption later. If you are another form of exempt organization, then file with the Federal government first and the state will grant you exemption as matter of course when you’re cleared with the feds. That’s it, again!
I don’t know how many of my distant relatives from the Golden State will read this, but if they do, they’ll be laughing their heads off at the simplicity. There must me layer upon layer of rule and regulation involved with starting and maintaining a non-profit in states like California (i.e. New York, New Jersey, Illinois). In general, the more freedom the better for everyone. I truly believe that; however, in this particular instance, freedom equals lack of support.
Texas is a gargantuan state: it ranks second in the nation in area, and covers almost 105,000 more square miles than number three, California. So, what’s my argument exactly? It is that with regulation comes identification, support, structure, and reference. What we have here in Texas is lots of freedom and no idea of how to use it! It takes time and effort to establish relationships in your immediate community and that’s well worth the while, but what happens if you want or need to access a new area? It’s like learning a new language. On the moon. In a bikini. It’s just weird and difficult to break through.
That’s where our network of non-profit infrastructure organizations comes into play. It’s a layer between foundations and non-profits that facilitates relationships between the two groups. They also provide education, sector updates, and funding trends. Here in Texas, where relationships are difficult to maintain across so many hundreds of miles, NPIOs can be a non-profit’s best friend.
Take a moment to check out some of these resources:
Dallas Center for Nonprofit Management – http://www.cnmdallas.org/Default.aspx
Onestar Foundation – http://onestarfoundation.org/onestar-networks/nonprofit-management-alliance-of-texas/
Nonprofit Management Center of the Permian Basin – http://www.nmc-pb.org/
Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations – http://tano.org/
Texas Nonprofits – http://www.txnp.org/
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Texas is a huge state, and it may just be me, but it feels like the real Wild West when it comes to charitable giving. I must admit that I hail from California, the land of excess regulation and that’s my frame of reference. That doesn’t mean that I haven’t adjusted to Texas and the way things are done, but whenever I begin to research a particular subject, I’m struck by the number of differences.
While growing up on the West Coast, I didn’t have occasion to track the regulatory practices of non-profit organizations or their fundraising subsidiaries. So, when I began by helping a group that I’m connected with set up their 501(c)3 status, I was amazed at the process at the state level. File the Certificate of Formation. That’s it. If there’s never a question about your organization at the state level, they won’t bother with you at all. If you’re an outright charity, then file for state exemption first and federal exemption later. If you are another form of exempt organization, then file with the Federal government first and the state will grant you exemption as matter of course when you’re cleared with the feds. That’s it, again!
I don’t know how many of my distant relatives from the Golden State will read this, but if they do, they’ll be laughing their heads off at the simplicity. There must me layer upon layer of rule and regulation involved with starting and maintaining a non-profit in states like California (i.e. New York, New Jersey, Illinois). In general, the more freedom the better for everyone. I truly believe that; however, in this particular instance, freedom equals lack of support.
Texas is a gargantuan state: it ranks second in the nation in area, and covers almost 105,000 more square miles than number three, California. So, what’s my argument exactly? It is that with regulation comes identification, support, structure, and reference. What we have here in Texas is lots of freedom and no idea of how to use it! It takes time and effort to establish relationships in your immediate community and that’s well worth the while, but what happens if you want or need to access a new area? It’s like learning a new language. On the moon. In a bikini. It’s just weird and difficult to break through.
That’s where our network of non-profit infrastructure organizations comes into play. It’s a layer between foundations and non-profits that facilitates relationships between the two groups. They also provide education, sector updates, and funding trends. Here in Texas, where relationships are difficult to maintain across so many hundreds of miles, NPIOs can be a non-profit’s best friend.
Take a moment to check out some of these resources:
Dallas Center for Nonprofit Management – http://www.cnmdallas.org/Default.aspx
Onestar Foundation – http://onestarfoundation.org/onestar-networks/nonprofit-management-alliance-of-texas/
Nonprofit Management Center of the Permian Basin – http://www.nmc-pb.org/
Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations – http://tano.org/
Texas Nonprofits – http://www.txnp.org/
