501C3 Application and Process

What is 501c3 Status? Typically what individuals are referring to are organizations that have applied for and recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code. (26 IRS § 501(c)(3))

Individuals mistakenly use the terms 5013c or 503c1. As you now know these descriptions or names are incorrect. The term "501c3" comes from the IRS Code section. Section 501c3 of the IRS code identifies purposes for which an organization can be organized and operated to order to qualify for federal tax exempt status.

Here is an excerpt of IRC 501(c)(3):

Corporations, and any community chest, fund, or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes, or to foster national or international amateur sports competition (but only if no part of its activities involve the provision of athletic facilities or equipment), or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation (except as otherwise provided in subsection (h)), and which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.

Organizations with purposes listed above are by far the most commonly recognized type of tax-exempt organization. In fact, in 2010, approximately 65% of tax-exempt trusts and organizations listed in the IRS Master File were 501c3 tax-exempt organizations.

How can an organization get 501c3 Status?

To apply for 501c3 tax-exempt status an applicant must complete and submit IRS Form 1023. In technical terms Form 1023 is the form required by the IRS for "Application for Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code." Form 1023 is comprised of 11 parts, 26 pages, and typically requires a user fee between $400-$850 to apply.

Form 1023 was last substantively revised in June 2006. Additional updates were made to Form 1023 by IRS Notice 1382 in November 2010. One of the initial hopes in revising IRS Form 1023 was that with more detailed and substantive questions on the Form would prevent or reduce the amount of correspondence between the IRS and the 501c3 applicant and would result in faster IRS processing.

How long does it take for the IRS to process a 501c3 Application?

This is a very common question for applicants that spend weeks or months preparing IRS form 1023 for tax-exempt recognition. Applicants often incorrectly believe that once they submit IRS Form 1023 to the IRS they will get a response and be granted tax-exempt status within a couple of months. Unfortunately the IRS tax-exempt recognition process can take longer.

The exact amount of IRS processing time depends. Some of the factors that can affect the IRS processing time of an application include: the type of exemption application the client is submitting, completeness of the application, and current workload of the IRS reviewers.

Getting Help with your 501c3 Application

There are many professionals that can provide assistance when completing your 501c3 Application. Choosing to work with a CPA or an Attorney to complete your application is typically a good choice and these licensed professionals can legally represent you in front of the IRS (see Form 2848). Using a CPA or an Attorney is increasingly more affordable. Law Firms such as Nonprofit Foundry even offer flat fee packages to assist clients. The IRS also offers substantial resources for applicants at http://www.irs.gov/charities/index.html.

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Should You Give Up Ownership Of Your Judgment?

I am a Judgment Broker, and am not a lawyer. My articles are my opinions, and not legal advice. If you ever need any legal advice or a strategy to use, please contact a lawyer.

It's your judgment! You were the person who was done wrong by your legal adversary. You were the person who had a legitimate complaint, and took your problem to a court. You are the one that the court agreed with. It was you who were awarded a civil money judgment, to help make right the wrong that you suffered.

Nobody should pressure you to do anything with your judgment, because it is your judgment. If you do nothing, nothing will happen, and that is your right. You can wait a few years, or try to do something now; it is your choice and decision.

Most people want to get money from their judgment, and the laws and the economy make that challenging. Your plan or decision not to try to turn your piece of paper into cash is up to you. Most people would feel a whole lot better if they recovered some money from their judgment.

Judgments do not last forever, most of them expire after a certain number of years, although usually they can be renewed. There are many things you can do with your judgment, while waiting for it to expire. You can store it in a filing cabinet. You can frame it and hang it on a wall. One thing is certain, if you want to try to use your judgment to get money, it will cost you.

Even if you recover your judgment yourself, and do not share its ownership with anyone, you must spend time and money trying to recover money from it. Because only your debtor's available assets might be used to recover judgment money, nothing is guaranteed, and there is no guarantee what you spend is not just good money tossed in after bad.

It is your choice to retain ownership of your judgment when you hire a lawyer to recover it. Usually, you must pay them by the hour, unless you have a big judgment and your debtor is rich.

You might find a buyer for your judgment, however that usually gets you just pennies on the dollar. If you do not want to spend money, you can get an average of half of whatever is recovered, if you assign your judgment to a judgment enforcer.

It is your judgment and it belongs to you, so why do judgment enforcers want you to legally assign your judgment to them? Because anyone who is not an attorney cannot represent anyone else on any legal matter including a judgment recovery.

To recover a judgment, one (who is not a lawyer or a collection agency) must own it completely. After you assign your judgment, the enforcer will own your judgment, and have the legal right to enforce the judgment according to what is possible, and how they decide. Ultimately, whatever you do with your judgment, is absolutely up to you.

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How Not to Do SEO in the Age of Penguins and Pandas

In light of Google's recent major updates, Penguin and Panda, it's a shame to see how many questionable Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) "experts" and agencies are still risking their reputations and doing more harm than good to clients by attempting to use dodgy techniques to boost site visibility and traffic. They are demonstrating precisely the kind of behaviour that Google and other search engines have been aiming to eliminate.

To avoid ending up in search engine black books, steer clear of dubious schemes and methods, and use only genuine, tried and tested means to enhance your website's SEO credentials. If looking for ideas and inspiration, visit blogs and forums with a good reputation in the marketing world, such as Econsultancy, SEO Moz, and Graywolf's SEO Blog.

If you have the budget, don't hesitate to hire a team of professionals for the best results. This form of marketing is worth investing in so don't be tricked by low prices. Quality services don't come cheap.

In brief, the Google Panda update was launched to penalise websites that look and feel "spammy", while Penguin deals with sites showcasing an unnatural looking backlink profile.

Copy

Long gone are the days when websites stuffed with keywords outperformed others in search engine results pages. This will actually damage your website's performance rather than improve its chances.

To help realise the severity of this faux-pas, put yourself in a site user's shoes. It's very easy to tell when copy has been written for search engines rather than the human eye. This really doesn't leave a good impression on most customers, and is likely to result in a high bounce rate.

Linking

Diversity has never been as important, and natural diversity at that. Paying for links and getting involved in link farms is to be avoided at all costs unless you fancy getting penalised by the likes of Google who can now smell dodgy scams from a mile away.

Instead, time should be invested in developing relationships with bloggers whose backlinks can mean a lot to sites of all proportions. Though a somewhat aged method, it's also still worth submitting sites to credible business directories.

Social media strategies can greatly assist in acquiring natural backlink profiles as people share content according to their interests.

SEO must also consider internal linking structures. Similarly to keyword stuffing, internal linking musn't be exaggerated either. Again, put yourself in a user's shoes to see whether a link seems natural, and whether the anchor text fits the context. Awkwardly positioned internal links stand out like a sore thumb to both users and search engine spiders.

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Sterling Silver Jewelry Fashion Trends for the New Year and Beyond

Each year, on fashion runways from New York to Paris, Milan, and Toyko, sterling silver is "new again" as designers interpret it in new and exciting ways. What makes sterling silver a fashion perennial? The answer is clear: when it comes to beauty, versatility, durability, and affordability, sterling silver jewelry is unsurpassed.

In the hands of talented artists and designers, sterling silver is constantly "reinvented" to suit the evolving tastes of the women who wear it. But whether as a ring, a necklace, or bracelet, standing alone or presented in combination with gemstones and other precious metals...sterling silver is always in fashion.

Here's a look at what's "hot" this year:

Peace of Silver

In 2004, many Oscar presenters and recipients wore gracefully and simply designed "Dove of Peace." pin. Embraced by such Hollywood luminaries as Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon, Drew Barrymore, and Leonardo DiCaprio, it has also been seen on the Dali Lama and Nobel Peace Laureates Oscar Aria Sanchez, Betty Williams, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, and former UN Assistant Secretary-General Gillian Sorrensom.

Now non-celebrities may purchase the pin in sterling silver pin to demonstrate both their commitment to peace and their fashion sense. The 2005 sterling silver interpretation was designed by award-winning American jewelry artist Henry Dunay to resonate the energy of Picasso's "Dove Of Peace."

Silver Screen

With the enormous popularity of the "Lord of the Rings" series, it comes as no surprise that designers have created jewelry based on the elaborately crafted pieces in the films. Based on the actual pendant worn in the Lord of the Rings film, the Arwen Evenstar Pendant is crafted in sterling silver and comes in a wooden gift box. Measuring 2-1/2 inches in length with a 18" sterling silver chain and a Swarovski crystal stone, each piece is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, adding long-term value to its other charms.

Works Like A Charm

Charm bracelets are both wonderfully retro and extremely cutting edge. Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Avril Levigne, Hilary Duff, and other high-visibility high-fashion celebrities are wrapping their wrists in silver bracelets with the hip L.A. brand "Eldorado Club."

The "Girlie Charm Bracelet" is adorned with charming femme-friendly charms including a cat, a cocktail glass, and a kitty.

Sterling Silver - Always In Style for Your 25th Anniversary No matter what list you consult -- traditional, modern or the now popular "ultra-modern" (which includes items like clocks and appliances) -- silver is the 21st Century gift of choice for a 25th wedding anniversary. Whether it's silver's durability, its strength, its flexibility or its unparalleled beauty, sterling silver is an exquisite memento of 25 years of loving commitment between a couple.

Topping the list of this year's "What's Hot" in silver wedding anniversary gifts, women say they want charm bracelets, hoop earrings, and hair ornaments. For wives who would like to present their husbands with sterling silver tokens, the "top of the charts" picks are cufflinks, tie clips, money clips, neck chains, and I.D. bracelets.

But #1 for him AND her -- a classic sterling silver Tiffany keyring.

Sterling Silver Jewelry Fashion Trends for the New Year and Beyond   

Why Join A Membership Site Now? 4 Tips So You Can Get Started Now in a Membership Site

With all of the membership sites available, it really is in your best interest to join a site and just get on with your learning. Get on with your development. Here are four reasons why you need to join a membership site now:

1. You can actually get instant solutions to your problems. Any problems that you are encountering right now, someone else has probably gone through the challenges. When you join a membership site for that specific topic or niche, you will find people there who have already "been there and done that". You will be able to have access to instant solutions for some of your problems.

2. You have access to the information in the site any time. 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You don't have to rely on someone being there. You don't have to rely on being able to get a hold of someone. The information is there, readily available for you to access 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are working on something late at nite and come across a challenge, the information is right there and may be able to assist you solve that challenge right away.

3. Once you belong to a membership site, you do not have to print the documents or you don't have to save everything. You get access to that information there on the site. No more having to remember where you filed something! In some cases, you will find that you pay a one-time fee and you have access to that information for as long as that site remains valid. (I love that kind when I am learning about a specific tool or program) Those types of sites are usually not added to. When you join a site that is continuously adding information, the chances are you will be required to pay a monthly fee. So if you were to decide to opt out of that site, then perhaps you would want to go in and save different things.

4. You can access the information over and over again. You do not have to remember it all. If it's something you only do once in a while, perhaps every month or two, you'll save yourself the stress of having to remember it by just being able to go to your membership site and access it just one more time. Everything is laid out for you in an easy to access way that assists you in your learning.

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How To Support Friends and Loved Ones Through an Abusive Relationship

This is a question that comes up a lot. It's hugely frustrating, as well as difficult and painful to watch someone you care about struggle in the quicksand of an abusive relationship.

It's frustrating because we can see all the things that they can't. We'd love to help them - which probably means getting them to adopt the solution that we know is right. But they don't see it, and they're not going to do it.

It's difficult because you start to feel like you're caught up in Groundhog Day. They reach the point of leaving, they may well even leave... and then the whole thing goes around again, and again. Maybe the same partner, maybe a different one. But you hear the same story again and again.

In the end your emotional investment wears you out. You end up feeling resentful towards them for what they're putting you through.

It's painful because watching someone turn into a shadow of their former self is tragic. All the more so when there are children who are also suffering. Witnessing the pain of someone you care about and not being able to make it go away, really taxes us.

So how do we support them?

First we need to be clear about the distinction between helping and supporting them. We cannot help them, i.e. move them on even so much as a millimetre. What we can do is be there for them. That doesn't mean making ourselves available to listen 100% of the time.

What it does mean is simply acknowledging and respecting their right to make choices, or else stick with the situation. However disastrous it may appear from the outside, they are making the best choices they can at the time. They already feel pretty bad about themselves; your continued respect may make more of a difference than you could imagine.

Second, we mustn't give up on them. There is a very human temptation, at some point, to say "Whatever", and walk away. Abusers create a void around their victim that leaves the victim even more dependent. It's very easy to end up becoming irritated with the victim. When you do, you're actually colluding with the abuser.

If an abused loved one can't hold on to the thought of life beyond their relationship, then that is something important we can do for them. This simply means believing and trusting that they will come out the other side of this. Even if neither of you can predict the timescale.

Third, we can hold onto the knowledge of who they truly are. Over time, living with a self-appointed King of the Jungle reduces them to feeling little better than a cockroach. We can hold - and remind them of- their gifts, their qualities, their uniqueness, their lovableness, until they are able to do it for themselves. Our vision may be the resource that starts them on their journey to recovery.

It doesn't even have to be a major holding operation on our part. Remember, abuse leaves its victims starving because it systematically closes down any channel of nourishment. Often, by opening up a channel we offer them more sustenance than we could possibly imagine.

To a friend of mine who has suffered hugely at the hands of a homicidally brutal partner and lost sight of herself, I sent a list of the blessings that she did not see. The list is incredibly empowering for her and she treasures it. It reads like this:

1) You are blessed with good and loving friends.

2) You inspire great love in those around you.

3) You have two wonderful children - maybe not easy, but definitely wonderful.

4) You have enormous strength.

5) You have a vast reservoir of talents.

6) You are an extraordinarily loving and supportive person.

7) You have a talent for creating beauty.

8) You have an extraordinarily attractive personality

9) You have formidable energy

10) All this and there is still, I'd guess, about another 85% of capacity that you are currently not able to access efficiently.

My friend is unique and gifted. So are all our friends and loved ones. Another person's list may be different, but it will be no less extraordinary. We are all uniquely gifted and wonderful. Yet we may need to have our eyes opened to this fact. Repeatedly.

We support others best when we offer them a valid, empowering vision of themselves. We support ourselves when we do the self-same thing for ourselves.

(C) Annie Kaszina 2004

How To Support Friends and Loved Ones Through an Abusive Relationship   A Friend in Need