I was wondering if junior year is too late to file my passion project to be a 501c3, and whether starting a club is too late.
The current “nonprofit” I have is not a 501c3; could I put it on my college apps as a “non profit” even if it’s not an official 501c3? We have a website, newsletter, volunteers, and 20+ clients from our town.
I’m also founding a key club at my school junior year to involve my nonprofit and strengthen it, which our school doesn’t have.
Do AOs dislike seeing activities that begin junior year?
What would be your reason for doing this? If your answer is “college applications,” then no, not a good enough reason.
No, you should not, although I am aware than many students do. This is incorrect, however, as a nonprofit organization is a legal entity recognized by the IRS.
They like seeing genuine passion and commitment. They do not care if the IRS has given you tax exempt status. Please don’t pursue a 501(c)(3) without a compelling reason to do so. Impressing AOs is not a compelling reason.
Do what you love. Follow your passions. Be true to your interests and sincere in your activities. That’s what AOs want to see.
I see. Main reason is to allow us to verify volunteer hours for volunteers from other schools and expand in the future. Some schools in our district are pretty strict about only allowing volunteer hours from registered 501c3s, and I’m hoping becoming one is a solution.
Are volunteer hours a graduation requirement in your district? If so, that may be a reasonable reason to seek some official status. But then what relevance is your original question of being “too late” for college applications? If you are doing it for a reason independent of college applications, then your timeline is also independent of that.
You should ignore the impact, if any, that this might have for university admissions. Instead, do what is right for the activity.
However, you might want to keep in mind that in a couple of years you will be going off to university, and you might not have any time at all for this particular activity. Figuring out how the activity would best be served to continue after you are gone is a valid thing to think about.
This sounds like a very good start. If it turns out that turning this into a 501c3 is the right thing, then it is not like you started the activity from scratch. It is more like you helped the activity to grow and mature.
Do the right thing. Treat people fairly. Keep your grades up. Apply to a variety of universities including at least one and preferably two solid safeties. Keep your budget in mind. This will work out one way or another.
Yep, they’re a graduation requirement. I intended for my original question to be regarding how I should portray this activity, and if filing for 501c3 junior year would come off as I’m doing it solely for college applications.