Resources

RESOURCES FOR CREATING AND MAINTAINING YOUR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION For a detailed explanation of how nonprofits are formed and a generic step-by-step checklist for setting up your own organization, visit FindLaw's Nonprofit and Tax-Exempt Organizations webpage. Be sure to check out the related pages listed in the blue box on the right side of that page. Learn the specifics of setting up a nonprofit organization in Wyoming by reading the Wyoming Nonprofit Corporation Act: Title 17, Chapter 19 of the Wyoming Statues. In forming your nonprofit, you're going to need to submit several forms to the state of Wyoming. Find them on the Secretary of State's website under "Business" and "Nonprofit Corporations." If you are forming a nonprofit in the state, use the domestic forms. If you are bringing one in from out of the state, use the out-of-state forms. One of the primary reasons to form a nonprofit is to operate under tax-exempt status (aka 501(c)(3) status). Find the forms and instructions for becoming a 501(c)(3) organization on the IRS website. You'll especially want to pay attention to Form 1023 and its instructions. WYOMING ASSOCIATION OF NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS The Wyoming Association of Nonprofit Organizations (Wyoming Nonprofits) was formed to strengthen the leadership, skills, effectiveness and efficiency of Wyoming's nonprofit organizations; enabling them to further enrich the quality of community and personal life in Wyoming. Wyoming Nonprofits will promote a stronger nonprofit organization sector and a supportive public climate by providing member services, public awareness and advocacy. For formation on upcoming events, workshops, news about the nonprofit sector, a membership directory, job postings and best practices, and more...click here to go to their website: The Hidden Sector in our Economy: Nonprofit Organizations in Wyoming Wyoming nonprofits play important roles as service providers, advocates, and community builders. They strengthen and vitalize our communities. Yet, when Wyoming citizens consider issues of economic development, the economic role of the nonprofit sector is often overlooked. This report, compiled by the Wyoming Nonprofit Support Initiative, profiles the economic impact and characteristics of Wyoming's nonprofit sector. Click here to view the report from 2004. Click here to view the report from 2008. UPCOMING LEGISLATION WITH POTENTIAL TO IMPACT FOUNDATIONS AND ENDOWMENTS Click here to read a draft of the proposed legislation regarding the investment and expenditure of funds managed by specific foundations. Click here to view a comparison of the current legislation (UMIFA) and the proposed legislation (UPMIFA) The University of Wyoming has distributed this information, with the approval of Rep-Elect Bryan Pedersen of Cheyenne. WYOMING WEALTH TRANSFER STUDY During the next 50 years Wyoming is expected to experience nearly $60 billion in intergenerational wealth being transferred. This is according to the Wyoming Wealth Transfer Index Study, which was commissioned by the Wyoming Community Foundation. Click on the links below for the Executive Summary, Complete Report (including methodology) and the individual County Reports for the entire State of Wyoming. WTI Summary WTI Full Report County Reports Rural Communities Succeeding in Using Local Assets to Build Endowments To build a community’s charitable assets, it is important to identify and utilize all forms of wealth within the area. These multiple types of financial wealth can be brought together to establish and build endowments that can become permanent funding sources for charitable causes for generations to come. Click here to read the article. HOW TO PREPARE YOUR NONPROFIT FOR AN ECONOMIC RECESSION The recent slump in the economy has left many nonprofits worrying about drops in donations, and it has them worrying about how they continue to successfully fundraise. This article by Richard Male, which was published in the Grassroots Fundraising Journal (www.grassrootsfundraising.org) provides NPOs 10 tips for fundraising as effectively as possible. Click here to read this article. MAKING INFORMED DECISIONS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES Community Foundation Insights (www.cfinsights.org) recently published a study by Wendy Horton, Valerie Bockstette, and Melissa Scott, discussing how community foundations can address the latest problem of fewer resources and greater need. The article presents research conducted by surveying a cross section of 73 community foundations in October 2008, as well as the foundations' solutions to financial difficulty. Click here to read this article. ADDRESSING THE WAGE GAP The Wyoming  Women's Foundation (www.wywf.org), a component of the WYCF, has hosted the WAGE (Women Are Getting Even) Project twice in Wyoming. The WAGE Project seeks to educate people about the gender wage gap (Wyoming's is the worst in the country, with women making about 67 cents per dollar a man makes) and teach women how to successfully negotiate for a fair wage. Click here to learn more about the wage gap, and click here to learn more about the WAGE Project. DATA ON DROPS IN FUNDING In response to anectdotal evidence that charities have experienced a drop in donations over the past year, Guidestar (www.guidestar.org) published related research conducted among 2,927 participants, 92% associated with public charities, 7% with private foundations/grantmakers, and less than 1% not associated with a nonprofit. At least 2,730 charities were represented in the study. Click here to view the study.