Nonprofits

Forming a Nonprofit

Formation of a Nonprofit Corporation is achieved by:

Filing Articles of Incorporation - you must draft and file your Articles of Incorporation with the Iowa Secretary of State's Office to form a Nonprofit. There are minimum requirements for Nonprofit Articles of Incorporation. Information about these minimum requirements can be accessed in the next section of the accordion menu.
Receiving a Certificate of Acknowledgement - The Iowa Secretary of State's Office will issue a Certificate of Acknowledgement to the Nonprofit Corporation upon the filing of the Articles of Incorporation with the Iowa Secretary of State's Office.
Holding an Organizational Meeting - after issuance of the Certificate of Acknowledgement, an organizational meeting is held by the Board of Directors to do the following: adopt bylaws, elect officers, and discuss other business.
Adopting Bylaws - Iowa law requires the initial bylaws of a Nonprofit Corporation to be adopted by its Board of Directors.

Minimum Code Requirements for Nonprofits

Minimum Code Requirements - Iowa Code section 504.202

Articles of Incorporation for a Nonprofit Corporation (Iowa Code section 504.202) must set forth the following:

The Corporate Name must satisfy the requirements of Iowa Code section 504.401.
The address of the corporation's initial Registered Office and the name of its initial Registered Agent at that office.
The name and address of each incorporator.
Whether the corporation will have members.
Provisions not inconsistent with law regarding the distribution of assets on dissolution.
An incorporator must sign the Articles of Incorporation.
The filing fee pursuant to Iowa Code section 504.113 is $20.00.

Resources for Nonprofits

University of Iowa's Larned A. Waterman Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center

The University of Iowa's Larned A. Waterman Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center was specifically designed to serve nonprofit organizations. Check out the Center's website for more information.

The University of Iowa's Larned A. Waterman Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center provides the Iowa Principles and Practices for Charitable Nonprofit Excellence, as a resource for nonprofit organizations. This document contains helpful information and as stated in the Preamble, "the purpose of the Iowa Principles and Practices for Charitable Nonprofit Excellence is to promote good management practices, ethical conduct, and public accountability for Iowa charitable nonprofit organizations as they perform their crucial community services."

Definitions of "Principle" and "Practice" from the Preamble:

"A Principle is a broad statement of ethical or managerial directions for a charitable nonprofit."
"A Practice is a description of a method to achieve the principles. Practices follow the related Principles."

Please know that this is not a regulatory document but is meant to be helpful to a variety of nonprofit organizations, and specifically for 501(c)(3) organizations.

Tax Information and Resources

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provides helpful information and necessary forms for Nonprofit Corporations on their website;

Forms:

Nonprofits

Administration

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