This coaching program will give you the tools you need to launch a nonprofit startup in 90 days. We offer a range of options, including document review, partnering with you to launch your nonprofit, or completing all the required paperwork for you. Regardless of the approach you take, our process will save you time learning the process on your own, at a significantly lower price than what you would pay for an attorney to complete your filings and application for tax-exempt status. When you are done, you will have a clear understanding of what state filings should be completed; how to package your Form 1023-Application for Tax-Exempt Status and how to respond to any questions government agencies may have.
What You Will Get
Document Review Clients
- Review of your documents prior to submission
- A checklist of all the documents that you will need to file at the state level
- A checklist of every document that you will need to complete your application for tax-exempt status
- Copies of the required documents at the state and federal level, with instructions
Coaching Clients
- One-on-one coaching
- A checklist of all the documents that you will need to file at the state level
- A checklist of all the documents that you will need to complete your application for tax-exempt status
- Copies of the required documents at the state and federal level, with instructions
- Review of your documents prior to submission
- A calendar of things your organization should be doing for the next year to get your organization up and running
- A compliance calendar
Note: Done With You clients will prepare their documents under Valerie's direction. Valerie will prepare documents for Done For You clients.
We're In This Together
What you can expect from us:
- Total commitment to your success
- A hands-on onboarding process to set expectations and show you how to navigate the online coaching platform
- Two one-hour online meetings with your coach per month with assignments in between sessions
- The ability to schedule meetings online and integrate them into your calendar
- A phone app that will allow you to access the coaching console from anywhere, any time
- A detailed workplan with action items to move you towards your goals and objectives
- Accountability through meeting notes and the online report card
- Downloadable reports that you can share with others in your organization
- The ability to see, in real time, how much progress you are making towards your goals, utilizing metrics that are tailored to your individual plan
- Supplemental resources and worksheets to help you flesh out your ideas
- Membership in the Nonprofit Utopia community for as long as you are a coaching client. You will have access to the resources of the full community while participating in a subgroup consisting of other coaching clients.
Our expectations of you:
- Commitment to your own success and meeting your goals and objectives
- Showing up to sessions prepared—you are mentally present; have completed your tasks in between meetings and have thought about next steps
- Participation in the Nonprofit Utopia community, within a special group designated for leadership coaching clients. You are more than welcome to also take advantage of the full range of the resources offered by the Nonprofit Utopia community at large.
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Meet Your Coach
Hi, I'm Valerie Leonard.
I help my clients move the needle on some of their most pressing problems through consulting, coaching and community. I help them find the answers to questions like, “How do I start a new organization and stay out of trouble?” “Where can I find good board members who will buy into the organization’s mission and help raise money?” “ How can we put together a collaborative of other organizations so that we can do more for the community while strengthening our individual organizations?” “How can we raise more money?” Over the years, I have helped over 750 people meet their professional goals, and raise over $100 million through grant writing and technical assistance.
I teach courses in nonprofit management and social enterprise at local universities, giving students the tools they need to immediately apply their learning to their own situations. I’ve also been a pretty engaged citizen, working on a number of social justice issues surrounding education and school improvement; equitable community development and the importance of the Census and how it impacts our everyday lives.
I am the founder of Nonprofit Utopia, LLC, where I facilitate an online community, provide leadership coaching and consulting services. I am the host and producer of the Nonprofit Utopia Podcast, where I invite nonprofit thought leaders to share lessons learned and the latest developments in the nonprofit sector. I would love the opportunity to speak with you further and explore the possibilities of working together. Complete the form below to get started.
Words of Praise From Satisfied Clients
My business partner, Franky Greaves and I, Sara Williamson, started an equine nonprofit, Loving Connections, in the State of Arizona in April of 2019. Our next step was to get our federal 501c3 status by filling out the 1023 (full length) form. At first glance it looked like something we could start to handle on our own, but as we got into it we realized that we were going to need some help.
I started to research what our options would be and came across a lot of local attorneys and other various individuals who ensured they could assist us. These options didn’t feel quite right, they were honestly pretty impersonal, so I kept looking. Our non profit offers therapeutic riding for kids and adults with disabilities and a ground mindfulness program focusing on breath work and equine connection to help those struggling with anxiety and other traumas. So, who we work with really means something to us. In my continued search, Valerie’s website with Nonprofit Utopia came up and her strong sense of community and nonprofit knowledge really stood out.
I reached out via email to see if Valerie would be willing to help us navigate our path to federal exempt status and she said yes! This was a lengthy process, full if so many stacks of papers, emails back and forth, and many things we wouldn’t have been able to get done on our own. Valerie was there whenever we emailed, called and sent out smoke signals.
We submitted our 1023 form, which ended up filling a two inch, three ring binder, in September of 2019. We were approved, no questions asked the following month which is almost unheard of. This was one of the most information filled, lengthy processes I’ve really ever done, and we couldn’t have done it without Valerie’s help. Even down to the wire of driving to UPS to ship everything off to the IRS, Valerie was on the phone with us and corresponding via email to make sure everything was dialed in.
Valerie is amazing at what she does and her wealth of knowledge is priceless.
--Sara Williamson, Vice President, Loving Connections
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a refund if I'm unhappy with my purchase?
Like anything else, you get out of coaching what you put into it. If you can document that you have attended all sessions; done the work in between meetings; followed the advice provided, and you are still unable to get tax-exempt status for your organization, you will receive a full refund.
How do I schedule my appointment?
Upon purchasing coaching, you'll receive further instructions on how to book a time for your appointment.
Can I purchase coaching more than once?
Absolutely! If you are a document review client and find yourself in need of coaching more than once, simply purchase the coaching again. If you are a coaching client, we will work with you until your organization is tax-exempt, and you have completed all state requirements. There would be no need to purchase additional sessions.