The first step in forming a 501(c)(3) charity in Arizona is to file your Articles of Incorporation. This tutorial will help you through the ten steps necessary to submit the Articles of Incorporation in Arizona and formally create a nonprofit.
You must submit the Articles of Incorporation for a Nonprofit Corporation in Arizona to form a domestic nonprofit corporation. This tutorial covers every step you need to follow to effectively complete this paperwork and begin on the right road to forming an Arizona charity.
Along with your Articles of Incorporation, you must submit a completed Certificate of Disclosure, cover sheet, and Statutory Agent Acceptance form – all of which are discussed more below.
The first step in completing the Arizona Articles of Incorporation is to include the name of your organisation in article one of the document. If you haven’t yet decided on a name for your organisation, these are the prerequisites for naming a nonprofit in Arizona:
You may register for a trademark for your organisation after you have confirmed that no one else has previously trademarked your selected name.
In article two of the Articles of Incorporation, describe your organization’s original nature of operations — its goal. This is one of the most significant parts of this document since your federal tax exemption is dependent on your organization’s purpose being in accordance with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) criteria.
To be qualified for 501(c)(3) status, your organization’s mission must incorporate one or more of the following characteristics:
Check the relevant box to indicate whether or not your organisation will have members.
Article four provides you with two options:
The state of Arizona requires you to list each director of your company, as well as their business address, on your Articles of Incorporation. Follow these guidelines while creating your nonprofit’s inaugural board of directors:
Read our How to Develop a Board of Directors for a Nonprofit in Arizona article for a comprehensive guide on creating your nonprofit’s board of directors.
In order to submit the Articles of Incorporation for a nonprofit in Arizona, a statutory agent, also known as a registered agent in most states, is necessary. A registered agent acts as your nonprofit’s official contact by receiving official papers on its behalf, such as compliance notifications and tax filings. In the case of a lawsuit, your registered agent is also responsible for receiving service of process paperwork.
In addition to stating your statutory agent’s name and address in article six, you must submit a completed Statutory Agent Acceptance form.
In order to incorporate a nonprofit corporation in Arizona, you must submit a completed Certificate of Disclosure along with your Articles of Incorporation.
You must provide the signature and address of at least one incorporator for your organisation. The person who submits the Articles of Incorporation is known as an incorporator. If you have more than two incorporators, use the Incorporator Attachment form to attach their details.
To be eligible for 501(c)(3) status, you must include a section in your Articles of Incorporation that explains how your charity will utilise its funds and what will happen to it if/when the organisation dissolves. A example of such a provision may be seen on the IRS website. In particular, in the case of dissolution, all earnings should be utilised for tax-exempt causes.
In Arizona, you may submit your Articles of Incorporation online, by mail, via fax, or in person. To file online, you must first register an account with Arizona eCorp.