I just finished setting up my nonprofit, and last week I did my first fundraising event. Here are the steps that I took to finish setting up my nonprofit:

• Completed Not For Profit incorporation of Scholarships for Africa Foundation in Illinois with initial directors and corporate bylaws 
• Secured IRS EIN
• Opened Scholarships for Africa Foundation non-profit bank account
• Received approval for IRS 501(c)(3) tax exempt status
• Secured domain name and created nonprofit website https://scholarshipsforafrica.site
• Set up dedicated Venmo account to simplify donations
• Created summaries of two programs that we’re working to fund, 4 1-year undergraduate college scholarships and 5 9-month French literacy scholarships 

Last week, I did my Swimathon fundraiser. Some friends from swimming and I swam five miles, and we all got sponsors to sponsor us for a certain amount per mile. In total, we got 40 individual donors that raised$5,730 for 4 1-year undergraduate college scholarships and 5 literacy programs. The goal was $5,000, so exceeding that goal was very exciting. In a few days, I travel to France to do required French language immersion training, and then I will travel to Benin, where I will volunteer at a youth camp and work with local leadership to find qualified candidates for the scholarships.

Now, I need to create a scholarship application form that applicants can fill out. Mr. Victor Kubik who runs Life Nets has been giving me advice on how to be successful in the world of Non-Profits, and he advised me to have an actual application rather than just choosing a recipient without them applying. If a candidate takes the time to fill out an application thoughtfully, then they are more likely to take the opportunity seriously and to make the best use of it.

Another thing I need to do is to formally receipt all the donors so that their donation can count as fully tax-deductible to the IRS. According to Mr. Kubik, this must be done by February 1st of next year for tax filing season.

I am excited to continue to work on my non-profit, and I plan to do a fundraising event next year to raise funds for more university scholarships.