OP-

Setting up the Non-Profit organization is pretty straight forward once you determine what designation actually best fits your application. "Non-Profit" is different than "Not for Profit", and each have qualifying as well as operational and reporting requirements.

Once this is determined, you will need a set of "By Laws", as well as "Articles of Incorporation" as you register with your Office of Secretary of State for your respective state.- these may vary slightly, but always better to check your State's .gov website for outlines concerning these filings. these will stipulate your mission, the organization's officers, as well as define the "Registered Agent".

If you're starting small and are willing to do the research and put in the effort, you can file these and save yourself/ your organization a bit of money. If you're not up for the challenge, you may want to check the local bar association - you may find that there are attorneys that will assist you for a lesser fee, or check with your local colleges for law students looking for experience. I will tell you that LegalZoom runs about $1,400.00 for the filing, and that may vary some from state to state, but the Federal Filing is $450. It really boils down to how extensive you are laying this out to be initially, as well as how much work you're willing to do on your own.

When we completed and filed for ours, it was a bit confusing at first. Take your time, have LOTS of coffee handy, read, read, and re-read everything. Compile the By Laws and Articles of Incorporation as exact as possible, however, don't paint yourself into a corner. You can always add an addendum as necessary.

Hope this helped some!