New Entity Start-Up Questionnaire
See the last page for a processing timeline and information about 501(c)(3) status
Additional documents you need to send are noted in orange text
Return your completed questionnaire to: / Ministry Consulting Group107 W Main St; Fulton OH 43321-9702
Cell 614.743.2106 Fax 614.340.7909
Info About Your Organization and About You
Faith-based entities are our specialty, but we can help most types of non-profit/tax-exempt entities. We also serve select kingdom-minded for-profit small businesses.If you do not have Microsoft Word®, please print the form and complete it by hand or convert the completed form to a pdf file. Using anything other than Word®(including OpenOffice, WordStart, Libre and MS Word for Mac) to open and complete this form usually results in the data being garbled to the point of being unusable.
Immediately upon receipt of this questionnaire MCG will send an invoice for a $100 retainer fee. The retainer fee will be applied as a down payment on the startup fee for the service(s) you select below. No work will commence until the retainer fee is received. The invoice can be paid immediately by electronic payment means.
In most states for-profit corporations are required to include Inc, Corp, etc.; non-profit corporations typically do not have to include Inc or Corp. However, LLCs (for-profit and non-profit) have to include LLC, llc, ltd or something similar at the end of their names.
Info about your organization: First choice for name
(Please note: be careful: we match upper/lower case, punctation, spelling, etc.)
Alternatename choice (if your preferred name is not available)
Organization’s street
Organization’s city/state/zip
Organization’s phone / ()
Organization’s fax / ()
In which county is the main office located?
Info about you: Your name
Your position in the organization
Your street
Your city/state/zip / / -
Your phone (provide the best line to call) / () This is a: cell land line
Acceptable time(s) to call / 8am - noon noon – 5pm 5pm – 8pm
Your e-mail address
Check if you are NOT able to open the following document type(s) / .docx (Word) .xlsx (Excel) .pdf (Acrobat)
If this is for a new church or ministry, do a majority of the members of your new ministry come from just one other ministry? / No or not applicable (skip to the next page)
Yes (answer the following question)
Has that ministry given its blessing to your new effort?
Please note that we will assistchurch/ministry ‘splits’ only if the new organization either has the parent organization’s blessing or has a sound biblical basis for departing. / Yes (skip to the next page)
No (please explain why not in a separate memo)
Select the MCG Services You Desire
Please note:see our flyer for current fees. It is available atImmediately upon receipt of this questionnaire we will send a service agreement together with an invoice for the remainder of the startup fee; the fee must be paid prior to delivery of your startup documents. Fees are subject to change. Filing fees charged by governmental agencies are not included in our fees.
From the menu below select either AdMinistry®OR EZStart and answer each of the sub-questions for whichever selection you make. Near the bottom of this page you can select additional services including Form 1023 preparation and/or payroll.
I wish to enroll in EZStart,basic startup assistance for a one-time fee; EZStart is automatically included at no cost if you also enroll in AdMinistry®.
I wish to enroll in AdMinistry®—includes free EZStart, bookkeeping, payroll (optional), membership tracking, contribution tracking, free seminars & workshops, AdMinistry® resource materials, service discounts and more—all for a low monthly fee based primarily on your gross monthly income.
- In which month do you want AdMinistry® services to begin?
- What you expect your average monthly gross income to be during the first twelve months of operations.
- On which basis do you wish your books to be kept:
Accrual (more sophisticated but also more complicated; more common in larger entities or entities that must be audited)
- Have you already established a bookkeeping system?
No
- Churches only: When recording donations do you want to track tithes and unrestricted offerings separately or combine them into a single income account (combining them is most common)?
Separate them
- Do you already have a roster of donors/members (a list of names, addresses, phones, email addresses, etc.)?
No
- Do/will you receive grants that have to be accounted for separately?
Yes
- We will contact you to set up a mandatory 1.5 – 2-hour AdMinistry® training session. It can be done in-person or via on-line webinar.
Additional services you might be interested in:
Check here if you want to enroll in MCG’s payroll prep service. / Yes!
Check here if you want MCG to prepare Form 1023 (application for IRS recognition of tax exempt status; not required for churches);prep fee is discounted for AdMinistry®& Virtual CFO clients / Yes!
If you do not enroll in AdMinistry® consider these alternatives:
Check here if you want to enroll in MCG’s HELP!Line (ongoing phone/email support) to commence at the conclusion of your EZStart service / Yes!
Check here if you want to enroll in MCG’s Virtual CFO (ongoing oversight of your in-house admin program) to commence at the end of your EZStart service / Yes!
Formally OrganizingYour New Entity
All states assess a fee to process formal organization applications—the fee varies from state to state. The Ohio fee is currently $99. Filing fees are not included in MCG’s fees.
- Have you already filed Articles of Incorporation?(Ifyes, provide a copy of your Articles and corporate charter).
No (complete the remainder of this page)
- Unless you stipulate otherwise a representative of MCG will act as the incorporator of your new entity and MCG will automatically e-file your Articles of Incorporation based on the information contained in this questionnaire. Check here to authorize MCG personnel to act as the incorporator for your entity.
No, we prefer to personally sign and mail in a paper copy together with the filing fee.
If you chose to sign and mail a paper copy, please indicate the incorporator’s name and address: / Name
Address
- When will/did your organization’s regular operations begin?
- What type of business structure do you prefer? (Note: most non-profits organize as a non-profit corporation).
Unincorporated association (we strongly recommend you NOT choose this type)
If you chose something other than a corporation, what is your rationale for the alternative organization type?
- What type of entity are your forming?
- In which state do you wish to incorporate?
- What type of organization are you forming?
- What will your organization do?
Other:
- In no more than 25 words, explain the main thing your organization does. This is not a marketing statement—just a simple ‘nutshell’ statement of what you do (e.g., church, Christian counseling, shelter for homeless drug addicts, etc.). If you do more than one thing, list the top 2 or 3.
- Organizations that wish to be recognized as a tax-exemptmust be organized and operated exclusively for one or more of the purposes described in section 501(c)of the Internal Revenue Code.
Please indicate your organization’s exempt purpose. Check all that apply.
Note: most churches & other ministries check religious and charitable and educational. / Religious
Charitable
Educational
Scientific
Literary; or testing for public safety; or to foster national or international amateur sports competition
The prevention of cruelty to children
The prevention of cruelty to animals
501(c)(4) Civic league or social welfare org
501(c)(6) Business league
Other:
Qualifying 501(c)(3) organization types
Religious—requires the advancement of religious beliefs that are truly and sincerely held by the organization, and that the practices and rituals associated with the organization's religious belief or creed are not illegal or contrary to clearly defined public policy.
Charitable—activities that are beneficial to the public interest, including any of the following examples:
Relief of the poor, the distressed or the underprivileged
Lessening the burden of government
Lessening neighborhood tensions
Elimination of prejudice and discrimination
Defense of human and civil rights secured by law
Combating community deterioration and juvenile delinquency
Educational—includes either:
The instruction or training of individuals to improve or develop their capabilities, or
The instruction of the public on subjects useful to individuals and beneficial to the community.
Scientific—must show that the organization's research will be carried on in the public interest.
Testing for public safety— must show that the organization's activities involves testing consumer products to determine their acceptability for use by the general public. Please note that donations to organizations that are exempt exclusively because of this category are not tax-deductible.
Literary—must show that the organization's activities will be carried on in the public interest.
Amateur athletic organizations—must show that the organization's activities will be carried on to foster local, regional, national or international amateur sports competition or to support such activities.
Prevention of cruelty to children or animals—includes the prevention of cruelty to children including preventing children from working in hazardous trades or occupations or living in a dangerous environment or being exploited. Also includes the prevention of cruelty to animals including promoting high standards of care of lab animals and animal shelters and promoting spay/neuter services.
- Organizations that wish to be recognized as tax-exempt under §501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code must request recognition either as a Public Charity (deriving financial support from the public at-large) or as a Private Foundation (deriving financial support from a single person/business or a very small group of persons/businesses). Which do you intend to seek?
Private Foundation
Not applicable
- Do you want your corporate charter dated on a specific date (must be on or after the application date)?
No, the approval date will be okay
- Where will your principal office be located?
County State
- Who will be your statutory agent (referred to in some states as a registered agent)? The Statutory Agent is the legal point of contact for the organization. Must be a resident of your state at least 18 years old or (in some states) a business registered in your state.
Someone else (provide details below)
Name
E-mail / Street
City/State/Zip
- In which state(s) will you regularly solicit donations in person?
- Do/will you regularly sell any goods or services?
Yes;
Please describe:
In which states/counties
- If you will be seeking recognition of tax-exempt status: Please list here the largest annual amount of income you expect to receive during any ONE of the first three years of operations. Indicate only the amounts you expect to receive in the largest income year, not the total you expect to receive over the entire three-year period:
Program service fees
Interest and investments
Sales via a web site
Sales of merchandise to members
Sales of merchandise to the public
Sales of services to members
Sales of services to the public
Rent on property with no mortgage
Rent on property with a mortgage
- Do you wish to have a representative from MCG attend your first board meeting to help set things in order? (Note—having an MCG representative attend the meeting is included at no cost in your service agreement; however, unusual costs sometimes associated with attending (e.g., travel (in excess of 25 miles one way), lodging, etc.) are not included and are reimbursable to MCG).
In person
Via Skype
Yes, we will conduct the meeting, but we want an MCG rep to attend to answer questions as needed:
In person
Via Skype
No, we can handle things on our own
- Denominations/associations/other entities with whom your organization will formally affiliated and to whom you will be accountable.
Securing Your Federal ID Number
Important note: to secure your federal ID number (officially known as an Employer Identification Number or EIN) we must first complete Form SS-4, send it to you for your signature and then have you send it back to us. Your signed Form SS-4 serves as your authorization for us to secure an EIN for your organization on line.By the way, you may later be asked for a ‘tax-exempt number’. There is no such thing! However, if the requester is insistent, giving themyour EIN they will usually satisfy their ‘need’ to have a non-existent number in their file.
- Has your organization ever applied for a federal employer identification number before?
Please provide a copy of the Form SS-4 you used to request your EIN
Skip to the next page
No; answer the remaining questions on this page
- Name of your organization’s principal officer
- The principal officer’s social security number
- The principal officer’s title
- When do you want your fiscal year to end?
The last day of the month of
- How many employees will your organization employ during the next twelve months?
Approximately
When will (did) anyone receive a paycheck for the first time?
Will your total payroll in your first full calendar year exceed $4000 / Yes
No
Not sure
- Services/products your organization will provide/produce
Religious ministry
Something else:
Creating Your Code of Regulations (aka Constitution or Bylaws)
- Has your organization adopted a governing document (e.g.,Code of Regulations, constitution or by-laws)?If yes, please provide a copy.
No (complete the remainder of this page)
- What do you want to call your governing document?
Constitution
By-laws
Operating Agreement (LLCs only)
Something else:
- Most states require non-profit entities to be governed by a board consisting of at least three members. What do you call your governing board?
Board of Elders Elder Team
Church Council
Something else:
Not required because
- What will be the length of board terms?
One year Two years
Three years
- What is the maximum number of consecutive terms a board member will be permitted to serve?
terms
- Do you wish to include a clause establishing the founder(s) as a board member with a non-expiring term?
No
- Do you wish to include a clause protecting the founder(s) from removal for reasons other than gross misconduct or illegal activities (or, for religious entities, conduct or stated beliefs grossly inconsistent with the Christian faith and the organization’s values)?
No
- If you are a church or explicitly religious organization and you are not affiliated with a denomination that handles ministry credentialing at the denominational level, do you want to be able to issue ordination and licensing certificates to qualifying clergy candidates?
No
Not sure—we need more info
Churches Only
- MCG recommends NOT including your statement of faith in your Code of Regulations but instead including an authorization for the organization to adopt one separate from the Code of Regulations.
No, but authorize the pastor to adopt one
No, but authorize the pastor & board to adopt one
No, but authorize the board to adopt one
- Does your church incorporate an eldership function? If yes, do you want the eldership function and the board governance function to be separate functions?
No, we do not employ an eldership function
Yes, we employ separate eldership and board functions
Yes, the elders also serve as the board
- If you employ an eldership function, what will be the length of board terms? If you choose multi-year terms, we will set up a staggered board termschedule so that all board members' terms do not expire at the same time.
One year Two years
Three years
If you employ an eldership function, what is the maximum number of consecutive terms an elder will be permitted to serve? / No limit on the number of terms
- Who has primaryleadership of the spiritual affairs of your church?
The pastor with input from the elders
The pastor with input from the board
The elders
The board
The congregation
Another option (describe below)
- Please describe your spiritual leadership structure:
- Who has primary leadership of the business affairs of your church?
The pastor with input from the elders
The pastor with input from the board
The elders
The board
The congregation
Another option (describe below)
- Please describe your business leadership structure:
- Does your church accept individuals into formal membership?
Yes, with the Pastor’s approval
Yes, with the Board’s approval
Yes, with the Elders’ approval
- If yes…
Check if a membership application is required
Check if you have some other requirement and inform us what it is
Entities Other Than Churches