One Million Acts - One Million Acts of Kindness

Yes, we just filed our 501c3 application!!! One Million Acts of Kindness is officially on its way to the big leagues. In a few short months we should get a determination letter and then it’s merely keeping up with our taxes and maintaining our exempt purpose. It’s that easy!

Does this mean we’re a 501c3?

Not yet. Once our application is received, our determination date becomes the date of filing (or often the date of receipt). That means donations made after they receive it will be considered donations to a 501c3.

Was the process hard?

No. Applying for 501c3 recognition is actually pretty easy if you get all your ducks in a row first. Since I’ve now gone through the process at least 40 times, I’m very familiar with the questions they ask and what additional information they want.

How long until you get recognition?

Minimum of 3 months, in my recent experience. It all depends on the workload they have right now, how complicated your application is, and the agent you’re assigned to.

Can you be denied 501c3?

Theoretically, yes. However, I’ve never had an application denied. More likely than not, they’re going to ask for supplemental information. If you provide that, your application stays open until you get a final determination. Since we’re not doing anything out of the ordinary or complicated, this should be smooth sailing.

What’s next?

Next, we need to start fundraising!

Where can I donate?

Send us a check!

Need help with your own nonprofit, check out the free NC Business Guide to Forming a Nonprofit.

One of the most important things we can explain is how we operate. We’re not like other charities. We’re more like a community foundation, but we’re much smaller and have a larger focus on investment and story telling.

Story Telling

There’s a lot of good in the world. We want to focus on the good and share those stories we come across. Every story we share is a firsthand account of something good in this world. Follow us on Facebook and keep checking out our library of kindness for more inspirational content.

Investment

Most charities spend almost all of what they bring in each year to make the most impact they can. However, we want to investment almost all of what we bring in and only use the investment income as an endowment. That way, we guarantee long-term sustainability.

Transparency

Our number one goal is transparency, so we aim to provide as much information here as we can. Periodically, we’ll be updating you with more information on where our revenue comes from, where it goes, and operational decisions. On top of that, we’re happy to answer questions you might have.

Our Causes

For the most part, our donors choose the causes we support. If 25% of all donations are made to reduce hunger in our community, we’ll use roughly 25% of our investment income to support causes that reduce hunger. Ultimately, who we choose to benefit is up to us, but we use the donations as a guideline.

Million Acts Process Chart - Operate - One Million Acts of Kindness

Our Detailed Process

We’re unlike other charities because our main focus is long-term sustainability.

Awareness
We want to bring awareness to good causes, whether or not they’re through a charity, business, or individual.
Donations
We collect donations to grow our fund and our impact.
Investment
Part of where we focus our efforts is in the investment process. We aim to grow our fund so we can grow our impact.
Research
When we’re telling stories of great impact, we’re also doing research! Because we’re a small operation, we get to focus on high impact, low cost causes.
Endowment
Finally, we operate as an endowment. Part of our funds are reinvested every year so that our impact can grow year after year without the need for larger community investment.

Just Filed Our 501c3 Application!