Don't be afraid to climb on the skinny branches.

Don't be afraid to climb on the skinny branches.

Saturday, December 12, 2015

"No one has ever become poor by giving."



"No one has ever become poor by giving."
Anne Frank
Diary of Anne Frank

  It has been 15 months since we lost Ryan.  The pain is still great but we press onward with our commitment  of helping others achieve their goals and dreams through the Ryan Rorie Foundation.  Starting a non-profit foundation is not for the weak or faint of heart.  I knew  absolutely nothing about non-profits when I came up with this dream.  I had no idea how many hours, how much frustration, and how many setbacks it would involve.  All I knew was that I wanted to do something that would benefit others in Ryan's name.  I wanted his name to live on and I didn't care how hard it was going to be to make it happen.  I ordered books from Amazon and read online articles.  Non-profit Kit
for Dummies has been my constant companion and it now looks like a well worn dictionary.  I have humbled myself to call and e-mail people to ask questions, which I am sure they later laughed about.
    We had trouble setting up a board of directors.   At first we would hear, "Oh yes.  I want to be on the board.  I want to help you."  But when it got down to the "nitty gritty,"  suddenly they were just too busy.    We now have an excellent board of directors.  We all work many hours per week - unpaid.  We are all professionals - we all have high stress jobs.  Two of our board members have school aged children at home - but we still devote time to the foundation. We hold board of directors meetings via Skype.  We are spread out over 5 states and 2 time zones.  We e-mail - e-mail - and send more e-mails.  
   The first stages involved writing a mission statement, a purpose, writing by-laws, articles of incorporation, conflict of interest policy, creating a budget, and much more.  Then there was the question of where the initial start up funds come from.  I soon realized that I was "in over my head."
  Enter - Chris S.  I am a happy "Googler" and I found Chris's website.  His job is to help individuals and groups set up non-profits.  I hired Chris to help me with the legal paperwork for the IRS.  I had never heard the term 501(c)(3) until a year ago.  Now it rolls off my tongue easily.  This is the status granted by the IRS that allows individuals to make donations to a non-profit that gives the donor a tax write-off.  I was so dumb about this.  I thought, "OK. I can download the forms and fill them out.  Wrong!  The Form 1023 is 31 pages long and the descriptive attachment that goes with it is 15 pages long.  There are questions that I have no idea how to answer.   If you submit this to the IRS with errors, your status will be denied until they are corrected and that could set you back months.  Chris's fee is not cheap and the fee to the IRS is $850 so you need start up funds if you want to found a non-profit    Chris has been kind and patient with me.  Yes, I know he is being paid, but he could still be gruff and he isn't.  We conduct weekly two hour long (yes two hours) phone calls.  He goes over every document word by word and makes sure there are no errors.  It's tiresome work but it will soon be complete.
   We have scheduled our first fundraiser for March 12, 2016 in Los Angeles.  Two of our board members are graphic artists and they have taken the helm on this.  Our board member, Nicole, lives in LA and has put together, what will be, an awesome show.  Board member, Christel, is working with our advertising agent to promote the show.  I cannot say enough good things about these young women.  Both of these women loved Ryan and he loved them.  Christel and Ryan were friends form toddlers on.  Ryan met Nicole in California.  I refer to Nicole as " Ryan's Nicole."  She's the daughter-in-law that I never got to have, but in my heart, she is.
   Through planning this event we needed an advertising agent.  Nicole secured a deal, greatly discounted, since we are a non-profit.  Brad, the young man that runs the advertising company, has also been very kind to me.  Last night we were e-mailing back and forth, getting the necessary paperwork done and I said to him, "I am sorry that I don't know these things.  I am having to learn as I go."   He replied that he would carefully walk me through the paperwork and make sure I understood what I was signing.  He also told me that he is a former Special Ed teacher and has a soft spot for teachers.
   It's funny how you go through life and don't really know much about some of the people you encounter.  Misty and I have been amazed at how many people that we have dealt with in other areas of our life and careers and didn't know that they were involved with non-profits until recently.  We have gotten great tips and information from many of these people.  
   Many people have asked me why I am pursuing this.   When I lost Ryan, at first, I didn't want to go on living but I realized that I have another child and grandchildren who I love just as much.  I need them and they need me.   But -  I needed something that would allow Ryan's legacy of loving the creative arts to live on.  I have had people tell me that I should take the money I'm spending on the foundation and  treat myself to a dream vacation or buy something for myself.  That's just not me.  I wanted to create something for Ryan that will live on.  Kids that benefit from the foundation may never know who Ryan was or what he did and that's OK.  It is about Ryan's love of the arts and his desire that all kids get to express themselves creatively. 
   I would be remiss if I didn't address one last item.  I see a lot of shares on social media about non-profits and how the money doesn't go to the actual cause.  I can only speak for our foundation.  Our board of directors are unpaid - we work FREE.  At this juncture, we are paying for our own traveling expenses and so on.  A non-profit cannot give 100 percent of the donations.  We have to pay our bills.  There are attorney fees, accountant fees, advertising fees, TAXES (both federal and franchise).  We are a corporation and fall under the same tax laws as any business where you shop.  We will donate what is left after the bills are paid.  Not to sound harsh - this is just the reality of it.
  Becoming the founder of a non-profit has really been an eye opener.  I now shop for gifts from non-profits.  I couldn't complete my entire holiday shopping this way, but many of my gifts came from non-profits and I plan to continue to support them.
   I wish all of you a Happy Holiday and as you celebrate with your loved ones, please be reminded that there are so many out there in need.   Give what you can and do so with a giving heart.
Shelley
Ryan Rorie Foundation