The domains (.org and .com) have been purchased with the first two months of hosting ($30), most of the pages are complete, and I expect the site to be up and running next week. There are two last steps--getting a toll-free number ($30/90 + $4 min a mo) and printing cards and lawn signs ($100).
I'm so happy that web design, programming, marketing materials, press releases and media outreach is free! Hooray for years of challenging, stressful and traumatic professional experiences!
Two issues. Should I get a vanity number (the only one available is 877-FULL-TREE that is easy to remember for $90 or just a plain one for $30? Really, as a marketing person I so want the vanity number, but as I write this I realize I really don't have a choice, I can't be dumping piles of money into this. We really want to keep it simple.
Which brings me to the second issue. To run this as a non-profit project of our for-profit family business, or to make it it's own registered non-profit? I am going with the former for now. It will have overhead, but if the project just has small, local interest, it can just be a fun hobby. Grants, sponsors and donations are still available but to a lesser extent without 501(c)(3) status if it grows much and requires funding to run. Even then, if the project does grow and we keep it as a non-profit project of a for-profit company, if the website is getting good traffic, business sponsors can allocate it to advertising even though it cannot be written off as a charitable deduction.
Oh, I long for the days when Duke (our accountant) was at my beck and call for these things. But the times demand self-sufficiency. So, for the time, we'll just get it out there, see how the interest is, keep meticulous track of our financial ins and outs, and worry about the organization later.
Comments and input are very welcome!
1 comment:
How come you have .com too? I thought that meant money. Hm.
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