Access to specialty health food & nonprofit organization status in WA State

[Guest guest]

Here is some information, which might be helpful for some of you, on verifying

the legal structure and status of an organization in WA State. There are also

some links providing information on the nature and functions of nonprofit

organizations.

 

This information is of more interest to people eating raw or organic food

because a significant amount of our access to specialty health foods is through

nonprofits and specifically through coops organized as nonprofits.

 

There are a few identification numbers which are essential for organizations

operating as a nonprofit. Verifying identification numbers is a basic business

practice. Frequently contractors paint the identification numbers related to

their type of business on the sides of their vehicles so they are easily

available for people verify. Some nonprofits put their identification numbers on

their web sites for similar reasons. Generally if people are going to donate

time, goods, or cash, they want to know where their contributions are going, and

what kind of organization they are going to.

 

A simple way to get some facts is to check online databases for documents filed

when the organization was established. If an organization is a nonprofit, then

there will be additional documents filed establishing this.

 

Nonprofits and coops are registered in the WA State Business Records Database,

and ones which are organized as a corporations are also registered in the

Corporations Database. For a fee, you can request that the annual reports of

corporations registered in WA State be mailed to you.

 

Washington State Department of Revenue, State Business Records Database

http://dor.wa.gov/content/home/brd/default.aspx

 

Washington Secretary of State, Corporations Division - Registration Data

Search

www.secstate.wa.gov/corps/search_advanced.aspx

 

Here is an example of a nonprofit coop listed in the State Business Records

Database.

Legal Entity: Puget Consumers Co-Op

Doing Business as: PCC Natural Markets

UBI: 578084688

 

Washington State's overview of nonprofits and state taxes

http://dor.wa.gov/docs/pubs/industspecific/nonprofit.pdf

" Nonprofit organizations, even though they may be exempt from federal taxes, are

not generally exempt from taxes in Washington. "

 

To apply for federal nonprofit status with the IRS, an organization must have an

EIN

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employer_Identification_Number

 

Search for an organization which has received 501©(3) nonprofit status

http://apps.irs.gov/portal/site/pub78/

 

More information on nonprofit organization concerns:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_of_America_non-profit_laws

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/501%28c%29

 

May your day be filled with clarity, grace, progress, and warm laughter,

Roger