Checklist · Not-for-Profit, Charities & Associations
Section 501(c)(3) organizing document checklist
Checklist for the purpose clause and dissolution clause the Form 1023 instructions say an organising document must contain. It does not amend the document or complete the form.
- Kind
- Checklist. Steps or checks to work through and tick off.
- Where it applies
- United States
- AI use
- Yellow You and the tool draft together, with you directing. You check every statement you rely on.
- Law stated as at
- 22 October 2026
- Status
- Maintained. Checked on 22 October 2026 against the 2 authorities it cites, for United States.
- Version
- 1
- Source
- Written for this library
When to use it
Use when a lawyer is comparing an organising document with the purpose and dissolution provisions described in the Instructions for Form 1023. Do not use it as the filed application.
Used for these tasks
- Draft a constitution or rules from the model and the client's objects
- Build a charitable-purpose and public-benefit table
- Draft a charity-registration application narrative
Each task page says how far AI may help with the task and what the lawyer must review.
How AI may be used
Yellow: the lawyer compares the client's organising document with the instructions and decides whether an amendment is needed.
AI may
- Quote the instructions' example purpose clause and example dissolution clause as comparisons.
- List the exempt purposes named in section 501(c)(3) and in the instructions.
- Leave the state of formation and any reliance on state law blank.
AI must not
- Do not file Form 1023 or Form 1023-EZ.
- Do not decide that the organisation qualifies for exemption.
- Do not apply Rev. Proc. 82-2 beyond the sentence in the instructions. The procedure itself was not opened.
- Do not add a state nonprofit statute.
The lawyer checks
- Read the whole organising document, not only the purpose sentence.
- Read Rev. Proc. 82-2 before relying on state law for dedication of assets.
- Confirm that a named distributee must be exempt under section 501(c)(3) at dissolution, with an alternative.
- Do not treat a reference to section 501(c)(3) as sufficient if other clauses state a non-exempt purpose.
Method: how the Green, Yellow and Red levels are decided. This is guidance for planning, not legal advice.
Read the full text
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The summary, the law it rests on and the AI-use guidance above stay public. Privacy.
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