You should be clear in your goal of starting a not for profit organization. Write down a mission statement first on your goal to start a non profit organization. If you need your organization to become a separate legal entity then you can look for incorporation of that as a non profit organization. If you want your organization to be exempt from federal taxes you have to file with the IRS for that. Not all of them are granted that status.
You can file the forms yourself in such cases are get the legal advice of a lawyer who know that procedures well. The nature of your organization plays a role in getting the tax-exempt status. To summarize the steps to start it, first you have to determine the purpose of such an organization and then check with the local state business office and get the requirements. Then use the necessary forms available with the IRS and file them in the appropriate entity category.
[tags]NGO, Charity, Service, Tax Laws[/tags]