I wrote on June 29 here with a Foundation Update – for anyone who enjoys reading about the minutia of our setting up our non profit foundation. (I write about it because it keeps me sane. I hope you read it because you want to keep up with our progress and get to know us in the process!)

We just got back from our week at Camp Twitch and Shout, and during my stay in Winder, GA, I called sunbiz.org to see where my amended Articles of Incorporation were. The nice woman on the phone told me that they were about 2 weeks behind in processing amendments they have received. She assured me that once someone opened my request it would be completed within 10 minutes. Of course they cashed my check several weeks ago – (that was not delayed was it? 😉

I returned home, checked my mail, and there was an envelope from the Department of Corporations! I opened it to find that they have received my amendment request, received my check, and that I forgot to sign the document. I could have exploded, or blamed someone else (for making those forms so complex?). Instead I just rolled my eyes, signed the paper and wrote out a new envelope and put it in the mailbox.

I’ve never set up a corporation before. The fact that we missed the non profit Articles clause requirements was understandable – as evidenced by my friend Cassi who did the same thing in her non profit formation. That tells me that the Articles online form at sunbiz.org is a bit misleading….guilty by omission, perhaps. And, anyone can forget to sign a document when there are about 8 pages that go with the request – so I wasn’t too hard on myself.

Regardless, now I will wait patiently for the Department of Corporations to receive my signed request, which I expect will be 2 more weeks. This has held up the submittal of my IRS Form 1023 for Tax Exemption, which should take about 6 months or more to process, from what I am hearing. During that “dry” season we will not be soliciting funds because they won’t be tax exempt yet, so I will concentrate on a new website, communications plans, fundraising plans, and more with my enthusiastic Board.

So sometimes when the bump in the road slows you down, you just have to laugh it off and keep moving. Especially when you know your goal is worth every bump.

Diane Diamantis