In Chapter 6, “Choose a Name and File your Articles of Incorporation,” Mancuso states that “your corporate name is one of your most important assets.” Since it will be the primary way you will be identified by the community and other nonprofits, and will be used on your stationery, logos, web site, etc., he recommends that “you should pick a name you’ll be happy with for a long time.”
Mancuso also points out that your name must be unique. It cannot be the same as, or confusingly similar to, a name on file with the secretary of state. Practical suggestions when selecting a name include words that broadly suggest 501(c)(3) nonprofit purposes or activities (“betterment,” “education,” “philanthropic,” etc.). Avoid words that signify a profit-making business or venture.
Once you’ve settled on a name, you'll need to check if the name is available. You may check online or by phone by going to your state’s filing office web site; a few states will not do so over the phone, and you'll need to check by mail (a small charge for checking the name may be incurred). Here is information on how to check name availability when starting an organization in the DC metro area:
A: Once you have obtained nonprofit incorporation information and materials from your state’s filing office, you need to choose a name that you like and that also meets the requirements of state law. Anthony Mancuso’s How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation discusses this in detail; we’ve summarized some of his advice here.
District of Columbia: Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) Online Organization Registration
Maryland: State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) Business Data Search, Business Entity Information
- Virginia: Contact the Clerk's Office of the Virginia State Corporation Commission at (804) 371-9733 or within VA toll-free at (866) 722-2551.
More tips in Mancuso’s guide include what to do when there’s a name conflict, how to reserve your corporate name, and how to protect your name once you’ve filed your articles of incorporation. In his book How to Form a Nonprofit Organization, Mark Warda suggests that you find out if a web address using your proposed name is available. This can be done at www.domainname.com.
You may also want to read the Free Management Library’s Marketing: Naming and Branding section, which includes a link to the “3 Golden Rules of Naming” and other tips. Both of the books cited in this posting are available in all of our Foundation Center Offices; to search for related books, use the Catalog of Nonprofit Literature entering the subject term “Nonprofit organizations--establishment and termination.” The Foundation Center also provides many FAQs on the topic of establishing a nonprofit organization.
(Thanks to Robert Bruno, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-New York, for sharing this post.)
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