What We Learned from Our IRS 1023 Journey
We built ReadyMeNow™ the same way we teach readiness—by learning through experience, working with what we had, and helping others do the same.
When we first set out to create ReadyMeNow™, we didn’t have investors, sponsors, or outside funding. We had a mission: to help people reveal hidden strengths in their life stories, steady themselves during moments that matter, and bring courage and confidence to the company they keep.
Like thousands of new educational charities, we filed IRS Form 1023, the long-form application for 501(c)(3) status. Most organizations wait six months or more for approval, and many fade away in that waiting period. We couldn’t afford to stop. We stayed the course—holding board meetings, tracking every volunteer hour, and building a transparent operating system that reflected the values we now teach.
The IRS approved ReadyMeNow™ in only 102 days, nearly half the national average. That result wasn’t luck—it was readiness in action. We built systems before we had funding, aligned every activity with our mission, and documented everything with integrity and clarity.
Along the way, we discovered that many applicants stumble not from lack of heart, but from preventable oversights. The five most common are:
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- Missing or incomplete purpose and dissolution clauses.
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- Weak narratives that don’t describe real activities.
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- Confused or incorrect charity classifications.
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- Inadequate disclosures about insider benefit or governance.
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- Filing the wrong form or omitting key attachments.
In each case, our solution was simple: be thorough, be transparent, and show readiness through evidence, not promises.
We’ve turned this learning into a free micro-course designed for small teams and founders who want to do it right from the start. The course, “Building Readiness from the Ground Up,” walks through three short lessons:
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- Lesson 1: Understanding Mission Clarity — defining purpose that stands the test of scrutiny.
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- Lesson 2: Building the Backbone — creating governance and documentation that last.
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- Lesson 3: Filing with Confidence — mapping your story to the IRS narrative.
There are no fees, no tests, no assessments in this course—only learning, reflection, and real-world examples. We offer it freely to help others avoid the long, discouraging wait that too often stops good work before it starts.
Each lesson includes direct links to public IRS resources so learners can read the source materials for themselves. It’s education, not advice, rooted in the same values that guided our own application: readiness, integrity, and inclusion.
If you’re forming a nonprofit, volunteering for one, or simply curious how community impact begins, this course is for you. Take what we learned the hard way and apply it to the difference you’re called to make.
→ To try out this free micro lesson, Click here to start learning that lifts, and please let us know how it might improve.