In California (and other states) the first step to creating a Non-Profit (501(c)3) is coming up with unique name, and then reserving the name for your non-profit.
This is a 3 step process. Which is as follows.
1. Before you do anything else figure out a name you want for your non-profit.
2. Once you have the name you need to check if it available. To do this go to the Secretary of State's
Name Search webpage, and do a search for the name you want (the link is for the California name search webpage, if you are trying to incorporate in another state, then do a google search for: "Name availability search for <State Name>."
Make sure to 'check' the Corporations box, not the Limited Liability Corporations, or Entity Number boxes. (see below picture). For the example, I'm pretending that I want to call the non-profit: "Red Herring Inc."
Once you search for a name you should get a list, of how many organizations have similar names (see below).
For the "Red Herring" name there are 4 other organizations that have that name. However, we lucked out because all of these organizations are 'suspended', 'disolved', or 'forfeited'. This means that I can go ahead and register "Red Herring" as the name for my non-profit.
If one of the organizations had said 'active', then I would have had to change the name of my non-profit, or made it different. To make it different I would have either had to specify a location like: "Red Herring of Los Angeles," or gotten more specific, like: "Red Herring Comedy Center."
However, no active organization has this name so use this name and go onto the next step or reserving my name.
3. Now we have to fill out the form to reserve the name with the Secretary of state.
The CA form can be downloaded
here.
This form is very straight-forward, just fill in 1. your name and address, and 2. the name(s) you want, (because there is a chance that your name may be taken the form allows you to put down 3 different alternatives to a name. The state will give you the first one that is available.
There are a few other boxes in the form, but you don't need to fill them out.
Here is my example:
Once this form is filled out, mail it and a check for $10 dollars, to the Secretary of States address, which is on the top of the first page of the form (note you don't need to include the first page of instructions that is included in this form).
Once you have done these three steps, all you have to do is wait for a letter to come back from the Secretary of State saying that they have reserved the name for you for 60 days, this means that you have 60 days to complete the Articles of incorporation and send them in.
(Note: because the name will be reserved in your name, you will be the one who has to fill out the Articles of Incorporation which is part two of four in getting your non-profit 501(c)3 tax-exempt status).
Hope this helped.
-- Matthew
