What is a Fiscal Sponsor?
Why Would I Want Fiscal Sponsorship?
Imagine you bought a plot of land to build the house of your dreams. Would you draw up the blueprints and start laying the foundation yourself? Or would you hire a contractor to do it? If you’re not in construction, it only makes sense to hire an expert.
Gaining a fiscal sponsor to start a mission project is like hiring an expert to tackle a building project. If you’ve never launched a nonprofit before, there’s a lot you need to learn to get started and keep it running smoothly.
Rather than scrambling to get it right, you can grow your mission idea through fiscal sponsorship. You will save time, effort, and gain peace of mind by partnering with a fiscal sponsor you can trust--because they know what they’re doing!
Although fiscal sponsors can vary with the services they provide, here are a few things that you could gain with fiscal sponsorship:
What You Can Gain with a Fiscal Sponsor
• Website design and upkeep - done for you! ✔
• Donation processing and receipting - done for you! ✔
• Bookkeeping and disbursement of funds - done for you! ✔
• Monthly financial and donor reporting - done for you! ✔
• Expert marketing & fundraising advice - at your service! ✔
• Credible consultation from a nonprofit expert - at your service! ✔
How Does Fiscal Sponsorship Work?
A fiscal sponsor is your quick, simple, and low-risk way of starting a mission project. Rather than creating and running your own nonprofit, you can partner with a fiscal sponsor that will legally endorse your mission and provide you with their established, nonprofit infrastructure.
This way, you will gain all the same benefits of nonprofit status without putting in the heavy lifting to apply for one. And you won’t need to figure out what to do first or manage all of the nitty-gritty details yourself, since they will do it for you.
A fiscal sponsor understands the nonprofit world and will guide your toughest business decisions. They will share their credibility, expertise, and tax-exemption status with your mission project. At the same time, a fiscal sponsor will manage your financial and administrative needs--which takes a lot of time and effort off your plate to focus on growing your mission!
5 Compelling Reasons You Want a Fiscal Sponsor
Fiscal sponsorship is an incredible option for most mission-driven projects. Here are several benefits you can gain by finding one that’s right for you.
1. You can start your mission work right away!
A fiscal sponsor will endorse your project. This means you don’t need to file all the legal paperwork to gain your own 501c3. With a fiscal sponsor, there are no startup costs and no long waits to get approval. You can start raising money and doing good immediately!
2. You can focus on growing your mission, rather than running your operations.
Most fiscal sponsors will handle your administration and operational needs, such as bookkeeping, donor receipting, and donation processing. Some will even design and upkeep your website or provide reliable fundraising and marketing support. Their services and costs will vary by organization, so you’ll want to find one that meets your needs the best. Feel free to browse the Fiscal Sponsor online directory.
3. You can apply for grants immediately.
Most grant-givers look for credibility when choosing a project to sponsor. They want to spend their money wisely and give to reputable causes. With a fiscal sponsor, you will gain credibility as a nonprofit organization. This means you won’t need to wait for your good marketing and PR to kick in. Organizations will trust you right away, so you can start earning grant money out of the gate.
4. You can freely lead and direct your mission the way you want.
With a fiscal sponsor, you’re not bound behind red tape. You will maintain total independence to make the big decisions and run your mission the way you want. Even though a fiscal sponsor provides many backend benefits, one thing they will not do is tell you how to run your project. But they will surely guide you and cheer you on every step of the journey!
5. You will get a committed partner to guide your toughest decisions.
When you feel stuck or overwhelmed, you have someone to turn to for support and guidance--and not just anyone. Your fiscal sponsor will have managed several nonprofit missions successfully, so they know what they are doing. With their experience, they can offer tried and tested advice to make your mission as successful as possible.
Is Fiscal Sponsorship Right for You?
Fiscal sponsorship could save you an immense amount of time and effort from the very beginning, whether you want to grow a mission project or serve as an individual missionary. The services and associated costs with fiscal sponsors can vary, so you will want to find one that fits your needs the best.
Global Horizons Inc. is a fiscal sponsor committed to all our faith-based partner projects. We want to handle your everyday operations with care and empower your God-given mission, so you can focus on growing your impact and doing the things you love most.
We offer a competitive flat rate for our full range of services.* Our services come with no extra charges or hidden fees, and we don’t charge anything upfront to get started.
If you have questions about fiscal sponsorship, let’s get connected! You can fill out our contact form to schedule a free discovery call with us. We would love to talk you through the process of fiscal sponsorship and see if this is the right path for your mission project.
Schedule a free discovery call
*We charge a 9% allocation fee for our complete range of services. The industry standard is 10% or more.