I set up a 501c3 not for profit for under $1000 and raised over $40,000 in the first year

I decided to leave my corporate life at age 58, four years after being diagnosed with breast cancer, and five years prior to my ideal retirement date. I had worked as an executive in the employer benefits industry for nearly 30 years and no longer enjoyed what I was doing. I also had zero patience to deal with “corporate politics”.

The uncertainty of my future altered my thought processes on my priorities including my career. I felt a strong desire to do something that helped those less fortunate.

I started working a flexible role as a licensing specialist for foster parents, and in early 2020, I decided to form a 501(c) (3) not for profit, “Kristi’s Klimbers Foundation, which provide financial and other medical resource support for cancer patients and survivors.

Thanks to an organization called “Non Profit Elite”, I was able to set the not for profit up for under $1000 within three months of working with them and Kristi’s Klimbers Foundation received a tax exempt 501c3 status from the IRS three months later.

We have been able to secure nearly $40,000 in corporate and individual grant donations since we became an official 501c3. I spent a couple hours a week “googling” companies that give donations to 501c3 charities and spent a couple hours a week filling out employer donation request forms.

I was surprised to receive large donations from name brand organizations very quickly. Very few organizations will provide donations if non profits do not have a 501c3 status so it is worth the extra time and effort to work with a professional to help you work through all of the compliance hurdles to obtain this status.

I love my life now, and feel very fulfilled spending my days focused on helping those in need. After helping insurance companies make money for the past 30 years, I feel I am finally doing something with “purpose”, and no longer dread going to work each day. I am also an active hiker and spend my free time “chasing waterfall hikes” in Arizona with friends and family members. I also plan to write about these waterfall hikes through this venue.

My current job allows me to set my own hours, and offers affordable health insurance, It also gives me the flexibility to focus on Kristi’s Klimbers Foundation a few hours a week.

I have been cancer free for almost five years and have learned to appreciate the life lessons having cancer has taught me including having a greater sense of support and compassion for others, and a greater appreciation for the simpler things in life.