An important question is going to be what features you want of your organization. For example, do you want it to make possible tax-exempt giving (many countries let you deduct giving to recognized charitable organizations against your income tax burden up to some limit)? Do you want to just avoid lots of bureaucracy (generally not compatible with being a charitable organization)? Do you want low or no tax burden? And, of course, as you note, can you create the organization on your own or do you need a local sponsor? I think trying to answer those will help you explore the space and narrow down the options.
We’ve been doing some research on our own and your questions corroborate what we have found. Yes, we would ideally want it to be tax exempt. And a certain amount of bureaucratic difficulties are indeed unavoidable, and therefore, we would prefer a location which is more accessible, specifically to non-citizens in terms of founding a non profit within its jurisdiction. This would then throw open issues of property and citizenship too, I feel. Need to follow up on that.
We are presently focusing on Germany. Hence, if you could provide any insights into the practical implications of running a non profit within Germany, we would greatly appreciate it.
An important question is going to be what features you want of your organization. For example, do you want it to make possible tax-exempt giving (many countries let you deduct giving to recognized charitable organizations against your income tax burden up to some limit)? Do you want to just avoid lots of bureaucracy (generally not compatible with being a charitable organization)? Do you want low or no tax burden? And, of course, as you note, can you create the organization on your own or do you need a local sponsor? I think trying to answer those will help you explore the space and narrow down the options.
Thank you so much, Gordon.
We’ve been doing some research on our own and your questions corroborate what we have found. Yes, we would ideally want it to be tax exempt. And a certain amount of bureaucratic difficulties are indeed unavoidable, and therefore, we would prefer a location which is more accessible, specifically to non-citizens in terms of founding a non profit within its jurisdiction. This would then throw open issues of property and citizenship too, I feel. Need to follow up on that.
We are presently focusing on Germany. Hence, if you could provide any insights into the practical implications of running a non profit within Germany, we would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you so much for your response again!