Not so taxing status

Filing the necessary paperwork for current student groups to gain tax-exempt or nonprofit status can mean jumping hurdles that take time away from philanthropic efforts.

So it’s great that the University is looking to create a group that would help nonprofit, charitable student groups obtain a 501(c)(3).

 With tax-exempt status, supporters can make tax-deductible donations to these groups.

For groups with short-term nonprofit ideas, the umbrella organization would provide a tax ID number they could use for fundraising.

The organization would provide leadership and guidance to those groups and ideas that are more long-term, at least until they are able to stand on their own two feet.

With this organization in place, charitable student groups can now concentrate more on their mission and less on legalese.

Currently, student organizations have to go through either the Office of University Development or the Campus Y to receive tax-exempt status.

But this organization will funnel all these requests for nonprofit status to a single entity.

In addition to helping groups gain nonprofit status, the organization plans to act as a support and learning facility for nonprofit groups on campus.

In a university setting, students should be given the ability to make their projects a reality.

This proposed organization plans to do just that by making it easier for students to materialize their philanthropic ideas, both legally and idealistically.