I am totally not a lawyer at all. But incorporated as what? 501-C3?

Yes, I believe so.

One of our big questions is whether or not we really need to file as a federal non-profit if our "customer-base" is limited to only those who come and see our locally-produced plays. Might filing as a state non-profit be enough?

You might be able to get advice from grant-writing or grant-proposing types. I really don't know.

Try Georgia Lawyers for the Arts. Every major metropolitan area in the US has a pro bono group of lawyers for the arts. I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't more than one in Atlanta. Just call any local art umbrella organization and they should be able to get you a list. Incorporation is routine, so I imagine there are plenty of volunteers who can handle it.

Hey, grabbingsand? Email me and I can put you in touch with someone who's had tons of experience with non-profit groups, both in the US and Canada. Tried your email off of your website, but it's not working for me. My email's in profile.

Emailed. Thanks.

(And I fixed my contact info, too.)

You can incorporate yourself pretty cheaply. I could do it, but I'm not in Atlanta and I'm pretty sure GA requires a local registered agent. And no, I can't provide legal advice, which is what it sounds like you're really looking for. But I did formerly help people incorporate in NJ/NY.

Also, isn't pro bono only for trial cases where there is expected to be a damage award? Like, they only get paid if they win the case? Here, it's just filing paperwork. I'm honestly curious about this.

Hi, Mrs. Grabbingsand here. We actually have some sort of specific federal questions - I don't know, maybe you know the answer. For example, in reading the . .I think it's the 1024 . . form, I was trying to figure out where we fit. It seems that symphonies qualify as educational, but theatre isn't specifically mentioned. So do we fit there, or do we have to ask for a ruling? (Which I have seen the letters of, and I know other theatre groups in other places have done this.) Also, we've been putting our own money into this for a certain amount of time, but does that count as anything at all as far as telling the feds about our money situation, which is also on the forms? We have not been incorporated in GA at all (and won't be til we can do the whole thing all at once, I think) and so there are no records of our org having had money. I very very previously worked in finance, and I can read and understand the forms very well, but there are just some niggling details like that hanging out there. I have mostly written articles of incorporation, I know what forms I need for the state, and I have the bylaws of another theatre org (they played show and tell) that I'm retooling for our style of getting things done.

Does that help?