Humble Beginnings for our Non-Profit

Promesa Peru is a start up non-profit. My name is Ray and you will meet my wife, Rose, and two of our other board members later. She is a native of Peru and now a US citizen. Her life as a young girl in Peru is what convinced us that we should start this organization to help the poorest of the poor children in Peru. Our goal is quite simple: We want to help the children of Peru and help their families to develop a better standard of living. Depending on many factors, we can grow as needed. While we are excited and optimistic, we don't want to go overboard. Our plan is to concentrate for the time being on the areas of the northern province of Lambayeque (lahm bayh YEH kay) which is an under served area due to its out-of-the-way location. It is not on the way to Machu Picchu like Cuzco is, nor is it the capital of Peru like Lima. It does have some great tourist attractions but most people bypass it in favor of the biggie, Machu Picchu. This also makes the area a less-than-desirable venue for charitable giving and volunteering.



WHERE WE ARE NOW

The idea has been rattling around in Rose's head for years. She knew that she wanted to do something for the children of Peru. She just didn't know exactly what. She is an extremely generous person as I discovered by her contributions to local charities such as homeless shelters and soup kitchens. Oh, and tipping. She always makes sure I leave a good tip wherever we go.

We decided that we needed to redirect the charitable giving to Peru where we can control the distribution of goods and funds. After much thought, we determined that a non-profit was the way to go since it will allow us to help many more children than just us by ourselves. Will it take a lot of work? Yes. Will it use up her valuable vacation time doing Promesa Peru work instead of lounging on the beach? Yes, again. Will it be worth it to see children grow into healthy, productive citizens of Peru? Oh, yes!

Establishing a non-profit is not an easy thing to do, as I have discovered. I have a Dummies book that is guiding me through the process in a very professional manner. Thus far I have:

• Written the Articles of Incorporation


• Written the bylaws


• Made temporary (and maybe permanent) appointments to our Board of Directors)


• Created our web site


• Started this blog (Thank you for reading, by the way!)


• Contacted an airline that services Peru regarding charitable shipping

WHAT WE NEED TO DO

• Get the Articles of Incorporation and the IRS forms submitted for tax exemption


• Obtain start up funding


• Find volunteers in Peru


• Find a reliable and inexpensive source for shoes and clothing and other necessities


• When IRS exempt status is a reality, apply to California for state exemption


• Begin grant writing efforts (most sources require tax exempt status)

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US

You can expect us to be forthright and honest. If we fall on our collective butts, you will know. If we receive a huge grant (or a tiny one) we will let you know. We plan to keep you advised on every aspect of our operation through this blog and our web site (http://www.promesaperu.org/). You can expect us to not be compensated for our efforts. All the funds need to go to the children. You can expect us to be diligent in our efforts.

WHAT CAN YOU DO RIGHT NOW?

Until we are approved for tax exempt status there is not a heck of a lot you can do except plan. Plan to volunteer or plan to help with financial support. We have great hopes and expectations for the future. Until our Articles of Incorporation are approved and we are a tax exempt organization, we can't even open a bank account. We can't even say that your donations are tax deductible until we are approved. If you think this is a worthy cause and you feel you just have to make a donation now, we'll find a way. We'll also do our best to make sure that we are approved by the end of this tax year (2010). For right now, the best thing you can do is keep reading and grow with us.