Starting a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Wyoming is easy — and the first task is filing your Articles of Incorporation. This guide will walk you through the 10 steps required to file the Articles of Incorporation to officially start a nonprofit in Wyoming.
Start your business for $29 with Northwest
- Formation and FREE registered agent services for your first year
- Best privacy protection and customer service
And, read our best nonprofit formation services review on Startup Savant.
Getting Started
To start a 501(c)(3)-eligible nonprofit corporation in Wyoming, you must file the Nonprofit Corporation Articles of Incorporation. This guide covers each step you must take to fill out this document successfully and get on the right track to forming a Wyoming nonprofit.
Step 1: List Your Nonprofit’s Name
Step 2: Indicate Your Corporation Type
Step 3: Choose a Registered Agent
Step 4: Provide Your Nonprofit’s Mailing and Principal Office Addresses
Step 5: Confirm Any Members
Step 6: Outline the Distribution of Assets Upon Dissolution
Step 7: Describe the Type of Business Your Nonprofit Will Conduct
Step 8: List Your Incorporator and Corporate Contact Information
Step 9: Complete the Registered Agent Consent Form
Step 10: File Formation Documents
(Check out our other guides for a look at how to start a nonprofit organization or how to file articles of incorporation in other states.)
Step 1: List Your Nonprofit’s Name
The first step to filling out your Wyoming Articles of Incorporation is to list your nonprofit corporation’s name. If you haven’t gone through the process of establishing a name for your organization, here are the requirements for naming a nonprofit in Wyoming:
- Your nonprofit’s name must be distinguishable from any other name on record within the state of Wyoming, including any reserved names.
- Your nonprofit’s name can’t imply it serves another purpose or intent than what’s stated in the Articles of Incorporation.
Recommended: For a step-by-step guide to naming your nonprofit corporation in Wyoming, read our guide on How to Name a Nonprofit in Wyoming.
Search the Availability of Your Name
After selecting potential names — ideally, at least four or five — it’s important to search for their availability in your state. You can do this by conducting the four recommended searches outlined below, or use our 501(c)(3) Lookup Table.
Wyoming Business Entity Search
To operate in Wyoming, a nonprofit corporation must have a unique name. You can easily check if your chosen name is available by performing a search using the Wyoming business entity search tool.
Domain Name Search
We strongly recommend that you also check to see if your business name is available as a web domain (URL). Even if you don’t plan to create a business website today, you may want to buy the web address to prevent others from acquiring that domain name. It’s a free search.
Federal Trademark Search
You can easily check if someone already trademarked your chosen nonprofit name by using the federal Trademark Electronic Search System. This is important even if you don’t plan to incorporate your nonprofit right away.
Once you confirm that no one else already trademarked your chosen name, you can apply for a trademark for your nonprofit.
Web and Social Media Search
A strong social media presence will play a key role in expanding your reach to potential donors as well as clients that will use your services. That makes it important to search the web and popular social media platforms for your desired name before registering it to ensure it’s available on all the platforms where you plan to promote your organization.
Step 2: Indicate Your Corporation Type
Indicate the type of nonprofit corporation you’re forming by checking the applicable box from these options:
- Religious
- Public Benefit
- Mutual Benefit
Step 3: Choose a Registered Agent
A registered agent is required to file the Articles of Incorporation in Wyoming. Either an individual resident or a domestic/foreign business entity authorized to do business in Wyoming may fill this role. A registered agent’s responsibilities include accepting and forwarding service of process documents for the corporation as well as serving as a point of contact for the entity.
Your nonprofit corporation can’t serve as its own registered agent.
Requirements for this section include:
- Your registered agent’s name
- Your registered agent’s physical address (You may list a P.O. Box in addition to a physical office address, but it’s unacceptable by itself.)
Recommended: Using an affordable registered agent service offers many benefits. For more information on choosing a registered agent service, read our full guide.
Step 4: Provide Your Nonprofit’s Mailing and Principal Office Addresses
In articles four and five, provide your nonprofit corporation’s mailing address as well as its principal office address.
Step 5: Confirm Any Members
The term “members” has a specific legal meaning, which is that members elect their nonprofit corporation’s board of directors in a formal meeting. If your corporation has a board of directors that elects itself, then you don’t have members. Members also aren’t donors or volunteers.
Confirm whether or not your nonprofit corporation will have members by checking the appropriate box in this section.
For a complete guide to forming your nonprofit’s board of directors, read our How to Develop a Board of Directors for a Nonprofit in Wyoming article.
Step 6: Outline the Distribution of Assets Upon Dissolution
Next, describe how your nonprofit will distribute its assets in the event of its dissolution.
Distribution of assets upon dissolution must be for approved, tax-exempt purposes only. For more information about the requirements of dissolution and 501(c)(3) status, refer to the sixth section of the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS’) suggested language for corporations and associations.
Step 7: Describe the Type of Business Your Nonprofit Will Conduct
In this section, describe the type of business your nonprofit will conduct — sometimes also referred to as your nonprofit’s purpose. For your nonprofit to be eligible for 501(c)(3) status, its purpose must include one or more of the following characteristics:
- Charitable
- Religious
- Educational
- Scientific
- Literary
- Testing for public safety
- Fostering national/international amateur sports competition
- Preventing cruelty to animals/children
Step 8: List Your Incorporator and Corporate Contact Information
An incorporator is any person who participates in the completion and submission of the Articles of Incorporation. You must include the name, address, and signature of each incorporator in this formation document.
In this section, you also must provide the name, daytime phone number, and email address of your preferred contact person for this filing.
Step 9: Complete the Registered Agent Consent Form
In Wyoming, you must provide proof of consent from your registered agent via the Consent to Appointment by Registered Agent form attached to your Articles of Incorporation. To complete this form, your registered agent must provide:
- Their name
- Their registered office’s physical address, including the city, state, and ZIP code
- Your nonprofit corporation’s name
- Their signature and the date of their signing
- Their printed name and title
- Their daytime phone and email address
- Their mailing address (if it differs from the office address provided above)
Step 10: File Formation Documents
You can file your Wyoming Articles of Incorporation in two ways: online or by mail.
File the Wyoming Articles of Incorporation
OPTION 1: File Online With the Wyoming Secretary of State
– OR –
OPTION 2: File by Mail
Fee: $25
Mailing Address:
Wyoming Secretary of State
Herschler Building East
Suite 101, 122 W. 25th St.
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0020
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I start a nonprofit organization in Wyoming?
You can start a nonprofit corporation in Wyoming by filing the Nonprofit Corporation Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State online or by mail.
How do I find nonprofits in Wyoming?
Use our handy Wyoming 501(c)(3) Lookup Table to find nonprofits in Wyoming. You can use this tool to see if your preferred nonprofit name is in use or not.
Wyoming Nonprofit Quick Links
IRS: Information for Charities and Nonprofits
IRS: Charity – Required Provisions for Organizing Documents
IRS: Form 990 Series for Tax-Exempt Organizations
IRS: Applying for Tax-Exempt Status
IRS: 501(c)(3) Compliance Guide
Wyoming Nonprofit Corporation Act
Wyoming Department of Revenue (Sales and Use Tax Information)
Wyoming Business Council (Licensing and Permitting Information)
Wyoming Department of Workforce Services
Wyoming 501(c)(3) Lookup Table