Many widows and their families find that they would like to establish a charity or nonprofit in their loved one’s memory only to feel overwhelmed by the arduous paperwork and the process itself. Mary Ann Cooper hit the ground running, no pun intended, after her husband, Dr. Nelson Cooper, a beloved professor at East Carolina University, died from ALS in 2017. Mary Ann established the CoopStrong nonprofit 4 miles walk-run race as a way to keep Coop’s legacy alive while assisting local families with the disease of ALS and providing scholarships.
If you are interested in setting up a 501c3 for your spouse, Mary Ann provides some excellent insight and direction in the process.
One of the saddest things for me when Coop died was accepting that the amazing work he was doing had ended. He had a gift for helping others achieve their dreams and sharing his faith in a way that was real and relatable. I wanted his story and his legacy to live on; I wanted to pay forward the generous gifts we had been given; I wanted to help find a cure for ALS so other families don’t have to experience this loss. Starting a non-profit organization in his memory became the way for me to do these things and helped me process my grief through action.
I met with a CPA and attorney who helped me determine the right path to establish our organization, CoopStrong. Becoming a 501c3 organization was my original goal, but I learned through the process that we could establish a “pass-through” charitable fund through the Community Foundation of NC East. Our donors’ gifts are tax deductible and acknowledged by the Foundation who also handles the disbursement of payments, insurance for events, and administrative needs. CoopStrong raises and directs the use of those funds to meet our mission. Establishing a dedicated advisory team to help make decisions was a critical step in becoming established. We also created a website through WIX (www.wix.com) and social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to share information. Although not always easy, focusing on using our tragedy to help others is definitely rewarding and healing.
Mary Ann Cooper for CoopStrong
For more information about CoopStrong please visit our website at www.coopstrong.org
Follow us at: Faceboook: @coopstrongnp
Twitter: @coop_strong
Instagram: coop.strong
You can learn more about establishing a charitable fund at The Community Foundation of NC East www.cfnceast.org. Additional information about starting a non-profit organization can be found at Starting a Nonprofit | USAGov