Every charity needs a clear goal that you subscribe to with all your assets and efforts.
Public charities are the largest category of the more than 30 types of tax-exempt nonprofit organizations defined by the Internal Revenue Code. They account for more than three quarters of revenue and expenses for the nonprofit sector and include arts, culture, and humanities organizations; education organizations; health care organizations; and human services organizations. Since these kinds of charities have direct benefits for society they are exempt from paying federal income taxes. Donations to charities are therefore also tax-deductible expenses that can reduce your taxable income. However, you must contribute to a qualified tax-exempt organization with a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. The IRS provides a search tool to check the status of an organization.
Private foundations, on the other hand, do not solicit funds from the public and instead are funded by a single source, such as an individual, family, or corporation. If the foundation does not support charitable, educational, religious, or other activities serving the common good, then it cannot qualify for US tax exempt status.
No matter which goals your charity is committed to: Consider that once you’ve defined your charity mission it can only be amended in certain cases. Amendments to your mission statements will usually not jeopardize the organization’s tax exempt status as long as it remains consistent with its tax exempt purposes and the change is disclosed to the IRS.
For this reason, you should keep in mind not to make your charity mission statement too specific. By formulating a more general, evergreen statement, you can make sure that your charity can flexibly adapt to future developments and tasks, without having to consider an overhaul of its purpose. Foundations with a limited shelf life can take a more relaxed stance on this.