You have to have something like the “Coalition”, for the unchaining would be your “not for profit”. The fire department is more complicated. 501 ( c ) 3 is the cleanest, lead time for that can be 1 year. I’m a member of a group that just got the 501 (c ) 3, before that we had the Chamber of Commerce collect all monies. Most people want a tax deduction and that can only happen with the non-profit status. We have gotten several corporations that now sponsor us.