Legal Question in Tax Law in California

You do not necessarily need a lawyer to set up a nonprofit organization but it is highly advisable that you retain an attorney to assist you with the process, especially if you want to operate your organiation on an international scale (you may need to retain a few lawyers to do all of what you are saying you want to do with your organization--namely a business lawyer, a tax lawyer and an international lawyer or one who is well versed in all three of those areas).

To initially form a nonprofit in California you just need to submit Articles of Incorporation for a Nonprofit Organization to the Secretary of State and pay the fee. However, thereafter, you will need to prepare a number of other doucments that you may want to have a lawyer assist you with preparing.

And yes, a nonprofit organization can help people in other countries but again, you may want to consult with an international lawyer to help you determine the rules for operating in another country depending on what you want to do.

Also, if you want to be able to offer tax deductions for donations to your organization, you will need to qualify as a 501(c)(3) organization through the Internal Revenue Service and you might definitely need an attorney to assist you with that process.