Michele Whetzel founded Your 501 Guide with a simple belief: starting a nonprofit shouldn’t feel confusing, expensive, or overwhelming – it should feel empowering.

With more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit world, she has founded two nonprofits, led three statewide charitable organizations, and served on 15 boards. Along the way, she has chaired committees focused on everything from fundraising and grantmaking to governance and community engagement.

Michele is also the award-winning author of So, You Want to Start a Nonprofit, Now What?, which received a Silver Medal in the 2024 Global Book Awards. Her follow-up title, Nonprofit Setup Simplified, quickly became a bestseller and continues to help founders fast-track their 501(c)(3) status with clear, step-by-step guidance.

Her experience – spanning consulting, leadership, board service, and grassroots startup work – gives her a unique 360-degree perspective on what makes nonprofits succeed. She believes in ethical leadership, radical transparency, and rolling up your sleeves to get the job done.

Today, Michele’s passion lies in empowering everyday visionaries to build sustainable organizations that create real, lasting impact.

In addition to one-on-one consulting, Michele is available for speaking engagements on a variety of nonprofit topics. To learn more, explore the “Consulting” and “Speaking Engagements” sections of this site.

“I love helping people set up their passion projects. I want to give them the information they need to avoid making the mistakes I made, so they can get to helping others sooner.” — Michele