Rebuild Hot Springs’ Path from Paperwork to Progress: A Foundation for Recovery
RHSA’s team signs checks and mails the first round of initial relief for the community in late 2024. Their first goal, which they met, was to get the money that was already there into people’s hands before the holidays. This was possible due to getting their 501c3 status quickly. (Photo courtesy of Rebuild Hot Springs Area)
When Hurricane Helene struck the town of Hot Springs, overwhelming support poured in but there was not an existing nonprofit that could handle the enormous workload ahead.
The community sprang into action to create Rebuild Hot Springs Area (RHSA), which acts as both a long-term recovery group and a community action group. TJ Phillips, President of the Board, saw the clear and urgent need to begin work right away.
“When we started, there was nowhere you looked that there wasn’t something you could point at that needed addressing or was impacted in some way by this,” said TJ. “Anywhere that there was an unmet need in the community in one way or another — that was our mission.”
However, to move forward with that mission and accept the grants and tax-deductible donations to start the emergency work, the new nonprofit quickly needed a 501c3 status and all the foundational paperwork to go with it. Having previous experience working with various nonprofit organizations, one of the first things TJ did was to reach out to his connections for advice.
Adding an attorney to the board was not doable for the town, but many recommended reaching out to Pisgah Legal Services.
Building the Foundation
Pisgah Legal’s Community Economic Development (CED) Program helps organizations obtain nonprofit and 501c3 status. The CED program provides technical assistance, legal services, and education for organizations. While RHSA had the vision and team to make it happen, Pisgah Legal provided the essential, behind-the-scenes legal structure they needed to begin the actual emergency work.
“We had some critical issues to sort out,” said TJ. “We didn’t have the necessary expertise on our team. That created the foundation for everything else to be built upon.”
Megan O’Dell, attorney at Pisgah Legal Services, helped RHSA draft a conflict-of-interest policy and advised them on any potential conflicts on their board. She also drafted a confidentiality agreement for board members, staff, and volunteers and a grant attestation form, stating that applicants or recipients of funding have truthfully disclosed insurance payments, financial assistance, and other payments they received for hurricane relief.
Organizational paperwork, compliance, and structure are vital for an effective nonprofit. Pisgah Legal can also help request expedited handling of the forms for organizations that are responding to disasters, which was exactly what RHSA needed.
| “To have the help from Pisgah Legal was critical. None of the grants we won would have been possible if we didn’t have all of the pieces and parts put together organizationally.” |
“To have the help from Pisgah Legal was critical,” said TJ. “None of the grants we won would have been possible if we didn’t have all of the pieces and parts put together organizationally. We would have had some huge challenges.”
How a Strong Foundation Helped a Community Recover
With the organizational foundation set up for success from the start, RHSA could immediately begin the work of laying actual foundations. Pisgah Legal’s help meant that RHSA didn’t have to spend additional time, money, and resources trying to figure out where and how to get their 501c3 status and all the paperwork needed.
Now, more than a year after Helene, RHSA has had a hand in nearly every area you can think of when it comes to recovery, including financial assistance for residents and community organizations, dumpsters for cleanup, and support for infrastructure and emergency services. Nearly $2,000,000 has been raised so far and distributed back into the town.
Widespread Community Impact
While many projects will be ongoing for some time, RHSA has completed most recovery efforts for both housing and business projects and expects to wrap those up before the end of the year.
| To get someone back into their home, they have to have something to come home to.” |
“One of the things we really considered was that for every employer that we get open again, how many people do they employ that we get to keep in our community,” said TJ. “To get someone back into their home, they have to have something to come home to.”
RHSA helped build a place to call home again for so many. But their work doesn’t end here. As a community action group, there are many more projects and initiatives to come.
“I don’t think there’s any end of good ideas,” said TJ. “So long as it’s something that the community at large feels like is worth us pursuing — that’s our mission.”
To learn more about RHSA’s progress and support their mission, visit rebuildhotsprings.org. For information on becoming a nonprofit, view Pisgah Legal’s Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Nonprofit 501c3.