There's a reason the question how to start a nonprofit shows up in Google thousands of times every month. It's not just paperwork or a tax classification problem. It's a reflection of something bigger: ordinary people deciding that the status quo isn't good enough. Some want to fight hunger in their city. Others want to formalize a professional network or launch a chamber of commerce. Some simply want to take an idea that's been living in notebooks and late-night conversations and turn it into an institution that outlives them.