I want to start a non-profit organization...?

That is a very worthy goal, but every state has regulations about nonprofits. You usually need a board of directors - a few volunteers to oversee the activities of the nonprofit organization - and bylaws, and you must be registered with the state before you can collect donations. Sometimes you have to incorporate first. You can make your own donations to an exisiting nonprofit, but you can't take other people's money and donate it in the name of your own nonprofit unless it's registered with your state. Sometimes it's better to support an existing nonprofit than to dilute support for your cause by starting a new one. There already are several horse-abuse and rescue organizations. You might want to join one of those to find out more about what they do and how they operate before starting your own. You could hold an event or collect donations to support it, as long as you don't collect money in the name of something that isn't registered. Here are a couple useful links: www.snpo.  more