I am a permitted wildlife rehabilitator. Wildlife rehabilitation in my state involves declaring the work as nonprofit; however, I don’t have 501c3 status because I operate out of my own home and it’s much easier to manage everything myself than deal with a board of trustees and staff (especially since there are major liability issues involved in having anyone on my property unless they’re also licensed). I receive donations through PayPal to help with the costs of raising, treating, and caring for wildlife. These are marked as “gifts” when they are sent and are used for the intended purposes. I don’t receive nearly enough in donations to actually cover all my operating expenses, and it would be pretty disastrous if I ended up having to pay seller fees or report the gifted/donated funds to the IRS as income. Do I need a business account? Will I receive a 1099-K? (I’m well below the $20,000 a year threshold but expect to hit 200 total donations next year.)
