I'm evaluating all funding options in partnering with the Non-Profit Mandarin Museum & Historical Society" (501c3) , including crowd funding.  

Look up some of the large 501c3 non-profits and see who are on the board of directors.

Another thing about foreign entities, while these are done for benefits under the state law of the state where they are organized, your state law may be given greater weight or be applied in some situations over those of the organizing state, real estate laws won't be looking at the color of the organizing state.IMO, and I'm not an attorney, is that foreign corporation status, complicates filings and taxation requirements, the benefits initially sought may not be applicable since you're not really operating in that state.  

Thanks for all of the ideas and contributions you guys have made.Right now I'm trying to organize the numbers of all the different options.

An agent needs to sell themselves as being an individual to connect with their clients.However, as an investor, you don't necessarily want to highlight that you are an individual, but rather a larger entity or organization.  

They have a good, stream-lined organization and lots of experience.Andy

You'll likely have to pay each time you meet if not a member of the organization.

Learning to raise and organize money and having the right vendors to execute are major development activities that are far easier to learn by being an apprentice with someone locally than they are by doing it yourself.  

If they won't pay on time you aren't running a business, you are running a nonprofit.

there are areas that tax's are very low on rural properties... but I do believe unless your a non profit pretty much every property has tax's  then you have big corps that create special tax breaks.city of Portlandia to stimulate growth in certain areas will waive tax's for 10 years... of course the price to purchase is generally 500k or more. but hat saves you 100k over the 10 years.Also in Oregon we have Ag and timber defferals which can make tax's very very low.I owned a 720 acre tree farm and I think my tax's were less than 2k a year... now how they pick up revenue is when we go to log we have to pay Harvest and severance tax's Also if we take land that is in AG deferral and change the use to say a subdivision ( my favorite activity) then we have to pay a deferral tax to get it out of AG and into the new use.. this can be substantial.. depending on the property.. not a deal killer but one needs to be aware of it.