Would you pay to do a cleanup dive?

[FreqFlier]

I would consider something like that but I don’t know anything about the legalities, or even if there are any legal/tax issues. It might be that in order to do that it would require a 501(c)(3).

Legal part is easy - advertising.

T-shirts, banners etc may have sponsoring company name with whatever they want to say on them - expenses written off as advertising, no need for tax exemption.

On top of that you can always find a non-profit or smth to donate to " a green cause"

 

[FreqFlier]

donations from the local businesses and promotes those businesses who donate money or prizes vs making the divers who are doing the work pay to work. It's a win-win for all. The divers get a free dive w/rentals, the shop sells more dive junk and beer that day of the party, the local businesses get promoted with their door prizes, and the beach gets cleaned up.

Ditto