[pringle]

While I think this is a fine question for discussion on HN, you have to understand that 99% of HN users are clearly going to recommend the for profit route. HN is all about startup culture -- building, iterating, and constantly exposing yourself to market forces to see what works. It's the basic principle that everyone here lives and works by.

I happen to share that opinion, but perhaps my opinion might have added value because I've spent years in the DC nonprofit world you mentioned. And I can say from experience that the non profit structure as it is conceived by most organizations today is detrimental to innovation and success. Non profit advocacy is broken. This is obviously a huge topic, but I will quickly just comment on your specific situation.

Your startup is a content play, right? Never mind the subject matter. Sure, it's about do-gooder environmental stuff, but at the end of the day, you have to play by the same rules as all other content providers. Whether you like it or not, you are competing with HuffPo, TMZ, I Can Haz Cheezburger, etc etc. You are competing for people's attention. Going the non profit route just seems like a way to fool yourself into thinking you are insulated from market forces, when there's truly no insulating yourself from them. So why fool yourself. Expose yourself to the market, it will make you better and will give you a clearer and quicker picture of what works and what doesn't. The idea that things that make the world a better place shouldn't have to play by the same rules is BS. That's just a good way for an organization to die a slow, clueless death.

My two cents. But this is HN, so what did you expect? :)