What if you can't afford to the fee to apply for tax-exempt non-profit status?

Then you have a decision to make and that decision is how badly do you want it?  The most simple solution is to save up enough money to be able to pay the fee.  IT DOES NOT COST A MILLION DOLLARS to apply for tax-exempt non-profit status!

You can set up a website and ask for  donations.  There is more than one free webhosting site on the Internet.  Use your website to its full advantage.  There's nothing that says that you can't let more people know about your organization WHILE you are applying for tax exempt and non-profit status.

You can sell some things on Ebay.  I am an Ebay member and I have been able to sell on Ebay.

Just because you can't afford the fee now doesn't mean that you won't have the money in the future.  Plan to have the money in the future and in the meantime build up more interest in your organization and bring it to the public's attention WHILE you're applying for the tax exempt status.  Who is to say that you don't get an anonymous donor or two?