I want to start a tax exempt NYS charity. What are the steps?

Go the NY Secretary of State website, and they give you the layout. Be prepared with the statement of goals of your organization; know who will be on board of directors, what your organization will do. After the registration is complete, you will need to apply for Tax ID number. This process is in a nutshell, best to pay couple hundred bucks to an attorney to handle it for you.