OUR EXPERIENCE
We serve nonprofits of all types and sizes, offering creative legal advice grounded in over 20 years of specialized experience in nonprofit law.
In addition to serving a wide variety of nonprofit organizations, our clients also include donors making significant or complex gifts, businesses forming foundations for cause-marketing campaigns, and nonprofit founders considering the best philanthropic vehicle to meet their needs.
PRACTICE AREAS
Specifically, our team of nonprofit lawyers provides advice and counsel with respect to the following:
- STARTING A NONPROFIT AND MAINTAINING TAX-EXEMPT STATUS
- GRANTMAKING AND GIFT PLANNING
- INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS AND GRANTS
- NONPROFIT MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS, AFFILIATIONS
- NONPROFIT TAX CONSULTING
- OUTSIDE GENERAL COUNSEL
- CAUSE MARKETING (COMMERCIAL CO-VENTURES)
- CHARITABLE SOLICITATION AND PROFESSIONAL FUNDRAISER REGISTRATIONS
RESOURCES
Free Guides for your Nonprofit Organization
How to Start a Nonprofit
State Registration
Nonprofit Legal Checklist
Taking minutes of nonprofit board meetings
How to Start a Nonprofit
Before you form a legal entity and apply for tax-exempt status, you need a strong, well-researched plan for your organization. Download our free guide to learn about the many elements needed to run a successful nonprofit organization, as well as how to avoid common pitfalls and mistakes.
State Registration
Most states require you to register your organization if you solicit donations from their residents. Many states also require registration if your organization collects substantial or ongoing donations from their residents, even if you aren’t specifically targeting donors in that state. Download our comprehensive list of each state’s requirements.
Nonprofit Legal Checklist
There are many legal issues specific to nonprofit organizations that can be easily prevented by taking certain steps early on in the life of the organization. For more established nonprofits, it’s a good idea to conduct a periodic review of your compliance documents, tax filings, and record keeping. We created this checklist to help you understand the items that a lawyer will assess when reviewing the overall legal health of your nonprofit organization.
Taking minutes of nonprofit board meetings
Meeting minutes are a necessary form of record-keeping for all nonprofit organizations, regardless of size. These records can be used as legal evidence by the courts, IRS, and other regulators, so it’s important to ensure minutes are properly completed and stored. But where do you start?
CharityLawyer Blog offers plain language explanations of complex nonprofit law concepts, discussions of current events and links to valuable resources for nonprofits.
FEATURED BLOG POSTS
- Public Support Test
As discussed in last week's Nonprofit Law Jargon Buster, there are some organizations that are, by their very nature, considered public. These include churches, schools, and hospitals. Other types of charitable organizations must pass one of two mathematical tests calculated on a four year rolling average to qualify is public.
- Foreign Agents Registration Act
FARA defines “foreign principal” broadly to include any, government, political party, association, corporation, or other organization that was either established under a foreign country’s laws or maintains its principal place of business in a foreign country; and any individual outside of the United States. An “agent” is an individual or entity that acts within the United States at the direction of either a foreign principal or a person whose activities are supervised or directed by a foreign principal.
- Form 990 Filing Deadline for Calendar Year Taxpayers
ine to file Form 990 for calendar year taxpayers. the tax return is filed late, the IRS imposes late fees based on the organization's gross receipts ($20 day per day for organization's whose gross receipts are less than $1 million and $100 per day for organization's whose gross receipts are more than $1 million). Failure to file Form 990 for three consecutive years will result in automatic loss of tax exempt status.
