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Starting a nonprofit

Caveat Emptor – Legal Document Preparers

In my practice representing nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations, there are often themes that emerge. Over the last few weeks I have had a spate of calls from would be nonprofits that paid either a nonprofit start-up consultant or a document preparation company to form their nonprofit and handle their IRS filings. In each case, the work product that made it to my office required substantially more work to fix than it would have taken to do properly the first time around. You get what you pay for, and sometimes, you pay dearly for what you get. Before hiring someone to help you with the legal and tax aspects of starting a nonprofit, make sure they are licensed to provide the type of assistance they are offering, have specific experience representing nonprofits, and are in fact representing you rather than helping you to commit malpractice on yourself.

November 25, 2009 No Comments

Starting a nonprofit

Nonprofit Law Jargon Buster – Private Inurement v. Private Benefit

The private inurement rule and private benefit rules exist to ensure that charitable assets are preserved for the benefit of the public and not diverted to private use. This is a fundamental concept that distinguishes tax-exempt organizations from for-profits.

The rules originate in the language of Code Section 501(c)(3). Code Section 501(c)(3) contains the specific requirement that:

[N]o part of the net earnings of [the exempt organization] inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual . . . .

In addition, under the regulations, an organization is not treated as organized and operated for exclusively exempt purposes unless it serves a public rather than a private interest, Based on this provision, tax exempt status is not available to any organization if its net earnings inure to the benefit of private individuals in whole or in part.

In practice, the law distinguishes between different degrees of inurement depending upon who is being benefitted. The two types of inurement are referred to as private inurement and public benefit.

November 18, 2009 No Comments

Nonprofit Law Jargon Buster – 501(c)(3) Organizations and the Commerciality Doctrine

The well-meaning have been advising exempt organizations to operate like a business for years. If the organization is a Section 501(c)(3) organization, operating too much like a business can cost it its tax-exempt status due to the Commerciality Doctrine. Practically, the issue of commerciality usually arises when a tax-exempt organization engages in any endeavor for which a clear for-profit counterpart exists in the marketplace. Typical examples include publishing, consulting and sales of arts and crafts. Today, the Commerciality Doctrine is a threat to the increasingly popular movement toward social enterprises. Those that choose to organize as Section 501(c)(3) organizations should only do so after a thorough review of the Commerciality Doctrine.

November 8, 2009 No Comments

Nonprofit Tax

Private Foundations and Public Charities

Private foundations are subject to a more strict regulatory regime than public charities. There are penalties for “self-dealing” transactions, failure to distribute sufficient income for charitable purposes, holding concentrated interests in business enterprises, making risky investments, and for making certain types of expenditures.

October 19, 2009 No Comments

Starting a Nonprofit in Arizona – Applying for Tax-Exempt Status

Forming a nonprofit corporation is not the same as being tax-exempt. To obtain 501(c)(3) status, newly formed entities must apply to the IRS for a formal determination of exemption. Entities seeking 501(c)(3) status apply by filing Form 1023. (Entities seeking exemption under other sections of 501(c) file Form 1024.)

Newly formed organizations applying for exemption face a chicken and egg dilemma. Form 1023 requests considerable detail regarding the charity’s planned programs and activities. The attitude of the IRS is that requiring applicants to articulate detailed plans is a small price to pay for the significant tax benefits associated with 501(c)(3) status.

October 2, 2009 No Comments

Starting a nonprofit

Starting a Nonprofit in Arizona – Forming the Entity

Once a non-profit founder has surveyed the non-profit landscape and found a legitimate need, recruited an initial board, created business and fundraising plans, and scraped together some start-up funding, he or she is ready to proceed. In Arizona, it usually makes the most sense to form the entity as an Arizona non-profit corporation. The steps required to form a nonprofit in Arizona are covered.

September 30, 2009 No Comments

Starting a nonprofit

Starting a Nonprofit in Arizona – Laying the Groundwork

I receive several calls a week from people who want to start a new non-profit. Looking back on my legal career, I realize that many of the tax-exempt organizations I helped to create early on never got off the ground. Today, I consider it part of my responsibility to the potential new client and to the sector to educate would be founders on the realities of the marketplace. What follows is a walk through the typical discussion that I have with potential founders.

September 28, 2009 No Comments

When setting nonprofit executive compensation, consider implementing practices and procedures that ensure its executive compensation procedures are thorough, well-documented, and conflict-free. Doing so will ensure compensation decisions will stand up to the scrutiny of the media, regulators, and donors, and protect the employee as well as the board from personal liability.

Starting a nonprofit

10 Tips for Setting Nonprofit Executive Compensation

To ensure its decisions will stand up to the scrutiny of the media, regulators, and donors, and protect the employee as well as the board from personal liability, nonprofits that employ executive staff should consider implementing practices and procedures that ensure its executive compensation procedures are thorough, well-documented, and free of conflicts of interest.

September 16, 2009 No Comments

Starting a nonprofit

Caveat Emptor – Legal Document Preparers

Nonprofit Law Jargon Buster – Private Inurement v. Private Benefit

Nonprofit Law Jargon Buster – 501(c)(3) Organizations and the Commerciality Doctrine

Private Foundations and Public Charities

Starting a Nonprofit in Arizona – Applying for Tax-Exempt Status

Starting a Nonprofit in Arizona – Forming the Entity

Starting a Nonprofit in Arizona – Laying the Groundwork

10 Tips for Setting Nonprofit Executive Compensation

How to Keep your Non-Profit Compliant in All 50 States

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How to Start a Non-Profit Organization