A major advantage nonprofit corporations have over other forms of charitable entities is if a nonprofit corporation is properly managed and operated, it can provide a greater degree of personal liability protection to its directors and officers.
Many nonprofits outsource payroll processing as a cost effective way to handle their payroll compliance and human resource functions. We have seen several cases where unscrupulous payroll service organizations have taken advantage of nonprofits so the advice below is timely for our clients.
Arizona House Bill 2457 repeals Arizona’s solicitation registration laws and does away with the need for Arizona charities to file annual Charitable Organization Registration/Renewal forms with the Arizona Secretary of State.
Hold Annual Meeting. Most corporate bylaws require that the directors meet at least annually. Many state nonprofit corporation statutes also require an annual meeting. The annual meeting is typically the meeting where the board (or voting members) fill vacancies on the board, appoint officers, approve budgets, circulate and sign conflict of interest disclosures, and ratify actions taken during the year.
In the nonprofit realm, when conflict erupts it is usually in the form of disagreement with external stakeholders such as beneficiaries, funders, media and/or regulatory agencies.
A fiscal sponsorship is often a great idea for small charities that do not have the resources to apply for their own tax-exempt status. It allows them to receive tax deductible donations from donors to accomplish their mission without having to expend their resources on administrative duties. However, as the recent International Humanities Center scandal has shown, it can be dangerous to get into bed with a fiscal sponsor without first performing some basic due diligence.
When considering whether to include voting members in a nonprofit corporation, it is important to understand that voting members of a nonprofit corporation are generally analogous to shareholders of a business corporation. Voting members have statutory rights under state law; therefore, it is important to clarify the right of members to avoid inadvertently creating a voting membership class and vesting ultimate control in the members when that is not your intention. Once a membership has been established, it may be difficult to eliminate, and it may be impossible without the consent of the members.
Finding support and funding in the nonprofit world is often more challenging than finding funding for a for-profit venture. In addition, contrary to the belief of many nonprofit founders, foundation grant dollars do not grow on trees and are, in fact, the most competitive and scarce source of funding available.
Arizona recently amended its gambling laws to make it easier for political organizations, political clubs, booster clubs, and civic clubs to hold small raffles. The
Ellis Carter and Deanna Rader will be co-presenting a webinar on December 15th at 4:00 pm as part of the Arizona Charter School Association’s Charter Starter program. One of the first sessions that the program will offer is a webinar on the legal aspects of starting an Arizona charter school.
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.
