NONPROFIT GOVERNANCE AND MAINTENANCE
Nonprofit tax-exempt organizations have a large number of rules that they need to follow in order to keep their tax-exempt status. These rules involve things such as record keeping, IRS filings, the responsibilities of board members, how fundraising can and cannot be done, how and how much the organization’s officers can be paid, how grants are obtained or made, and lots more. I have many years of experience guiding leaders of large and small nonprofits successfully through all of these issues.
MAJOR GIFTS, FUNDRAISING AND ENDOWMENTS
I have 19 years of nonprofit fundraising experience, including major gifts, annual campaigns, capital campaigns and planned giving. I’ve been personally involved in making asks, structuring gifts, and overcoming concerns. I’ve also helped many nonprofits establish an endowment fund, or revise their existing endowment fund policies (gift acceptance, spending, investment) to adapt to changes in the law. I enjoy presenting workshops for nonprofit donors about the importance of planned giving, and what planned giving options are available, making both easy and complex planned giving options understandable to donors. Finally, I enjoy working with development professionals to improve their understanding of planned giving options and help them to be able to recognize giving opportunities. I won’t try to make them a legal expert, but I will give them enough knowledge to recognize the opportunity and have the conversation with the donor.
BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS
Nonprofit organizations have many of the same transactional needs as for-profit businesses. Nonprofits enter into a variety of contracts with vendors, customers, landlords, employees, donors and more. Some nonprofits also buy and sell real estate. All of these transactions need commercial agreements which should be written and negotiated by an experienced attorney. It is best to hire an attorney who is not only highly experienced with these types of agreements, but who also understands the unique concerns of nonprofit organizations. Whether it’s a commercial lease, buying or selling real estate, vendor/customer contracts, donor gift agreements or more, I will use my 25-plus years of experience to skillfully achieve great outcomes at great value for your organization.
STARTING A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
Starting a nonprofit organization involves both State and Federal issues. A nonprofit organization begins at the State, and then it needs to obtain tax-exempt status with the IRS. There are time limits for filing. These filings can be lengthy and complex; however, if everything is done properly, the nonprofit may be able to start accepting donations almost immediately. The donations may be made to the organization directly, or to a third organization (called a "fiscal sponsor") which holds the nonprofit’s funds. I have skillfully guided many nonprofits, including both public charities and private foundations, through this process.
NONPROFIT MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS, AND DISSOLUTIONS
Sometimes nonprofits which have similar missions may wish to combine their efforts in order to increase their impact. As a result, nonprofit organizations often wish to merge with other nonprofits, to acquire other nonprofits, or sometimes - if their mission is concluded - a nonprofit organization may cease operations and go out of business (called a "dissolution"). I have guided many nonprofit organizations through each of these processes. The process of combining nonprofit organizations differs greatly from for-profit companies, and it takes someone skilled and experienced in these differences in order to guide the transaction to a successful result.