Governance Committee: 12 Key Tasks

A nonprofit corporation is ultimately governed by its board of directors, but a board may create committees to assist in fulfilling the board’s duties. Among the most common and important committees utilized by boards is a governance committee. The governance committee is generally responsible for reviewing the governance structures and practices of the organization and […]

10 Ways Nonprofit Boards Get in Trouble

While the vast majority of charitable nonprofits are led by board members who want to do the right thing and see their organizations flourish in advancing their mission, we too often read about nonprofit boards that fail to lead their organizations out of trouble. Here are 10 ways nonprofit boards get in trouble. Allowing a […]

Nonprofit Law 101 for Journalists

Prompted by a conversation among nonprofit leaders about the public’s and media’s general lack of knowledge about nonprofits, this article targeted at journalists briefly discusses some basics of federal tax laws applicable to 501(c)(3) organizations and common state corporate and charitable trust laws applicable to nonprofits. Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) Exempt Purposes A 501(c)(3) organization […]

The Avengers, a Nonprofit Corporation

  In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America made reference to bylaws in stating that there were no restrictions against relationships between members. This of course proves that The Avengers are not only a superhero team that saves the world on a regular basis but also a nonprofit corporation. Here is the way the startup process must have […]

Independent Sector’s Principles for Good Governance

The legal duties of a board member go beyond ensuring that the organization complies with applicable law. A board member must act with reasonable care and good faith in the best interests of the organization. The best interests of a 501(3)(3) organization are related to its performance of its charitable, educational, religious or other qualifying exempt purpose. […]

Nonprofit Radio: Board Calendars

I’ll be on Nonprofit Radio speaking with host Tony Martignetti this Friday at 10:30 am PT / 1:30 pm ET discussing agenda items nonprofit boards should get on the board calendar at the start of the year. You can tune in to the live feed on Talking Alternative or catch up later on iTunes. We’ll be […]

Better Board Governance: SSIR Webinar

  The Stanford Social Innovation Review presented a live webinar yesterday on Better Board Governance. In the webinar, William F. Meehan III, Lecturer, Stanford Graduate School of Business, discussed 9 Attributes of Effective Nonprofit Governance: An aspirational mission, with understanding and commitment Explicit goals, strategies, and plans to achieve mission Board’s roles and responsibilities in achieving […]

Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – February 21, 2014

The Nonprofit Law Blog will be getting a new look next week. Have a listen to Gavin DeGraw’s Everything Will Change (the official song of Team USA 2014) while perusing this week’s tweets on nonprofits, philanthropy, governance and social enterprises: Stanford Social Innovation Review: Three reasons why nonprofit mergers continue to lag; a feature article in our […]