Last week, we discussed the benefits of trademark registration in “What’s in a Name? Lessons learned from current trademark battles.” Equally important, though, is the discussion about potential reasons not to register a trademark. Choosing to forgo registration is not an invitation to avoid due diligence nor engage in trademark violations. Rather, it should be […]
Author: Emily Chan
What’s in a Name? Lessons learned from current trademark battles
Nonprofits are not immune to the trademark battles that are more commonly associated with for-profit corporations. Nonprofits, like other corporations, benefit from strong branding and may be just as protective of their trademarks. Last week, Clifford Marks’ article “Charity Brawl, Nonprofits Aren’t So Generous When a Name’s at Stake” in the Wall Street Journal wrote […]
Management Service Organizations and Unrelated Business Income Tax
Nonprofit organizations are often seeking better, cost-effective ways to handle administrative services, for example, by using a management service organization (MSO). An MSO can be generally defined as an organization that primarily exists to provide administrative services to multiple organizations. An MSO will generally charge fees for providing such services and this raises the issue […]
This Ramadan, Give Without Fear (But Give Wisely)
GUEST BLOG POSTThis Ramadan, Give Without Fear (But Give Wisely)By: Mazen Asbahi, Esq. American Muslims face unique and troubling challenges in trying to fulfill their religious obligations to give charity or zakat. The laws meant to serve the legitimate purpose of preventing the diversion of humanitarian aid to terrorist groups are, instead, overly broad, ambiguous […]
Creating a Technology Team/Advisory Committee
Technology Committees, Part I: Creating a Technology Team/Advisory Committee Technology is becoming increasingly useful and pervasive in how nonprofit organizations operate, from organizing volunteer efforts to attracting and accepting online donations to the availability of e-filings. However, “technology” may still be an avoided word for some nonprofits despite the growing need to meet the demands and […]
Everything You Wanted to Know About Nonprofits & Committees
The board of directors of a nonprofit corporation is generally empowered to create committees at its discretion, subject to the nonprofit corporation’s bylaws and the laws of the state of incorporation. While committees can be utilized to alleviate the board of some tasks and help increase efficiency, committee formation should not be taken lightly or […]
Joining Forces in the Back Office – Lodestar Foundation Resources
Sharing Administrative Services, Part IV: Joining Forces in the Back Office – Lodestar Foundation Resources The Lodestar Foundation’s mission is to maximize the growth and impact of philanthropy by encouraging philanthropy, public service and volunteerism; and by supporting long-term collaborations among nonprofits working in the same area in order to increase efficiency and eliminate duplication […]
Joining Forces in the Back Office – Management Service Organizations
Sharing Administrative Services, Part III: Joining Forces in the Back Office – Management Service Organizations Management Service Organization: MACC CommonWealth MACC CommonWealth is an MSO that was created in January 2007 by five social services groups to provide finance, human resources, and technology. With a 20 employee staff comprised of the administrative employees of the five charities, […]
Joining Forces in the Back Office – Administrative Collaboration and Consolidation
Sharing Administrative Services, Part II: Joining Forces in the Back Office – Administrative Collaboration and Consolidation On June 3, 2009, The Chronicle of Philanthropy presented the webinar, “Joining Forces in the Back Office: How Collaboration Can Help Your Organization,” moderated by Nicole Wallace, Senior Writer at The Chronicle of Philanthropy, with three panelists, Robert A. […]
Administrative Consolidations and Management Service Organizations
Sharing Administrative Services, Part I: Administrative Consolidations and Management Service Organizations In January 2009, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom created the San Francisco Community-Based Organizations Task Force, co-chaired by Dr. Sandra Hernandez, chief executive officer of the San Francisco Foundation, and City Attorney Dennis Herrera, to devise a strategy between the City and nonprofits in light […]