Nonprofit Law Blog

By NEO Law Group

CalNonprofits Annual Policy Convention 2015

Published on: October 17, 2015 by Gene Takagi

CalNonprofits’ 2015 Annual Policy Convention takes place in Oakland on November 4-5. You can register here and get 10% off using the promo code THNKS. An Economic and Political Forecast for the Nonprofit Sector Will 2016 usher in major changes for the nonprofit community? Will the changes help the...

Best of the Nonprofit Law Blog 2014

Published on: December 18, 2014December 30, 2014 by Gene Takagi

Here are some selected highlights from NEO Law Group over the past year that we hope you’ll find helpful. 2014 was also highlighted by an addition to Erin’s family and Michele’s graduation and passage of the bar exam! Amazing year for all of us. Blog Posts Governance What Issues Should a...

Independent Sector National Conference 2014: Imagine – Public Policy Action Institute

Published on: November 16, 2014 by Gene Takagi 1 Comment

Imagine. That’s the theme of the 2014 Independent Sector National Conference currently being held in Seattle. And it’s a reminder for nonprofit board members and managers of the importance of thinking beyond our very important day-to-day matters and mere compliance. One of the Conference’s two important pre-conferences was the Public Policy...

Charities and Issue Advocacy: Doing it Right – Part Two

Published on: August 5, 2014October 13, 2015 by Michelle Baker 1 Comment

This post is a continuation of last week’s post on issue advocacy: Charities and Issue Advocacy: Doing it Right – Part One. A communication is particularly at risk of political campaign intervention when it makes references to candidates or voting in a specific upcoming election; however, the IRS has...

Charities and Issue Advocacy: Doing it Right – Part One

Published on: July 30, 2014October 13, 2015 by Michelle Baker 1 Comment

Advocacy is a broad term that covers a range of activities that seek to bring about change. One form of advocacy is lobbying, defined as activities that attempt to influence specific legislation. Charities are permitted to engage in lobbying activities, so long as those activities represent an “insubstantial” part...

Nonprofit Radio: Advocacy, Net Neutrality, & The Bright Lines Project

Published on: June 5, 2014May 11, 2017 by Gene Takagi

I’ll be on Nonprofit Radio on Friday, June 6, discussing with host Tony Martignetti advocacy and lobbying with respect to the Net Neutrality issue and what we might expect in the future with regard to laws that govern charities and other tax-exempt organizations. Catch John Oliver‘s brilliant discussion...

Nonprofit Advocacy is More Than Lobbying

Published on: June 4, 2014August 21, 2016 by Michelle Baker 2 Comments

Advocacy is a powerful tool underutilized by public charities to advance their mission. And although the terms advocacy and lobbying are often used interchangeably, as lobbying is a form of advocacy, there are federal law limitations related to lobbying activities that do not extend to non-lobbying advocacy activities. Lobbying...

5 Things Nonprofits Should Know About Ballot Measure Advocacy in California

Published on: May 7, 2014May 12, 2014 by Michele Berger

Ballot measure advocacy can be an important and powerful way to advance an organization’s mission and purpose. Last week, the Alliance for Justice hosted a Webinar to discuss the ways in which a 501(c)(3) organization may engage in ballot measure advocacy. Here is a list of 5 things...

Independent Sector Public Policy Action Institute 2013: Key Issues in Tax Reform

Published on: September 29, 2013February 25, 2014 by Gene Takagi

Day Two of the Independent Sector Public Policy Action Institute kicked off with a session on tax reform moderated by Kyle Caldwell, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and divided into five hot topics. Charitable Deduction. Richard Schmalbeck, Duke University School of Law, discussed the availability of a charitable contribution deduction...