In California, in order to qualify for State property tax exemption, a nonprofit’s property must be irrevocably dedicated to religious, hospital, scientific, or charitable purposes; and “the charitable activities must be found to primarily benefit persons within the geographical boundaries of the State of California.” For a...
CURRENT AFFAIRS & OPINION
Pursuing Profit and Purpose: The Debate in California’s Statehouse and What it Means for Us
Emily and I just returned from a panel discussion at The HUB San Francisco on Pursuing Profit and Purpose: The Debate in California's Statehouse and What it Means for Us presented by The Aspen Institute and Omidyar Network. The focus was on two bills going through California's legislature that could...
More Bay Area Nonprofits That Lost Their Tax-Exempt Status
On June 8, 2011, the IRS identified 275,000 nonprofits that had their federal tax-exempt status revoked as a result of failing to satisfy their filing requirement for three consecutive years (read more about that here). Among the huge list of formerly tax-exempt nonprofits are 2,316 nonprofits from the following...
1,833 San Francisco Nonprofits That Lost Their Tax-Exempt Status
Among the over 275,000 nonprofits that were listed on the IRS automatic revocation list released last week were 1,833 nonprofits with San Francisco addresses. If you recognize any of these organizations as still active, let them know they should immediately take steps to apply for reinstatement. Download San Francisco...
Three Cups of Tea Scandal Offers Lessons for Charities & Trustees
Teaching moment? Read our opinion piece in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Three Cups of Tea Scandal Offers Lessons for Charities and Trustees. Here’s a teaser: Consider public expectations in every report and publication. View the informational tax return as a public-disclosure document, not just an IRS form. Watch for...
The 2010 Relief Act – IRA Charitable Rollover
On December 17, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (the 2010 Relief Act). One of the individual tax relief provisions deals with extending an expiring provision related to distributions from individual retirement plans for charitable purposes. Prior...
California’s New e-Postcard Filing Requirement
Beginning January 1, 2011, California conforms to 2006 federal law that requires small tax-exempt organizations with gross receipts of $25,000 or less, other than churches and church-related organizations, to e-file an annual informational notice (Form 199N), similar to IRS Form 990‑N, known as the e-postcard. The due date for...
2010 Western Conference on Tax Exempt Organizations
Last Thursday and Friday, I attended one of my favorite annual events, the Western Conference on Tax Exempt Organizations (WCTEO), co-sponsored by Loyola Law School and the Internal Revenue Service. As always, the event was attended by many prominent attorneys, accountants, and executives who practice in the nonprofit and...
BoardSource Leadership Forum 2010
Last week, BoardSource, a leading resource on nonprofit boards and governance, hosted the BoardSource Leadership Forum 2010, “Open for Innovation: Governing in a New Era,” in San Francisco. I was particularly excited to attend this forum because it is unique for its main focus on governance – a topic...
Waiting for ‘Superman’
Davis Guggenheim, director of An Inconvenient Truth, addresses another thought-provoking topic—American public education reform—in his recent documentary, Waiting for ‘Superman’. Waiting for ‘Superman’ follows the stories of five young children who despite entering different grades, being of different backgrounds and attending different public schools throughout the country, all find...