I recently spoke with Tony Martignetti on Nonprofit Radio about the legal outlook for 2022. Here are some areas we discussed along with some bonus areas and additional resources –

Technology Trends

Cryptocurrency

• Nonprofits Get a New Type of Donation: Cryptocurrency (NY Times)
• How Your Nonprofit Can Accept Gifts Of Cryptocurrency (Forbes)
• Mozilla stops accepting cryptocurrency, Wikipedia may be next: Are dominos falling? (TechRepublic)

Data security

• Cybersecurity: What All Nonprofits Need to Know (The Modern Nonprofit)
• Cybersecurity for Nonprofits: Best practices and how to prepare (Nonprofit Decoded)
• Why Public Wi-Fi is a Lot Safer Than You Think (Electronic Frontier Foundation)

Management Trends

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”)

• Why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Matter for Nonprofits (National Council of Nonprofits)
• The Four Principles of Purpose-Driven Board Leadership (Stanford Social Innovation Review)

Remote Work

• Remote Workers and Telecommuting Practices for Nonprofits (National Council of Nonprofits)
• Tax and Employment Law Questions Raised by Remote Work (ASAE)
• How does workers’ comp work for remote employees? (Insureon)

Operations Trends

Collaborations

• The Collaborative Map (La Piana Consulting)
• Nonprofit Collaborations: The Structural Options
• Nonprofits Need to Change for Good, and the Moment Is Now (Stanford Social Innovation Review)

Political activities.

• Money in Politics, One Month Later (NY Times)
• What to Know About Advocacy Grant (Bolder Advocacy, AFJ)

Legal Trends

Donor privacy

• The Impact of Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta on Donor Disclosure Laws (Proskauer)
• California politicians raising money for charity face new rules from ethics panel (CalMatters)

Crowdfunding laws

• A New Crowdfunding Law – At Last! (For Purpose Law Group)
• Crowdfunding for Nonprofits (National Council of Nonprofits)

Items to include on you legal checklist for January (if not done already)

1. Set your organizational priorities for the coming year, soliciting input from staff and board (and possibly other key stakeholders) – consider legal compliance, mission, and values.
2. Set your board calendar of regular meetings and required actions, including elections, and provide space for generative thinking and stargazing (where a board demonstrates its mettle in making sure that their organization is ready and able to expand its horizons, to strive to achieve more and stretch itself to become the robust and resilient business that is capable of responding effectively to the unknowns in its future).
3. Review your governing documents (e.g., articles of incorporation and bylaws) for consistency with your actual practices and applicable laws.
4. Ensure you have systems in place to meet all of your filing, registration, and tax-related obligations.
5. Assess your financial performance against the projected budget and any implications.
6. Review your various risks and your risk management policies and protections (including insurance).