Best of the Nonprofit Law Blog 2016

Here are some selected highlights from NEO Law Group over the past year that we hope you’ll find helpful. Blog Posts Compliance 10 Legal Tips in 30 Minutes to Get 2017 Ready New IRS Notification Requirement for 501(c)(4) Organizations – Form 8976 Nonprofit Corporation Legal Audit Nonprofit Compensation: Tips on Using Comparability Data Starting a […]

The Blueprint Forecast for Philanthropy and the Social Economy 2017

Philanthropy consultant, scholar, and thought-leader Lucy Bernholz‘s annual industry forecast, Philanthropy and the Social Economy: Blueprint 2017, was published last week on GrantCraft. The Blueprint provides an overview of the current landscape, points to major trends, and directs your attention to horizons where you can expect some important breakthroughs in the coming year. As a past external reviewer […]

2016 Western Conference on Tax-Exempt Organizations (WCTEO)

The 20th annual Western Conference on Tax-Exempt Organizations (WCTEO) will take place at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles this Thursday and Friday, December 1-2, 2016. The WCTEO has been my top go-to conference every year since starting NEO Law Group, and I’m particularly excited about this year, my first as a member of the planning […]

2016 ABA Business Law Section Annual Meeting

The American Bar Association (ABA) Business Law Section is holding its 2016 Annual Meeting in Boston on September 8-10. I’m looking forward to meeting with my colleagues in the Nonprofit Organizations Committee, attending the various programs, and expressing my appreciation as one of the recipients of the Committee’s Outstanding Nonprofit Lawyer Awards. Accelerators and Incubators The first […]

Donor-Advised Funds: What You Should Know

Introduction A donor-advised fund (“DAF”) is a charitable vehicle housed within a 501(c)(3) public charity that allows a donor to make a gift, take an immediate charitable deduction, and recommend, typically with strong persuasive authority, future grants made from funds in the DAF. Unlike private foundations that require a minimum annual distribution, a DAF has […]

Program-Related Investments

Program-related investments (PRIs) are investments (different from strictly donative grants) made by private foundations in which: The primary purpose is to accomplish one or more of the foundation’s 501(c)(3) exempt purposes (other than testing for public safety), Production of income or appreciation of property is not a significant purpose, and Influencing legislation or engaging in […]

Economic Development as a 501(c)(3) Activity

  Economic development may not immediately come to mind as an activity that furthers a charitable purpose, but it doesn’t take long to think of circumstances where helping a depressed community in its economic development can help in the relief of poverty and distress, and in the combat of community deterioration, all of which are regarded as charitable […]

5 Highlights from the ABA Exempt Organizations Committee Meeting 1/29/16

x-144-15 Here are 5 highlights from the American Bar Association Exempt Organizations Committee Meeting held in Los Angeles on January 29, 2016: 1. Form 1023-EZ The IRS Tax Exempt & Governmental Entities Division (TE/GE) disagreed with the critical conclusions made by the National Taxpayer Advocate regarding the level of noncompliance by organizations filing the Form 1023-EZ […]

10 Predictions for the Nonprofit Sector in 2016 and Beyond

Below are some of my predictions of events and trends that will impact the nonprofit sector in 2016 and beyond. Last year, while noting that good prognosticators have to go beyond stating obvious trends, I made only one prediction: “Nonprofits will increasingly recognize the importance of understanding and responding to the for-profit social enterprise movement.” […]

2015 Western Conference on Tax-Exempt Organizations (WCTEO)

Loyola Law School is holding its 19th-Annual Western Conference on Tax Exempt Organizations (WCTEO) in Los Angeles on November 19 and 20. This is one of the country’s premier conferences on tax-exempt organizations and one of my must-attend events as an attorney for nonprofits. I had the honor of speaking at the WCTEO a couple of years ago and […]