‘Tis the Season to Be Compliant: Tips for Organizations on IRS Requirements for Deducting Charitable Contributions

The holiday season is a time of giving. Along with the presents exchanged at gatherings with friends and families, many gifts are made to nonprofits in the closing month of the year at holiday charity galas and auctions, through end-of-the year email and direct mail appeals, and through other fundraising events. For charities, the deductibility […]

Emerging Leaders Program: Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership

The Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) of the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership "addresses the core competencies needed to effectively manage organizations and complex programs as well as the leadership skills one needs to be successful within our quickly changing sector."  Last week, Emily Chan and I spoke to the ELP group on various legal […]

Nonprofit Radio: Election Year Issues 2024

I recently spoke with Tony Martignetti, host of Nonprofit Radio, about election year issues for charities in 2024. You can join the 13,000 weekly listeners and catch the Nonprofit Radio podcast here. Tony and I have previously spoken about election year advocacy for charities. It’s important at the outset to note that this post focuses on […]

WCTEO 2024 Highlights

The following are just some of the many highlights from the 2024 Western Conference on Tax Exempt Organizations (WCTEO). Because of a change in the timing of the WCTEO from late fall to late winter, there was no conference in 2023, but that gave us a few more months of developments and events to discuss. The Latest […]

Proposed Donor Advised Fund Regulations: What is a Donor Advised Fund?

On November 13, 2023, the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department released proposed regulations on donor advised funds (DAFs). We’ve been waiting on DAF regulations for more than 15 years since enactment of the DAF laws in the Pension Protection Act of 2006. During this period, DAFs have become the fastest growing area in the […]

Upswell Summit 2023 – Day One

I’m in Dallas for the Upswell Summit 2023. After 3 straight years of virtual summits, it was great to see folks in person. Here are some highlights from Day One – Opening Main Stage – Why Democracy Depends on a Healthy Nonprofit Sector Transparency, Trust, and Ethical Practice in the Nonprofit Sector Better Language: A […]

Foreign Grantmaking: NGOsource 10th Anniversary

NGOsource, described as a project of the Council on Foundations and TechSoup, celebrates its 10th year this year. NGOsource helps U.S. grantmakers streamline their international giving through easier equivalency determinations. Private foundations that make a grant to a foreign organization without an IRS determination letter providing that it is exempt under IRC Section 501(c)(3) must […]

Highlights from the ABA Exempt Organizations Committee Meeting 10/17/23 – Part One

Here are some of the highlights from the American Bar Association Exempt Organizations Committee meeting held on October 17, 2023 as part of the ABA Virtual 2023 Fall Tax Meeting. Part Two to follow next week. Subcommittee on Political & Lobbying Activities of Exempt Organizations Advocacy on the Selection of Speaker of the House – […]

Curated Nonprofit Resources of the Week – 9/17/23

Stay informed of the week’s notable events and shared resources with this curated list of Nonprofit Resources of the Week. Notable Nonprofit Posts, Articles, & Other Resources: New Poll: Overwhelming Support for Nonprofit Policy Priorities and Public Engagement (Independent Sector) Double Digit Dips At Private, Community Foundations (Nonprofit Times) New Nonprofit Congressional Probes (Linda Rosenthal, […]

Extension: Responses to Ways and Means Committee Request for Information on Nonprofit Political Campaign Intervention

The deadline for responses to the Ways and Means Committee request for information regarding nonprofit political activities, inappropriate use of charitable funds, and rise in foreign sources of funding has been extended from Labor Day to Friday, September 8, 2023. We previously wrote on the politically biased request for information here. There have been a […]