Search Results
The IRS Form 990 – that’s required from many nonprofit organizations – is a twelve-page-with-multiple-schedules behemoth. Complex and comprehensive, i…
Having too much “unrelated business income” (UBI) is right up there with four other sure-fire ways to sink your valuable 501(c)(3) tax exemption: enga…
“It’s easier to get tax-exempt status under Form 1023-EZ than it is to get a library card,” says Tim Delaney, the President and CEO of the Council of…
From time to time, folks come into our office with the idea of doing something like Newman’s Own; that is, starting a business and donating all the pr…
It’s crunch time for determining what’s in and what’s out of the California state budget for the new fiscal year that begins on July 1, 2023. This is…
In the usual government budget proceedings, officials and legislators perform the thankless task of divvying up far less revenue than needed. These se…
Most people expect to understand and be comfortable with Artificial Intelligence (AI) about as soon as they conquer – say – ancient Sanskrit. It’s one…
“…[A] substantial infusion of resources….” With that remarkable model of understatement, the U.S. Treasury announced the launch of a $350-billion COVI…
According to a recent study by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, “the typical nonprofit organization loses an estimated 5 percent of its a…
Last week, in Dysfunctional Nonprofit Boards: Key Warning Signs (April 6, 2023), we reviewed an excellent article by two top executives from the Cente…
For charities, there are daunting challenges these days; it’s good to be able to report some happy news as well. The first story is from San Francisco…
In the past few months, we’ve seen a flare-up of interest in, and government action on, an idea that has been pushed by conservative legislators and e…
“High-net-worth folks,” we explained in an earlier post about family foundations, “have lots of choices about what to do with their money – including…
A hot topic these days is donor advised funds. They are wildly popular as an alternative for wealthy individuals to bypass the disadvantages of settin…
In Nonprofits: What Not To Do (July 13, 2021), we crafted a post loosely inspired by “What Not to Wear,” the popular British TV series that debuted in…
Fundraising is central to the success of public charities. It takes an enormous amount of time, effort, and resources to raise the money needed to acc…
Within weeks of COVID-19 sweeping through the United States, nonprofits like Philadelphia’s SEAMAAC, an immigrant-assistance organization, had to make…
The “Johnson Amendment” has been confusing and controversial since it was tossed into 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code in 1954. That year, Congr…
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit U.S. employers and workers hard because of the unprecedented economic chaos along with mandatory stay-at-home orders. In…
During the 2016 election-campaign season, a key GOP talking point was a promise of “tax reform.” Now in control of both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue,…
On New Year’s Eve, there are champagne toasts and doomed-to-failure resolutions to lose weight. At the stroke of midnight, there are also new laws on…
In recent years around the nation, local governments have faced critical budget shortfalls. At the same time, the need for public services and assista…
“On Monday, a broad coalition of more than 60 national charitable nonprofit organizations sent a letter to President Biden and congressional leaders c…
At a meeting last October of the National Association of State Charity Officials, these regulators reported to attendees about “what conduct can spook…
“What kind of ‘ethical code’ tells struggling museums it is better to go bankrupt than sell even one artwork to cover operating expenses?” That’s the…
Over the past ten years, at almost every presentation we’ve given to nonprofit practitioners, they’ve asked whether organizations may provide g…
From time to time, nonprofits and their advisors are invited to comment on proposed new regulations and rules proposed by government agencies. Current…
At the height of the pandemic in the fall of 2020, we wrote about an intriguing labor-market anomaly in the nonprofit sector. Nonprofits: Unions & The…
“If you’re looking for a way to lose your hard-earned section 501(c)(3) tax exemption,” we explained in an earlier post, here’s how: “Wander away from…
In the spring of 2015, we followed with keen interest two developing stories about major community institutions that were suddenly threatened with imm…
“Detroit was still smoldering from the 1967 riots” when civil-rights activists Father William T. Cunningham and Eleanor M. Josaltis took the first ste…
In early autumn 2021, California lawmakers and Governor Newsom happily unveiled the nation’s first-of-its-kind charitable crowdfunding law. See A New…
It’s been about two weeks since the U.S. Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022. See New Spending Act Falls Short Of Nonprofits’ Ne…
It’s a perk for nonprofits that doesn’t get as much attention or fanfare as the tax deduction for charitable contributions, but reduced postal charges…
On Friday, September 30, 2022, California’s Governor Gavin Newsom completed his duties for the year in connection with the state’s legislative activit…
That mountain of money Congress authorized back in March as “fiscal relief funding” for state, local, territorial, and tribal governments? Since early…
A few weeks ago, we reported on imminent plans for the California nonprofit community and legislative allies to kick-off a major initiative for change…
For years, reform of the state’s grantmaking policies and procedures has been high on the wish list of California’s nonprofit community. The stage is…
The year 2018 is shaping up to likely include dramatic cuts in government funding for social services. In order to lessen the impact on tens of millio…
Our third-in-a-row hashtag alert for the nonprofit sector is #ShowTheSalary. It’s aimed at stopping a widespread but harmful hiring practice; namely,…
Recent announcements from several cultural institutions highlight what may be a new trend around the nation to increase attendance by lowering – or el…
“Today, we’re experiencing a crisis in news and information.” But “… we have a moment to support the reimagination, revitalization, and rapid developm…
On February 17, 2019, the Los Angeles Times ran a story with the headline: “An L.A.councilman promoted a charity. Should he have disclosed the…
In 2016, overall charitable giving rose 1%, but online giving jumped 7.9%, and all indications are using technology to facilitate donations will conti…
Our readership isn’t easily pigeonholed into one or another narrow audience category. So this third and final lookback at favorite blog posts of 2022…
Since the earliest days of the current Administration, the U.S. Department of Labor has been busy preparing much-needed updates to the federal wage-an…
“For years, reform of the state’s grantmaking policies and procedures has been high on the wish list of California’s nonprofit community,” we wrote ea…
In ordinary times, employment law is no walk in the park. Employers – businesses and nonprofits alike – face lots of requirements and guidelines from…
In GuideStar, ‘Hate Groups,’ Death Threats & A Lawsuit, we told you about that prominent organization’s long hot summer of 2017. GuideStar is a 501(c)…
“Big problems require bold solutions.” That’s how Chicago’s MacArthur Foundation has announced its spectacular new “100&Change” competition. There wil…