Nonprofit Law Made Easy

Nonprofit Law Made Easy There are more than three million nonprofit organizations in the United States. Because of the tax-exempt status nearly all nonprofits enjoy, they must comply with stringent federal and state law or risk losing this special tax-exempt status. Written by a lawyer for non-lawyers, Nonprofit Law Made Easy provides a complete legal guide for anyone interested in starting a nonprofit organization as well as a valuable, go-to resource for directors and officers of established organizations. Author Bruce R. Hopkins—a leading authority on tax-exempt organizations—offers plain-language explanations of the statutes, regulations, rulings, and court decisions that apply to nonprofit organizations. Designed to get you quickly up to speed, you will discover: How to handle the complex legal issues that affect the way nonprofit organizations are formed and operated Invaluable information on how to avoid nonprofit law traps How to manage governance and liability issues Hopkins covers newly emerging concepts alongside such absolute basics as the private inurement doctrine, the lobbying rules, the unrelated business rules, and planned giving. Several factors are poised to drastically affect nonprofit law, including a congressional enactment of major tax-exempt legislation, ambitious regulations and rulings projects by the IRS, and other court contributions to the law. Hopkins looks to the future of nonprofit law and addresses these issues with the insight of his world-class experience. Covering everything you need to know to navigate the complex web of nonprofit legal issues, Nonprofit Law Made Easy explores: Forming a nonprofit organization Acquiring and maintaining tax-exempt status Public charities and private foundations Reporting requirements Charitable giving Disclosure requirements Unrelated business activities Fundraising Building on the basics Nonprofit law traps Governance principles and liability Subsidiaries Joint ventures And much more Nonprofit Law Made Easy is a must-read for nonprofit board members, executive directors, senior managers, fundraisers, executives, and anyone else working toward tax compliance in the nonprofit realm.