When it comes to the law, sometimes non-profits require a special legal touch. Unlike their more corporate brethren, the focus of non-profit lawyers is to help ensure that reporting requirements and more administrative matters are promptly attended to due to the potential fines that can be racked up. Additionally, unlike businesses that are consumed with turning a profit and thus protect their products with a hawk-like instinct, a non-profit actually wants their products – usually information or access to programs – to be used far and wide as it produces the most societal good. Our law firm can help ensure non-profit leaders comply with federal and state laws in order to maintain their tax-exempt status and continue working to help on the issues they specialize in.

 

Registration of Not-for-Profit

 

By far the most important thing a non-profit needs to do to be able to do anything under any sort of legal protection is register. These registrations can include state and federal requirements that range from the very minimum of information to an exhaustive, deep dive on who the directors are and other financial backing. These requirements vary dramatically from state to state and should be read as carefully as possible. Our firm can help draft a careful, tailored registration that takes into account the aims of the non-profit and how it wishes to present itself to the public.

 

Tax-Exempt Status – 501(c)

 

One of the benefits conferred upon non-profits and their mission to help communities and societies is tax-exempt status that helps promote the good working being done by the non-profit and its employees. However, tax-exempt status comes with stringent reporting requirements and codes of conduct that a non-profit must certify they followed. Additionally, non-profits may at times deal with inquiries from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that seem ominous but can be dealt with fairly routinely by experienced counsel. Our attorneys can work with you and your leadership to help smooth any tax-exempt related inquiries or filings that must be done so your non-profit can work diligently to help your community.

 

State and Federal Reporting

 

Reporting requirements are often one of the most common things to trip up a non-profit. These requirements are somewhat onerous and detailed and get pushed back by those who may be well-meaning in helping the community but somewhat flummoxed by paperwork that involves skill, knowledge, and patience with sometimes very detailed reporting requirements. Our firm has filed state and federal reports that comply with the law and leave non-profit leaders at ease knowing that the compliance portion of their work is off their plate so they can continue with their mission.