Posts by krista
Hiring a Lawyer
Need 1:1 advice? Toolkit members can elect to hire Birken Law Office (subject to conflicts checks and professional ethics requirements) for advice about core nonprofit services, or we can provide you a referral for a lawyer best fit to your situation! Fill out the questionnaire below to get started:
Read MoreToolkit Plan Office Hours
As a Toolkit member, you can join the monthly Q&A webinars to ask an attorney questions in a group setting, and hear from other nonprofit members too! Mission Guardian Office Hours Terms of Use The Mission Guardian platform is a do-it-yourself service. When you use the Mission Guardian website, you are not hiring a lawyer…
Read MoreIRS Applications – Which One Do I File?
So you’ve gotten your nonprofit set up and it’s time to apply for your tax-exempt status. But how? Assuming you’re planning to apply for IRS 501(c)(3) public charity status (which most garden variety nonprofits are), you’ll need to file either the IRS 1023 Full Form or the IRS 1023-EZ.
Read MoreHow should our members vote – by voice or ballot?
Voice votes should not be used for voting members of your nonprofit. Voice vote does not comply with Minn. Stat. 317A. Legally, the organization must maintain a roster of its members; and the right to vote is only conferred on those with voting rights under the statute and the bylaws. Therefore, we have an obligation to ensure…
Read MoreCan board members abstain from voting on nonprofit business?
Question: Some of our board members plan to abstain from voting on a contentious issue at our next board meeting. Can we have a rule to prevent abstention? We should not allow abstaining because it is a bad practice on nonprofit boards. I’ve worked with many nonprofits, and board members often abstain as a way to…
Read MoreCan we accept donations before we receive our IRS tax-exempt status?
Question: We have a donor who would like to make a large donation to the nonprofit before the end of the year, but our 501(c)(3) status is still pending. Can we accept the donation? Good news – you can accept a donation even before your public charity status is official! You do need to disclaim to…
Read MoreCan our paid staff volunteer at a special event?
Question: We have a special event coming up, and several of our staff members would like to work the event (they are not event staff, so this is outside of their job description). We’d like to have these staff members volunteer because we did not budget for this number of staff to work the event.…
Read MoreWhat are the requirements for private foundations giving out grants?
Question: If a private foundation offers $25,000 grants, can they give smaller awards to their applicants who ask for the full amount? Yes. Typically, grants will be funded “up to” a certain amount. There is no binding agreement between a foundation and the grant applicants until an award is issued and the foundation and recipient…
Read MoreCan we do business without all 3 of our board members present?
Question: We have 3 board members, which is the minimum number required by our state. One of our board members needs to take an extended medical leave. With only 2 of our 3 board members available, do we need to wait to do business until they return? Yes, the board can keep moving forward! All you…
Read MoreMission Guardian Member Badge
As a Mission Guardian member, you can put the member badge on your website to communicate to your community that you have a strong team behind your mission. Please copy and paste the code below to embed your own Mission Guardian badge.
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