Your Nonprofit Startup Partner
An all-in-one legal program for nonprofit organizations.
Get started strong with the right team by your side.
Starting a nonprofit is tough, I know I’ve helped hundreds of clients on their startup journey. I know you're passionate and have a deep understanding of your dream and the mission, but that doesn't mean you're an expert in the nonprofit sector. How can you lay the foundation for a successful organization when there are so many unknowns?
What if you had an expert nonprofit attorney and consultant by your side every step of the way?
With Mission Guardian, You Can:
Common Traps and Pitfalls for Nonprofit Startups
After years of advising nonprofits at all stages and working in-house at a national nonprofit, I know one thing is true: new nonprofits thrive when they are built on a strong foundation. But many founders experience these frustrations sometime during the startup process:
The DIY Approach
You're smart so you start cobbling together information you find online and any support you can get for free or cheap. You're doing your best, but you have the nagging feeling you could be doing something very wrong.
The Pricing Mystery
You know you need help, but most law firms will only commit to an hourly rate and say "it depends." So, you plow forward on your own or with less expert help making mistakes that slow down a new nonprofit.
The Paperwork-Only Problem
You hired someone to help with the paperwork -- but that's it. Documents got filed with the government, but you're left with no direction for anything else. So, it's back to Googling and crossing your fingers that it'll work out.
The Billable Hour Fear
You had a lawyer once and it wasn’t a great experience because you knew every minute on the phone was billable time. You have a million questions now but nobody to call.
With Mission Guardian, these problems disappear. You'll have:
The Real Risk of Going It Alone
Like anything brand new, it is tender and vulnerable to problems. For a new nonprofit when problems arise, the costs can be devastating:
Why take these risks when you could have expert help for a predictable monthly price?
Your All-Inclusive Mission Guardian Startup Experience
Phase 1: Custom Planning
You'll meet with our team to develop a tailored work plan to start your nonprofit strong and address your specific needs.
Phase 2: Implement the Work Plan
Once we know your needs, we’ll get straight to work. We only accept a few clients into this program at any given time, so your work is a priority.
Phase 3: Ongoing Care
Once the nonprofit is launched we'll help you keep it safe and successful to keep the benefits going while you grow.
Secure Hotline with Jess
Something new coming up? No worries, you can check in any time on your secure hotline with Jess for any reason – even if it’s not strictly “legal.” Jess has a Masters in nonprofit management, is tech savvy and great with people problems.
Compliance Monitoring
Along the way, our team is working to take care of the nonprofit. We'll build a knowledge bank of your nonprofit's core compliance requirements and help you maintain good standing with state and federal agencies.
Online Document Generation Apps
I believe if we can turn it into a form most founders can use for free, then we should do that. We’re constantly adding to our library of members-only apps you can use to create customized and fully editable Word documents.
Your Mission Guardian Membership
All-in-One Startup
Includes:
Typical Startup Journey
Most startups will follow this general journey. The exact steps and timeline are determined based on your needs. No matter what needs we identify, we will work through them with you one at a time. Most pieces of work can happen within one month, but some are bigger and more complicated (like the IRS application), and those take longer.
This workflow is a visual representation to help you see how the process works. What you need might be a little different. For example, a trade association creating voting members with rights and benefits will spend a few months on governance since it is more complex. A church, school or scholarship fund will spend three months on their IRS application to prepare additional materials. What you need will vary. We will design a customized work plan for you based on your needs and tell you up front what your minimum commitment is based on what you need to accomplish. You should plan for a minimum of six to eight months.
Month 1
Strategy & Foundations
Month 2
Forming the Corporation
Month 3
Bylaws & Governance
Month 4
Begin IRS Tax-Exemption App
Month 5
Finish IRS Process & Set Strategy
Month 6
Board Training & Enter Phase 2
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Our minimum client commitment is 6 months. When we develop a work plan we will set the minimum months of commitment. We will do the work laid out in your program plan and we believe we can finish the core startup work with you in that minimum commitment window. That is the starting point. There is no set end point, and we will keep working with you for as long as it works for both of us. Our service will continue monthly for as long as needed. We work with a limited number of clients, and we are happy for you to hold that seat as long as you need it.
All-inclusive means that we will never charge you for anything beyond your monthly member dues and filing fees (attorney ethics rules force us to charge those separately). Like all corporate general counsel, there are limits to what we can do – we’re not miracle workers 😉 Your membership includes any work we can reasonably do for you within our practice area – core nonprofit operational legal services and coaching. If you need litigation support, we’ll refer you to counsel. If you need an accountant, bookkeeper, state specific employment lawyer, trademark attorney, or something else, we can find another trusted professional to help.
Members log into our website and navigate to Resources. You’ll find all kinds of education and materials for you. To generate a customized document, just click the button to launch the app. Get what you need, customized for you, 24/7, at no additional cost – no need to wait for us to email you.
We have a library of apps which generate documents for you – forms and policies etc. These are customized to your needs as you answer questions in the app. At the end of the questionnaire, you get a customized document. These documents are forms, policies or contracts that our clients commonly need. They are drafted by lawyers for general use with nonprofits in mind. Apps deliver a MS Word document which you can edit further if you want to (at your own risk if you don’t ask us for advice).
Examples of documents you can generate with the apps include: memorandum of understanding, employee cost share agreements, grievance policies, conflict of interest policies, board meeting minutes & agendas, participant waivers, photo releases, independent contractor agreements, one time use facility rental agreements, extended term space or facility rental agreements, gift acceptance policies, grant awards or subawards, confidentiality or non-disclosure agreements, community garden agreements, board resolutions, etc.
No problem! Simply reach out to Jess via your hotline and let her know.
We focus on a nonprofit practice area, so things we can help with includes things like custom / reusable agreements for your programs, legal opinions or research memos, mergers, dissolution, lease review, document review, contract negotiation, application for sales tax exemption, bylaws revision, amended articles of incorporation, property tax exemption application, registration of assumed names, starting a new entity, etc. If you think you need it, and its “in our lane” we can do it.
No. Memberships renew each month automatically. When you sign up, you agree to a 6 month minimum commitment, but our goal is to have a long term relationship with our clients.
You always have the right to cancel. Cancellation and refunds are defined in the engagement letter with the firm. If membership is not working for you anymore you can contact us about changing your membership or cancelling. Cancellation ends your access to the direct hotline with Jess, the member log in on the website, and terminates any licenses to use the member badge and copyrighted content. Membership cancellations are pro-rated to the date of cancellation and as defined in the engagement letter.
If you choose to end the fractional counsel all-in-one membership then we can move to you a “maintenance” only plan. Contact us for more information.
If you are a member of the Mission Guardian program, we grant you a license to put a Mission Guardian Member badge on your website. This shows donors and funders that you care about the health and safety of your nonprofit’s resources. The website code is available for you (or your web developer) to simply install on any page of your website.
It depends. We file online 990-N (aka: 990 postcards) for our members as long as you are a member and eligible to file that form. Your membership must be active during the period your 990-N is due. Members who are private foundations are required to file a 990-PF and nonprofits that gross more than $50,000 in annual revenue must file a 990EZ or full form 990. We do not file those forms. We will track your deadlines and connect with your accountant annually to make sure your filing is on track. We can refer you to a nonprofit specialist CPA / EA at any time, just ask.
When you become a client, you'll sign an engagement agreement as you would with any law firm. When you use the website you also agree to our website privacy policy and Terms of Use.
Let's Get Started
Schedule a FREE 15-minute call with our New Client Guides. Get clarity, guidance, & answers — no pressure, no obligation.
Build Your Nonprofit on a Strong Foundation
Don't leave your mission to chance. Join Mission Guardian and take your startup from a dream to a reality.
