Nonprofit Law Made Easy (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "The purpose of this chapter is to provide basic information about the law concerning the formation of nonprofit organizations..." (more)
Key Phrases: Postal Service, United States, First Amendment (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The ins and outs of law in the nonprofit sector--made easy!

Written by renowned author Bruce R. Hopkins, Nonprofit Law Made Easy is a must-read guide for executives, board members, officers, accountants, fundraisers, and others who handle legal issues that affect the way nonprofit organizations are formed and operated.

Nonprofit Law Made Easy presents in-depth discussions on such hot topics as acquiring and maintaining tax-exempt status, reporting requirements, charitable giving, disclosure requirements, unrelated business activities, fundraising, corporate governance principles, and board member liability. It also includes crucial information on avoiding nonprofit law traps and navigating governance and liability issues.

Packed with practical tips and hard-to-find, authoritative advice, Nonprofit Law Made Easy demystifies complex legal issues with plain-language explanations of laws and regulations for non-legal professionals.

From the Inside Flap

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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471709735
• ISBN-13: 978-0471709732
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #585,280 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent -informative and accessible, March 30, 2007

By	A. Morgan "well-read" (MI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was searching for a text book for a class on nonprofit law for nonlawyers, and chose this after reviewing several other groups of materials. Hopkins is concise, to the point, and accurate. His style is easy to comprehend. The nicest thing is that it is a cost effective alternative to the $200 hornbook, which most of my students would never look at again. There are a few topics I wish he had covered more in depth, but then, that would have required a much thicker book!