December 1-31, 2010

December 1, 2010 - December 31, 2010

Lead Stories

Directors, Officers Not Personally Liable To Creditors for Closing Nonprofit Home

Court finds no evidence of bad faith or fraud in actions leading up to bankruptcy filing

Deferred Charitable Gift Annuity Excluded from Bankrupt’s Estate

Court says arrangement qualifies as spendthrift trust under Uniform Trust Code

Courts Say Will Does Not Direct Specific Use of Gift to University

Money left for separate women’s “college” at Tulane may be used for women’s “institute” after reorganization

Risk and Reward

Reference Checking: A Lost Art

The Finance Committee of our 501(c)(3) is dragging its feet on a proposal to offer our fundraiser on a shopping cart web site (cost of which is being donated to the group) which we would tie in with our regular web site. The site would also allow members to pay dues, as well as offer the public the option to make donations with their credit or debit cards. They feel it would jeopardize our 501(c)(3) standing. Is that true?

Lessons from Litigation

Agency may select interpreter

Liaison role not grounds for disqualification

Church member should be excluded from jury

Tax Matters

No deduction for house contribution

Incidental rentals do not defeat exemption

Employment Law

"White boy” social worker loses bias claims

Scientist doesn’t get injunction to stop office move

May Webinar

Getting Beyond a
Semi-Functional Board
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
1:30-3:00 PM ET

Do you have a rockstar board?

Or does it limp along listlessly performing the minimum necessary to keep the organization going? Pushed by the CEO because no one on the board wants to be responsible for leadership.

Most boards are somewhere in between. Functional perhaps, but not fully functional. More like what you would call semi-functional.

This webinar will help you get beyond a semi-functional board. By acting intentionally at every step of the governance process, you can improve your organization’s capacity, resilience and effectiveness.

Learn more and register

Nonprofit bylaw review

Don Kramer will review and comment on your own current or proposed bylaws

Do your Bylaws reflect the way you actually operate? Do they protect the interests of those who should be protected? Do they spell out clearly how to deal with governance issues? Or do they create uncertainty for those who have to implement them?

Most nonprofits don't spend a lot of time looking at their Bylaws until there is a question or a dispute. That's when you need bylaws that are clear and unambiguous, so your questions on how to proceed are already answered. That's when bad bylaws can lead to unnecessary controversies or even costly litigation. Nonprofit Issues editor Don Kramer will review your current or proposed Bylaws to see if they work for you.

Learn more

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SAY THAT AGAIN?

April 21, 2025

Those old enough to remember what it meant to say a story appeared “above the fold” on the front page of a newspaper may appreciate this story. People used to want to place stories above the fold because readers would at least glance at the story in the top half of the page that was visible when they picked up the paper before they looked at stuff that was below the fold and not immediately visible.

The printed version of the Philadelphia Inquirer had a four column picture and article about Pope Francis on the day after Easter that was written and printed before the Pope had died but seen by morning readers after his death had been widely reported. The fold divided the two-line headline so only the top line was visible. The top line said: “Pope meets Vance, then”

We can only imagine what readers were thinking before they flipped the page to read: “decries ‘the logic of fear’”

See our "Say That Again" collection

Special Report Available

Increasing Gender Diversity on the Boards of Nonprofit Eds and Meds: Why and How to Do It

This report provides a rare inside view on barriers women face to selection and success that are particular to nonprofit organizations and makes specific recommendations on how to improve the gender ratio.
Download the full report free

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