Starting and Managing a Nonprofit Organization: A Legal Guide

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Contemplating

Terrible source of outdated information

A Rosetta Stone for legally-challenged nonprofit trustees

Starting and Managing a Nonprofit Organization: A Legal Guide
Bruce R. Hopkins
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0471680001

Book Description

Whether you are a nonprofit novice or the director of an established organization, this must-have guide to nonprofit law contains all the information you need to succeed, thrive, and protect your nonprofit's tax-exempt status. This practical reference offers you information on virtually every legal aspect of starting and operating a nonprofit organization—from receiving and maintaining tax-exempt status to tips for successful management practices. Completely revised and expanded, the third edition features updated information on changes in law, rules, and regulations governing the nonprofit sector, and provides you with clear information on corporate, tax, and fundraising laws.

Order your copy today!

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Up-to-date information on changes in laws, rules, and regulations governing the nonprofit sector

Nonprofit organizations must comply with stringent federal and state regulations or risk losing their tax-exempt status. With a wealth of new material, the Fourth Edition of this easy-to-read resource contains essential information on virtually every legal aspect of starting and operating a nonprofit organization–from receiving and maintaining tax-exempt status to tips for successful management practices.

Bruce R. Hopkins (Kansas City, MO) is the country’s leading authority on tax-exempt organizations and a lawyer with the firm Polsinelli, Shalton & Welte, PC. He is the author of 15 books, including The Law of Tax-Exempt Organizations (0-471-26820-8) and The Tax Law of Charitable Giving (0-471-35623-9), both published by Wiley.

Customer Reviews:

Contemplating.......2007-03-23

Have been interested in starting an advocacy organization. This book is clearly written, appears to be authoritative and comes from a person who seems to care about the field. I finished the book mildly encouraged but with some respect for the complexities involved. Note that this is only about the legal issues of non profits, not "managing" non profits per se.

Terrible source of outdated information.......2006-04-27

IRS Form 1023 is one of the most important pieces of starting a nonprofit organization. Yet this book, which is stamped with a 2005 copyright, contains information for the outdated, pre-2004 version of the 1023.

For example, the advice is given that one can attach a form SS-4 (request for EIN) with the form 1023, and in the form 1023 state "SS-4 attached" when it asks for an SS-4. Wrong. The IRS now requires an EIN be registered prior to submitting a 1023.

Likewise, the hints about "Part this" and "Question that" are completely out of sync with the actual application.

Grudgingly, I give the author credit for the other parts of the book. But 1023 is so important, that it would be terrible to let anyone rely on the information in this book.

A good source of detailed, up-to-date information on the 1023 is "IRS Form 1023 Tax Preparation Guide" by Jody Blazek. And I also recommend the companion book by the same author, "IRS Form 990 Tax Preparation Guide for Nonprofits".

Get those books. Do not get this book.

A Rosetta Stone for legally-challenged nonprofit trustees.......2004-04-30

I will begin with two disclaimers: I do not work for nor have any affiliation with the publisher, John Wiley & Sons, Inc (I am not a "corporate shill"). Notwithstanding that I would consider it an honor, I do not know nor have I ever met the author.

As an independent consultant providing philanthropic and nonprofit investment management consulting to the trustees of personal, fiduciary and institutional trusts, it is critical that I have expert resources available to provide timely and cutting-edge advisory.

I read voluminously, and my experience is simply this: in the world of nonprofit legal advisory, there is Hopkins, and everybody else.

I believe that success in any field of professional advisory is founded on specialization. This is another outstanding work by the pre-eminent legal expert specializing in advising charitable and educational organizations, associations, colleges, universities, hospitals, religious organizations, associations, and private foundations.

"Starting and Managing ..." is an essential resource in my nonprofit library; I recommend it to my clients as a "Rosetta stone" for translating the Byzantine intricacies of the Internal Revenue Code into a summary of the laws that affect the operation of nonprofit organizations.

If you have questions related to the establishment and qualification for tax exemption of nonprofit organizations, the establishment and operation of charitable fund-raising programs, and advice on matters such as public charity/private foundation qualification, the unrelated business income rules, and the involvement of nonprofits in partnerships and other joint ventures ... and need answers in non-legalese, rest easy: you have found your resource.
_____

1 My "due diligence" research on the author yielded the following: Hopkins is author of eight books (three of which are annually supplemented): The Law of Tax-Exempt Organizations (6th ed. 1992); The Legal Answer Book for Nonprofit Organizations (1996); The Nonprofit Law Dictionary (1994); A Legal Guide to Starting and Managing a Non-Profit Organization (2d ed. 1994); The Tax Law of Charitable Giving (1993); Charity, Advocacy, and the Law (1992); The Law of Fund-Raising (2d ed. 1996) (winner in the first edition of the first annual National Society of Fund Raising Executives/Staley/Robeson/Ryan/St. Lawrence Research Award); and Charity Under Siege: Government Regulation of Fund-Raising (1980) (which was selected by the NSFRE as one of the 25 books most favorably affecting fund-raising). He is co-author of a book titled The Law of Tax-Exempt Healthcare Organizations (1995). He writes a monthly newsletter titled 'The Nonprofit Counsel" and a bimonthly newsletter titled 'The Fund-Raising Regulation Report." John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, New York, publishes these books and newsletters. He is Editor of Wiley's Nonprofit Law, Finance, and Management Series.

Hopkins is a member of the Legal Section Council of the American Society of Association Executives. He served as Chair of the Committee on Exempt Organizations, Section on Taxation, American Bar Association; Chair of the Section of Taxation, National Association of College and University Attorneys: and President, Planned Giving Study Group of Greater Washington, D.C. He was appointed to the IRS Exempt Organizations Advisory Group in 1 987 and was accorded the Assistant Commissioner's (IRS) Award in 1984.

Hopkins graduated from the University of Michigan in 1964. He received his law degree from the George Washington University National Law Center in 1967, and masters of law degree in taxation from the Center in 1971.

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A Legal Guide to Starting and Managing a Nonprofit Organization, 2nd Edition
Bruce R. Hopkins
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0471585068

Book Description

Revised and updated to include information on changes in laws, rules and regulations governing the nonprofit sector. Provides guidance for those interested in starting a nonprofit organization as well as advice to directors of established organizations. Contains information on every legal aspect of starting and operating a nonprofit organization--from receiving and maintaining tax-exempt status to tips for successful management practice. Includes charts, tables, easy-to-use checklists and an expanded glossary.

Book Description

The benefits of performance appraisal in the business world have caused an upsurge of books and programs for use in management, but few of the methods described bother to verify that the underlying psychology on which they are based holds true. A Cognitive Approach to Performance Appraisal is a careful and thorough investigation of appraisal decisions. The evidence described will be invaluable to all those involved in assessing the validity of particular performance 'packages' for use by themselves or their clients and to other researchers in appraisal techniques.

Customer Reviews:

addition to previous review.......2002-04-01

The book is good for all people...topics covered apply not only to athletic fields(and golf courses), but also to the average home user. After reading the maintenance section, most people will learn that they over-fertilize and over-water.

Topics also include tufrgass diseases, weed control, and managing insect problems.

Good turf management book.......2002-04-01

This book provides a compehensive discussion of turfgrasses and their management. There are plenty of pictures showing grasses, weeds, and diseases suffered. The pictures are all very clear and close up so you know what you are looking at. There is also plenty of info on how the manage(fertilize, mow, etc.) grasses. I actually used this book in a class taught by the author(Dr. Richard Duble); while I used this as a college textbook, this book does not read like a college textbook so it should appeal to a wider audience.

Book Description

Mt. Holyoke, which overlooks the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, has been a tourist destination and an inspiration for artists and writers for almost two centuries. The view from its summit attracted the Hudson River School artist Thomas Cole among many others, including literary visitors such as Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. In 1836, Cole created the most famous painting associated with the mountain, based on sketches he made during his visit to the site. The Oxbow, which is a centerpiece of this book and the accompanying exhibition, shows a thunderstorm sweeping across the sky above the mountaintop in contrast to the gardenlike pastoral scene in the valley below. It has been described as the most important American landscape painting of the nineteenth century.

Frequent flooding, changing settlement patterns, and industrialization have all had a role in altering the view from the summit. The Oxbow became a closed loop bisected by a highway, and marinas punctuate the Connecticut River. From Cole's time to our own, artists including Edward Corbett, Stephen Hannock, Alfred Leslie, and Elizabeth Meyersohn have observed and recorded these alterations. Color plates of their paintings and photographs, reproduced in the book, allow us to track changes to the landscape and to Cole's influence. Contemporary artists both challenge and pay homage to his vision of the scene, even as their images are used to underline the need to preserve the mountain's natural beauty and cultural significance.

Customer Reviews:

An Unusual Book.......2003-08-07

This book is very interesting.If you paint landscapes you will find it interesting to see how artists over a period of time have depicted a well known landscape.If you are a student of art history you will also enjoy this book for the same reason.The essays are well written.They cover not only art but attitudes regarding preservation and use of the land.There are many paintings and photographs to ponder over.The design of this book is similar in size to a large sketchbook used to record ideas out in the field. I wonder if this book was designed this way because the exhibit deals with the landscape? The painting, "View From Mount Holyoke" by David John Grue-1903 is used to illustrate the jacket slipcover.It will invite you into the book even with the title on the front and the barcode on the back. Of course as with any book covering art and artists over a period of time if you want more information on a particular artist mentioned you will have to go to other sources.

Book Description

At last, safe, comfortable, ocean-going power cruisers that don't cost a fortune to own and operate. When boat designer George Buehler realized that he no longer wanted to cruise the world's oceans under sail, he decided to create a line of powerboats that sailors could love and anyone could afford. For inspiration, he turned to the light, lithe salmon trollers of the Pacific Northwest, among the most efficient, seaworthy, and beautiful powerboats ever built. With plans for troller yachts from 38 to 70 feet and detailed information about everything from design theory, building, and outfitting to converting commercial boats, this book is essential reading for anyone thinking about ocean cruising who refuses to spend $500,000 on a boat and $500 a day on fuel.

Customer Reviews:

Delight for the armchair cruiser.......2007-08-12

This is a great book for the armchair cruiser, the person who dreams about maybe someday getting a boat and cruising the world. It will add solid substance to those dreams, and make you much better prepared to read the for-sale ads and brochures of yacht brokers.

Buehler adopts a folksy, contrarian, informal style that is a delight to read: we're just sittin' around the port bar with crusty ol' cap'n Buehler, swappin' yarns. Buehler delights in being a contrarian, sniping at all modern trends and current assumptions in yacht marketing. For example: mild steel is almost always better than stainless steel for fittings; deck railings should be welded up from plain steel piping at a fraction the cost of custom stainless; *all* electrical systems *will* fail after enough time around salt water -- like the ubiquitous electric anchor-winch, which *will* fail and leave you stuck. So do without most of them (he advocates hydraulic-powered winches driven from the engine) and design in fall-backs for the ones you can't do without (like the engine starter).

Many of his opinions he justifies with anecdotes from long experience of "messing about in boats" on salt water. Some of the most important are backed by numbers. Most striking is the repeated tables of analyses showing how remarkably efficient a displacement hull is, when driven at its hull speed; and how amazingly fast the horsepower requirements go up, and the effective cruising range falls, as you increase speed even slightly above it.

Along the way he pokes holes in many pretentions and careless assumptions of the modern yacht market, which helps prepare you to read the magazines and brochures with a properly skeptical eye. A fun read and a dose of consumer wariness combined, a good thing. I would happily give this 5 stars except it is a bit dated. Ten years have passed and his cost estimates ought to be updated. Also, he could give a lot more info on good, reliable interior fitting design. For those wanting more info, current info on the designs at the center of this book is found at www.dieselducks.com. Buehler's own home page is www.georgebuehler.com.

Living in the Past.......2007-03-29

Although technically correct the author has a 'problem' with the modern thinking in this field. This theme is recurrent thoughout his book.

Cantankerous designer of working class yachts.......2006-11-18

This is my favorite design book so far for around the world passagemaker type vessels. Buehler sort of takes up where Beebe leaves off, and gives an excellent working man's view of the problem. In his opinion, the vessel should be built more thin and streamlined so as to burn less fuel. Trawler yachts like the Nordhaven, are essentially fat, heavy, big-motored trawling vessels, such as scrape the bottom of the ocean bare with enormous lead weighted trawler nets.

His idea, the *troller* yacht, is more along the lines of line fisher vessels. Longer with less beam (width), and stouter, and made of working-class materials like wood or steel, rather than the "easy maintenence" fiberglass hulls favored by modern yacht buyers. He also disdains complicated electrical or mechanical systems, pointing out that such stuff breaks, it is hard to maintain and expensive to have others repair. He gives a number of outlines for vessels he has designed which have ranges of up to 9000 miles on 600 gallons of diesel fuel. He points out that modern workboats are much like his: economical powerboats. Sailboats are too expensive for working joes to go fishing in. They require big crews, and the gear itself is quite expensive. He once compares a modest sailing rig to the equivalent in diesel range: the diesel fuel will get you many times farther, and he points out that in most sailboats, the diesel motor is used half the time anyway because there is no wind. If you have an idea of sailing 'round the world, you might revisit your idea with some of the ideas in this book. I certainly think differently about the problem after having read this. This isn't for Larry Ellison; this is for people who have to worry about money and efficiency. Which means, I suppose, this book is for the type of person who has to buy a book to learn this sort of thing; otherwise you could just buy someone to tell you what kind of boat to get.

this isn't hard: it's 'ol', not 'aw'.......2006-08-24

I was pawing through a Port Townsend bookstore the other day and saw the title and more importantly the sub-title of this book. And I instantly had one of those epiphany moments where a major element of the rest of my life fell into place. I've wanted to have the means to explore the world by ocean for a very long time but haven't had any good ideas on how to make progress. I bought Mr. Buehler's book and now I do.

I may not end up building to any of Mr. Buehler's plans (although the 48' Diesel Duck looks awfully appealing) but I'm certainly going to put together a boat based on these ideas or die trying. No doubt what got me started down this line of thinking was reading the Patrick O'Brian novels a couple times.

If you relate to my perspective at all then I'll expand on this for a moment. The book opens up, extensively, a frame of mind that answers the extended set of questions sitting in my land-lubber's brain. Here are the summary questions and answers, unabashed advertising for TTYB.

How big does a boat need to be to safely cross an ocean? (Answer: about 40 feet does it. 50 feet seems a nice compromise between 'more is better' and 'more is too much'.)

Should one move about on the ocean by sailing? (Answer: No! But a mast ought to be built into a power boat so sails can be used at sea in the event of engine failure.)

Do big boats need commensurately big engines? (Answer: No! Not if you travel in displacement hulls at modest speed. This means you can travel along under tens of horsepower burning a gallon or two of diesel per hour; what a concept!)

What sort of range can one get on the ocean on a single tank of gas? (Answer: A narrow hull and a small engine get you a quarter of the way around the planet on 800 gallons of fuel.)

And to reiterate/summarize: What is the basic idea for ocean-crossing adventures on a middle-class income? ((To be fair Mr. Buehler phrases this question in his book better than I had formed it in my head) The answer: Build a compact narrow boat with a modest superstructure to cut down wind resistance, travel at 8 knots or so, and keep all of your critical systems simple and thereby reliable.)

As the man says in his book, the design concept is based on very seaworthy salmon trollers rather than wide-bottom trawlers. (So any review of this book that uses the term 'trawler' must be written by someone who didn't actually read it.)

And as another man says (in Young Frankenstein): To the lumber yard!!

The Troller Yacht Book: A Powerboater's Guide to Crossing Oceans .......2005-09-20

This book is primarily for folks who are thinking of buying, building, or having built a trawler and to take it on long cruises. This is not a book for those who already own a trawler and are trying to find ways to improve them and preparing them for cruising.

Book Description

Joseph Telushkin is renowned for his warmth, his erudition, and his richly anecdotal insights, and in Words That Hurt, Words That Heal he focuses these gifts on the words we use in public and in private, revealing their tremendous power to shape relationships. With wit and wide-ranging intelligence, Rabbi Telushkin explains the harm in spreading gossip, rumors, or others' secrets, and how unfair anger, excessive criticism, or lying undermines true communication. By sensitizing us to subtleties of speech we may never have considered before, he shows us how to turn every exchange into an opportunity.

Remarkable for its clarity and practicality, Words That Hurt, Words That Heal illuminates the powerful effects we create by what we say and how we say it.

Customer Reviews:

Words That Hurt, Words That Heal.......2007-07-24

I've only just begun reading this book but I'm familiar with the content and have read several of this author's other books. He is a wonderful writer and his work both inspires and educates. I highly recommend anything written or co-written by Joseph Telushkin.

When wisdom is available, it's eminently practical to partake of it........2006-05-11

Despite the proliferation of advanced communications technologies, the basics of communication are woefully lacking simply because they are not a part of education. This book-and there is so much to praise about it-will stir your mind and emotions. It is calming. It is wise. It is practical.

Through simple, thought-provoking words of personal experience and well-chosen stories from the Old Testament, Rabbi Telushkin provides real inspiration and a rare and valuable insight into the real purpose of communication: the upliftment of the general human condition and growth of our own spirit.

Reading this work has moved me to re-consider the entire agenda and purpose of my life. Today so many words are spoken. Perhaps some of them are heard. What does all this interaction accomplish?

When political candidates bend over backwards to smear and denigrate their opponents without offering anything genuinely worthwhile to the public discourse-what does it say about life today, when the very survival of the planet is at stake and those who aspire to become decision-makers employ barbs as their stepping stones to position?

I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It ought to be used as a communications textbook at the earliest feasible level of a child's education. But it's a treasure useful for anyone at any age. I purchase very few books and recently cleaned my shelves of a number of them whose usefulness had long ago faded. This one will not only remain on my shelf, but I plan to send it to several friends. Even if you think you're pretty good with the spoken word, time spent reading this book will have a salutory effect on your being.

Wisdom is priceless and can be difficult to find. This easily read, short work has it. It's excellent, comforting food for the soul hungry for practical knowledge of life, and, taken to heart, the Rabbi's words could change the world.

How to use our tongues wisely.......2005-07-12

Rabbi Telushkin is one of the great teachers of Jewish ethics today. In this book he takes up the question of how we through what we say may hurt of may help others. He gives advice about how we can learn to not insult others, how to speak and fight fair, how to criticize and properly accept rebuke, how to avoid publicly humiliating others, how to control our rage and anger, how to in short incorporate principles of ethical speech in our everyday life.
He provides many examples and cites traditional Jewish sources in a convincing way.
If we could learn to apply the principles of this work to our own lives this would make us all better people.

Heart-Warming and Spiritually Uplifting.......2004-08-22

This book is for anyone who believes in their heart, that the following statement is not true, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me".

The author, Rabbi Telushkin, states that the words we choose in our everyday conversations are not simply a monotone stream of noise for exchanging information. Rather, words possess tremendous power to shape or break relationships. They can humiliate and destroy reputations, careers, friendships, and marriages and thus leave deep, emotional scars and irrevocable damage.

And, unfortunately, in our society, it seems as though the only verbal exchanges that most(but not all) people are not uncomfortable with, and secretly relish, whether they publicly admit so or not, are the ones that appeal to the weak side of human nature, such as spreading malicious gossip and rumors, constantly criticizing and finding faults in others, and making prejudicial and ugly comments about various racial, ethnic, and religious groups.

Thus by creating a toxic environment, we should not be surprised that there is a small minority, who refuses to take part in this nauseating verbal incivility, and therefore finds themselves isolated, emotionally paralyzed, and unable to wholeheartedly live life to the fullest.

This is where Rabbi Telushkin eloquently offers soothing advice to this often ignored and unspoken pain.

He states that if people were more self-aware and acutely conscious to the inflammatory power of words and its devastating consequences, rather than denying that they exist, they can learn to refrain from(think before you speak!)making inappropriate and negative comments and lead a richer and emotionally deeper life.

If we constantly remind ourselves to stop speaking with an evil tongue and refine our communication skills, new meaningful relationships based on trust can be formed, and people would become less hostile, deceitful, and hypocritical and more open, friendly, and receptive to others.

Thank you, arigato(Japanese), toda(Hebrew), gratias(Interlingua), Rabbi Telushkin for setting a HIGH STANDARD for ethical, moral, and spiritual decency!

An Important Text for Our Era.......2004-07-03

I truly believe if everyone would read this book, the world would be a better place. To this end, upon completing my initial read through this book, I purchased additional copies to send as gifts to friends and family.

Words That Hurt Words That Heal: How to Choose Words Wisely and Well

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Words That Hurt Words That Heal: How to Choose Words Wisely and Well
Joseph Telushkin; W Morrow and Co
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Company
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Binding: Hardcover
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Remove Protective Coating a Little at a Time
John Donovan
Manufacturer: Dell
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Remove protective coating a little at a time
John Donovan
Manufacturer: Harper & Row
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Binding: Unknown Binding

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Remove Protective Coating a Little at a Time
John Donovan
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REMOVE PROTECTIVE COATING A LITTLE AT A TIME (Paperback)
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REMOVE PROTECTIVE COATING A LITTLE AT A TIME
John Donovan
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John Donovan
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Remove Protective Coating a Little at a Time
John Donovan
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