Tax, Legal & Compliance

The Unpaid Internship: Proceed With Caution
February 15, 2016 at 10:22 am

What college student wouldn't want the opportunity to work with a nonprofit, right? Think about all the experience he or she will gain, not to mention the fact that you can finally get that huge file-storage project done. If this all sounds familiar to you and your organization, step back and take note: The Fair Labor Standards Act may put a damper on your unpaid intern dreams...

IRS Grants Nonprofit Status to ‘Dark Money’ Group Founded by Karl Rove
February 12, 2016 at 8:56 am

Donors to the nonprofit group Crossroads GPS, founded by Republican strategist Karl Rove, no longer have to worry about their identities being disclosed. After a five-year wait, the IRS has approved the organization’s application for tax-exempt status. Crossroads had been the most active of the nonprofits that are funneling cash into politics—often called "dark money"…

Wounded Warrior Project Responds: CBS Investigation 'Patently False'
January 29, 2016 at 11:36 am

Wounded Warrior Project has responded to a CBS News investigation that called the charity's spending "out of control." In a letter addressed to CBS executive director Al Ortiz and posted to Wounded Warrior Project's website, Wounded Warrior Project called the news network's reporting "patently false" and demanded that CBS retract "false statements" and apologize to the public and "tens of thousands of wounded veterans."...

Wounded Warrior Project Investigation: What CBS News Got Wrong
January 28, 2016 at 10:57 am

On Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, CBS News aired a two-part investigation into the spending habits of Wounded Warrior Project. Citing tax documents and interviews with more than 40 former employees, the investigation found that the nonprofit spent $26 million on conferences, conventions and meetings in 2014, and described the charity's spending as "out of control." It's a bad look for Wounded Warrior Project, but there are a handful of issues with the report...

2 Abortion Foes Behind Planned Parenthood Videos Are Indicted
January 27, 2016 at 9:54 am

A grand jury in Houston that was investigating accusations of misconduct against Planned Parenthood instead has indicted two abortion opponents who made undercover videos of the organization. Prosecutors in Harris County said one of the leaders of the Center for Medical Progress—an anti-abortion group that made secretly recorded videos purporting to show Planned Parenthood officials…

4 Reasons Tax Time Equals Legacy Giving Time for Your Nonprofit
January 25, 2016 at 9:00 am

From late January until early April, nearly every potential legacy donor is using some portion of their time to pull together all of the documents required for tax filings with a financial planner. This is the time when those individuals already are thinking about estate planning and the benefits of charitable giving. Here are four…

Charity’s Lawsuit Contests Will of Creator of ‘Dick Tracy’ Radio Show
January 21, 2016 at 10:55 am

Six years before he died, Himan Brown, the creator of the radio dramas “Dick Tracy” and “Inner Sanctum Mysteries,” signed papers ensuring the bulk of his $100 million estate would go to a charitable trust under the sole control of his longtime lawyer. Now a lawsuit alleges that the lawyer, Richard L. Kay, duped Brown,…

Convicted Penn State Coach Jerry Sandusky's Former Charity Asks to Shut Down
January 15, 2016 at 9:00 am

The Second Mile filed a petition last week to dissolve itself and give its remaining $800,000 in assets to the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State University assistant football coach who in 2012 was convicted of 45 counts of sexual abuse of 10 different boys and sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison, founded the 39-year-old nonprofit based in Bellefonte, Pa. Sandusky also supported the nonprofit as an active fundraiser...

Did the NFL Back Out of a $16M Unrestricted Gift for Concussion Research?
January 12, 2016 at 12:37 pm

Three days before Christmas, Boston University was awarded a $16 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for brain-injury research. The funding was supposed to come from a $30 million unrestricted gift from the NFL, but when the study was announced, there was no mention of the league's involvment. Did the NFL back out of the deal? Or was it never involved to begin with? Here's what we know...