Educational Programs

M-LINC hosts educational programs for nonprofit employees, volunteers and directors. These educational programs cover important legal issues for small and mid-sized nonprofits including:

Please consider attending one of our upcoming educational programs:

Governance Policy Workshop
Wednesday, October 13
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee

Will your nonprofit have to fill out the newly revamped IRS Form 990 this year for the first time?  The form is now required for organizations with between $250,000 and $500,000 in gross receipts.  If so, the new IRS Form 990 asks whether your nonprofit has adopted a number of governance policies. Such policies include conflict of interest, document retention, expense reimbursement, corporate minutes, executive compensation and whistleblower policies. This workshop will provide model policies that your nonprofit can use and/or adapt so that it can complete its next Form 990 and answer “yes” when the IRS asks whether it has such governance policies in place.

Board Member Roles, Responsibilities, Liabilities and Protections
Wednesday, October 27
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee

This program will address the legal and fiduciary obligations of members of the board of directors of a nonprofit organization, including:

Nonprofit Law 101
Wednesday, November 10
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee

If your nonprofit does not have a lawyer on staff it may not be well informed about the laws that apply to all 501(c)(3) organizations.  This program will cover a medly of laws and requirements that you should be aware of, including:

Past Educational Programs

Nonprofit Property Tax Exemption – The Law and Its Implementation
June 8, 2010

Speakers: Kevin Kearns, Tim Radelet, Margaret Derus
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
Co-sponsored by UWM’s Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management

This program is co-sponsored by the Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Marquette Legal Initiative for Nonprofit Corporations, a public service program of Marquette University Law School

The growing fiscal challenges facing municipalities across the country are magnifying the importance of property tax as a source of revenue and increasing the controversy over property tax exemptions for charitable organizations. Pittsburgh has become a hotbed of activity where nonprofit property tax exemptions are being challenged, and similar tensions are surfacing in Wisconsin communities. What's at stake? Please join us as we explore this issue from a range of perspectives, including:

Panelists include:

Listen to the webcast.

Serving on Nonprofit Boards
May 21, 2010

Association of Corporate Counsel, Wisconsin Chapter, Annual Conference
Elkhart Lake, WI

Many attorneys, including in-house counsel, are asked at some point in their career to serve on a nonprofit board or to represent a nonprofit organization. Such commitments give rise to ethical questions and considerations. This session will highlight Wisconsin and federal law, as well as best practices and key case examples, to provide some guidance for in-house counsel serving the nonprofit sector.

Legal Issues in Managing Volunteers and Legal Protections for Volunteers
February 4, 2010

What is a volunteer? Are your staff members volunteers or employees? What laws apply and don’t apply to volunteers? Should a nonprofit screen its potential volunteers and, if so, how? How should the nonprofit conduct background checks? When and how can a nonprofit be held liable for the negligent acts of its volunteers? Can a nonprofit’s volunteers be sued? What procedures can reduce the risk of liability to volunteers? This workshop will also discuss the federal Volunteer Protection Act, which affords protections to nonprofit volunteers, including volunteer board members, and other state-specific protections that reduce or guard against volunteer liability.

Governance Policy Workshop
Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee
January 28, 2010

Will your nonprofit have to fill out the newly revamped IRS Form 990 this year for the first time? Or will it have to next year? If so, the new IRS Form 990 asks whether your nonprofit has adopted a number of governance policies. Such policies include conflict of interest, document retention, expense reimbursement, corporate minutes, executive compensation and whistleblower policies. This workshop will provide model policies that your nonprofit can use and/or adapt so that it can complete its next Form 990 and answer “yes” when the IRS asks whether it has such governance policies in place.
Workshop PowerPoint

Ethical Issues Arising in Service on a Nonprofit Board and/or for Attorneys Representing Nonprofit Clients
January 11, 2010

This CLE will review case studies that explore ethical issues that may arise during the course of service on a nonprofit board as well as their legal implications under federal and Wisconsin law. Such issues often involve approval of executive compensation and conflicts of interest. Additionally, this CLE will address potential ethical issues that may arise when an attorney represents a nonprofit client. This program should be of interest to all Wisconsin attorneys who serve on nonprofit boards as well as attorneys who represent nonprofit clients.
Listen to the webcast.
The Lawyer Serving as a Director of a Client/Organization (PDF)
Ethical Issues Arising in Service on a Nonprofit Board or for Attorneys Representing Nonprofit Clients (PDF)

The Role of the Wisconsin Attorney General in Charity Oversight:
A Review of Past Practice, Current Law, and Their Implications
Thursday, October 8

Historically, the Wisconsin Attorney General has played a limited public role in charity oversight, focusing mostly on some regulation of fundraising under the auspices of consumer protection. Recently, however, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has challenged that “quiet” role. In April 2009, he filed a motion to intervene in the litigation involving a Wisconsin nonprofit corporation, the Conserve School, a case that garnered national attention. The judge’s ruling in this case has highlighted constitutional and statutory constraints on the Wisconsin Attorney General’s authority to act.
Listen to the webcast.

Tips for Nonprofits in the Current Economic Climate: Mergers, Joint Ventures, Generating Income, Reducing Labor Costs, Dissolution, Etc.
July 14, 2009

Is your nonprofit struggling to make ends meet in 2009? You're not alone. This presentation will address a few steps that could help your organization make it through 2009. Many nonprofits are currently looking into alternative ways to raise funds, including joint ventures with for profit businesses, sharing services or costs with other nonprofits, and offering services for a fee to the general public. We will discuss the IRS implications of alternative fundraising methods. This presentation will also address how a nonprofit can reduce its labor costs, how to modify contracts to save funds, whether to consider re-negotiating the nonprofit's lease (i.e., what to do when you can no longer afford or do not need all of your space) and when dissolution may be appropriate.

Lobbying 101: A Guide to Effective and Legal Lobbying for Nonprofits
Wisconsin Nonprofits Association Annual Summit
June 1-2, 2009

Increasingly, nonprofit organizations understand that the success of their missions may necessitate some lobbying activity. Nonprofits' lobbying activities may present a potential source of legal trouble if a nonprofit exceeds the limits on lobbying activity permitted for 501(c)(3) organizations. This workshop will help your organization decipher and navigate the rules that govern nonprofit lobbying.