Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies, 5th Edition

Chapter 5

Legal Considerations for Nonprofit Organizations

IN THIS CHAPTER

Selecting a gatekeeper for online compliance

Writing and posting important policies

Handling must-do registrations and guidelines

Signing up with a governing organization

Approximately 300,000 nonprofits lose their exempt status each year because they fail to file a report with the IRS for three consecutive years. This small omission brings big consequences. As the owner of a registered nonprofit organization, you’re accustomed to the issue of compliance. Filling out annual reports for the IRS, issuing tax-deductible receipts to donors, and distributing legal waivers to volunteers are all a small part of your legal duties.

Fundraising over the Internet is no different. When you go online to seek donations, certain responsibilities come along with it, and overlooking even a few of those responsibilities can have a significant downside for your organization. Some of the issues we discuss in this chapter are internal compliance activities. Even if an action item isn’t mandated by a government entity, it’s still ...