We advise nonprofit organizations on start-up plans, entity formation, organization, governance, governmental compliance, fundraising, planned giving strategies, and other legal matters.

Nonprofit and charitable organizations offer significant benefit to local communities and around the world. Our law firm supports such efforts with legal counsel to ensure tax-exempt entities are structured properly from the beginning to take advantage of all available benefits and to avoid governance or financial problems down the road. We work with clients ranging from small groups just getting started to large institutions, including private foundations and their affiliates, religious organizations, membership organizations, and advocacy organizations. Our nonprofit clients have operations all across the U.S. and in many other countries.

We work closely with tax-exempt organizations on start-up plans, entity formation, organization, governance, state and federal compliance, unrelated business income tax, fundraising, planned giving strategies, and other critical legal and business matters.

In addition to day-to-day legal advice, we have experience with structuring and negotiating a variety of major business deals on behalf of nonprofit clients. We have also amassed considerable practical experience in running nonprofits by serving as a board member or in other roles for various nonprofit organizations. We offer these services:

* Consulting and assisting clients with the initial stages of entity formation and issues surrounding qualification for tax-exemption as well as preparing applications to secure federal and state tax-exemptions.

* Preparing organizational documents such as articles of incorporation, bylaws, policies, and trusts.

* Assisting with general business, operations, and policy matters related to real estate, intellectual property, contracts, contributions, insurance, employment, employee benefits, and other issues pertinent to the organization, including unrelated business income tax issues.

* Advising on nonprofit involvement in complex structures involving commercial entities, including for-profit subsidiaries, partnerships, and joint ventures.

* Advising private foundations, organizations maintaining donor-advised funds, and other grantmakers on sophisticated grantmaking programs, including expenditure responsibility grants, equivalency determinations or program-related investments.

* Advising on qualification as a publicly-supported public charity, supporting organization, or private operating foundation.

* Advising on the laws governing fundraising and charitable solicitation, negotiating commercial sponsorship and product-related fundraising partnerships, and helping clients to obtain necessary licenses and permits for their fundraising activities.

* Providing counsel on internal governance matters, including the selection and operation of boards of directors, fiduciary duties, conflicts of interest and liability issues.

* Counseling charities with respect to planned giving, including gift acceptance policies, due diligence concerns and tax strategies, and negotiating large gifts.

* Establishing charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, and charitable gift annuities.

* Advising nonprofit advocacy groups on the restrictions on lobbying and political activity by tax-exempt organizations.

* Reviewing executive compensation and other transactions to ensure compliance with IRS and state rules governing excess benefit transactions and private inurement.

If your nonprofit organization needs legal advice and representation, give us a call at 253.858.5434 to set up an appointment today. We proudly represent clients throughout Washington and Idaho and are available to meet in person, by phone, or via video conference.