On Demand
Audio
Political Issues for 501(c)(3) Nonprofits
Produced on October 15, 2020
Course Information
Course Description
While a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization can be a powerful tool for good in this country, there are severe restrictions on their engagement in direct political action. The most common guidance for nonprofits stepping into the political arena is: “Don’t”. Nevertheless, if an attorney advising a nonprofit takes the time to learn the field, there are a number of tools and tricks they can use to make their client’s voice heard (without disrupting their tax-exempt status). In this course, attorney Todd Kulkin will provide a top-down view of the dead-ends and avenues for political engagement by a 501(c)(3) organization. This will help you to spot problems before they arise, and provide you with new tools to magnify your nonprofit clients’ impact for good.
Learning Objectives:
- Review the tax structure of 501(c)(3) organizations
- Identify the basic forms of 501(c)(3) non-profit relationships with political entities
- Use the “friends-of” tool for tax-exempt donor aggregation
- Manage compliance issues with international donors
- Dissect the Johnson Amendment: understanding the amendment and advising clients in the wake of Trump’s Executive Order
- Support your organization’s ideals and goals while remaining non-partisan
Credit Information
Faculty
Todd Kulkin
Law Offices of Todd Kulkin
Todd Kulkin specializes in providing legal advice to small/medium sized businesses, start-ups, and non-for-profit organizations. He started his legal career at a large New York law firm. While working for that firm, his time was split between two practice areas: general liability defense and providing corporate and regulatory advice to major corporations. He uses his experience as a civil defense litigator to advise clients about their liability posture and how to mitigate. He left the firm to start his own practice in 2012 and, since then, has expanded his expertise to intellectual property and socially responsible entrepreneurship. Todd graduated with Honors from Brandeis University and with a J.D. in Financial Transactions from University at Buffalo (SUNY) School of Law.
An animal lover, Todd sits as Director of Corporate Relations for Mighty Mutts & Meows: a no-kill, 501c3, all volunteer animal rescue organization in New York City.
Reviews
The presenter is very knowledgeable of the subject-matter and was very engaging with the participants, particularly in addressing participants’ questions.
Really impressive!