Your nonprofit’s mission is important. Let’s Go Legal is here to help you achieve it and stay compliant in the process. Laws exist to protect your organization and show the community that your nonprofit is legitimate. Your organization can take some simple steps to build a strong foundation to achieve its mission. Explore the legal compliance resources in this toolkit offered in different formats to meet your learning needs.
Upcoming Let's Go Legal Events
What We Cover in Let’s Go Legal
Introduction
Start by outlining important legal considerations for nonprofits. You will get an overview of the content covered in the following five chapters.
State Law
To become official, a nonprofit must first register with the state. The organization needs to stay compliant with state corporation law and other state law requirements, including filing corporation and charity reports every year.
Federal Law
Nonprofit organizations who want their revenue to be exempt from federal income tax and want to be eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions must follow additional federal rules.
Fundraising
There are state and federal rules that tell a nonprofit how to communicate about money received, how to account for the money, and what kinds of fundraising an organization can conduct.
Employment Law
An organization’s valuable workers may include paid employees, volunteers, interns, and independent contractors, and each type of worker has a role and legal compliance considerations.
Intellectual Property
Whether shared on websites, used in print materials, or captured through unique research on the issues the organization addresses, protecting the ideas and products of a nonprofit is vital.
Let's Go Legal Guide
Start by downloading the Let's Go Legal guide that includes checklists, activities, and reflection questions. As you work through the guide, watch the video for each chapter. Find templates and other documents to help put what you learned into practice in the document vault, and check out the interactive LGL graphic. Keep on learning with other resources and upcoming workshops on nonprofit legal topics.
Download the GuideTake the Course
The self-paced Let’s Go Legal Course works through the material presented in the guide in interactive lessons including videos, activities, and additional resources.
Let’s Go Legal Videos
There is a video for each chapter of Let’s Go Legal. Use these short videos to learn on your own, or show one at a board meeting to start important conversations about legal compliance with your board.
Document Vault
We’ve collected valuable resources, tools, and links for you and your organization in our Let’s Go Legal document vault.
More Resources
Bolder Advocacy
National Council of Nonprofits
Washington State Office of the Secretary of State Corporations and Charities Division
Communities Rise
Stanford Law School Nonprofit Corporation Forms and Documents
Washington State Department of Labor & Industries
Continue Learning
Looking for somethingthing else? Check out the all of NAWA’s resources and upcoming events on nonprofit legal compliance on the By Topic – Legal page.