501(c)(3) Organization and Formation From Start to Finish

Agenda / Content Covered

1. 2021 Updates: Form Changes, New Rules and Enforcement Activities
   11:00 - 11:30, Samuel G. Coppersmith
2. Nonprofit Governance: Current Pitfalls and Best Practices
   11:30 - 12:30, Tisidra Jones
   1. Duty of Obedience, Loyalty, Care, Disclosure Standards
   2. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
   3. Preventing Top Nonprofit Governance Mistakes
   4. Highlighting Current Trends & Practices
3. Preparing Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and Policies
   12:45 - 1:45, Tisidra Jones
   1. Incorporation Process, Procedure
   2. Articles of Incorporation: Key Provisions
   3. Bylaws: Key Provisions
   4. Key Policies and Procedures
   5. Mission Statement and Evolving Mission Issues
4. Eligibility Requirements and Classifications
   2:15 - 2:45, Samuel G. Coppersmith
   1. Eligibility to Apply for 501(c)(3) Status
   2. Public Charity vs. Private Foundation Classification
   3. Special Categories of Organizations for 501(c)(3)
5. Establishing Tax Exempt Status with the IRS
   2:45 - 3:45, Samuel G. Coppersmith
   1. Filing Purposes (Organizations Entitled to Claim 501(c)(3) Status Without Filing; Organizations Eligible to File the New Form 1023-EZ)
   2. Obtaining a Federal EIN
   3. Completion of Form 1023 (Application for Recognition of Exemption) and Deadlines
   4. IRS Processing Procedures; What the IRS is Looking for
   5. Traps for the Unwary
   6. Top Reasons for Application Denials G. Group Exemptions
6. Re-Establishing Tax Exempt Status and Conversions
   3:45 - 4:15, Michelle Huhnke
   1. Reinstatement of Tax Exempt Status
   2. Conversion From For-Profit to Nonprofit
7. Form 990 and Accounting for Income from Unrelated Business Activities
   4:30 - 5:00, Michelle Huhnke
8. Ethics
   5:00 - 6:00, Michelle Huhnke
   1. Attorney-Client Confidentiality
   2. Determining Who the Client is
   3. Disclosures to the IRS
   4. Client Communications

Accreditation Details:

Samuel G Coppersmith is a partner with the law firm of Coppersmith Brockelman PLC, in Phoenix, Arizona. His practice centers on business and real estate transactions, with an emphasis on guiding nonprofit organizations in strategic initiatives, operations, and public affairs. Mr. Coppersmith represented Arizona's 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives during the 103rd Congress; served as a member and as chair of the City of Phoenix Board of Adjustment; and is currently chair of the Board of Trustees of the Devereux Foundation, one of the nation's largest behavioral health providers. He is a member of the State Bar of Arizona, State Bar of California, and the Maricopa County and American bar associations. Mr. Coppersmith is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School.

Michelle Huhnke is a partner with the Chicago law firm of Sugar Felsenthal Grais & Helsinger LLP, where she focuses her practice in the areas of estate planning, estate and trust administration, and charitable planning. She teaches trusts and estates law at the University of Chicago Law School. Ms. Huhnke is also a lecturer for the Investment Management Consultants Association for their program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and has lectured for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education. She earned her undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Barnard College and her J.D. degree, with honors, from the National Law Center at George Washington University. Ms. Huhnke is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the District of Columbia Bar.

Tisidra Jones has been working at the intersection of creativity, policy, and entrepreneurship for more than 10 years. Ms. Jones has a B.A. degree in music, with a minor in the Sociology of Difference from George Mason University. She acquired her J.D. degree from the University of St. Thomas School of Law and is licensed to practice law in New York and Minnesota. Ms. Jones has had articles and research published pertaining to diversity and economic inclusion. She has been invited to serve as the keynote speaker, panel moderator, and CLE presenter for events focused on entrepreneurship, organizational infrastructure building and equal economic opportunity. Throughout her career, and in her current role as CEO of Strong & Starlike Consulting, Inc., Ms. Jones has worked with government entities, nonprofits and businesses to design sustainable programs and policies related to economic development, economic opportunity and business inclusion. She has drafted ordinances for municipalities, state statutes and promulgated federal regulations. Her work at the intersection of art, law and entrepreneurship has resulted in multiple awards and honors, including the 2017 International Arts and Culture Citizen Award and the 2020 Minnesota Lawyer’s Diversity and Inclusion Award.