There is a long list of federal, state, and local laws that apply to nonprofit organizations.
Failure to understand and comply with these rules can result in a nonprofit losing its tax-exempt status, getting hit with intermediate sanctions and excise taxes, and other penalties, some of which can be imposed not just on the organization, but individual directors and officers as well!
Legal liability and public embarrassment await nonprofit organizations that do not make compliance a top priority.
As recently as 2010, thousands of small nonprofits automatically lost their tax-exempt status due to the seemingly innocuous failure to file Form 990-N with the IRS for three consecutive years—the product of a 2006 federal law that many nonprofits were apparently not aware existed. Loss of tax-exempt status or termination of corporate existence can have devastating effects on a nonprofit organization.
If no one in your organization is willing or able to watch out for these basic compliance issues, then you need professional legal counsel to protect your organization and its leadership.
For one flat-rate, Perkins Law will be there to protect your organization and answer your day-to-day concerns.