U.S. Legal and financial books and resources for nonprofit and religious entities*
IRS Resources
The IRS, under their Exempt Organizations unit has a wealth of information related to the operations and financial accountability of religious as well as nonprofit organizations.
For churches and religious organizations, several key resources from the IRS website are:
Tax Guide for Churches and Religious Organizations. A quick reference guide of federal tax law and procedures for churches and religious organizations to help them comply with IRS rules.
Charities, Churches, and Educational Organizations - Political Campaign Intervention. Resources available on irs.gov about the federal tax rules applying to the involvement of section 501(c)(3) organizations in political campaign activities.
Intermediate Sanctions (IRC 4958) Update. An Exempt Organizations Continuing Professional Education article for Fiscal Year 2002
The IRS is also offering on-line workshops regarding 501(c)(3) organizations which would be helpful to someone new to the field. You need to keep in mind, however, that frequently there are differences between “exempt organizations” in general, and religious organizations and churches; this resource is at: http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=166625,00.html
Addional Resources
Richard Hammer (General Counsel to the Assemblies of God and the best in the field of clergy and church law), author of a number of books plus financial and legal newsletters, etc. http://store.churchlawtodaystore.com/index.html
Bruce R. Hopkins, like Hammer, is an expert in nonprofit law although he does not specialize in religious entities. He offers seminars and has published a number of books. http://www.nonprofitlawcenter.com/
Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) is an excellent resource for financial issues, policies, etc. Check out their written resources. http://ecfa.org/
The Christian Management Association puts on a very excellent conference every year, especially if you want to learn a lot at one time. (After a couple of years a lot of the information may seem redundant, however.) http://sites.silaspartners.com/cma
Not as useful for faith-based organizations but large and influential, Independent Sector is a leading organization in the field of nonprofits and has publications and events related to the nonprofit field in general. http://independentsector.org/pubs_cart.htm
The Chronicle of Philanthropy: A bi-weekly newspaper covering the nonprofit world with an emphasis on philanthropy. It is a good resource to update you on what is going on in the sector. www.philanthropy.com
A service for California attorneys, CEB provides legal treaties. They publish, “Advising California Nonprofit Corporations,” which, while quite expensive is also extensive. It includes federal as well as state law. http://www.ceb.com
The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) is the leading source for information on the legal environment for civil society and public participation. Since 1992, ICNL has served as a resource to civil society leaders, government officials, and the donor community in over 90 countries. It has a number of world-wide legal resources, including information material and the International Journal of Not-for-Profit Law (IJNL). Its Knowledge Center is an on-line library containing over 2,300 materials from more than 140 countries. Resources can be found in 38 different languages. http://www.icnl.org/index.htm
*International resources will be provided separately.
Articles & Notices
Small charities with revenue under $25,000 are now required to file the 990N with the IRS. It is due by the 15 th day of the fifth month after year end. Therfore charities with a Dec. 31 year end should file by May 15, 2008. Charities that don't file for 3 years will lose their tax exemption. Churches are exempt from filing. Click here for the IRS electronic form.
Contributions to your church to fund designated long-term, cross-cultural workers may or may not be tax deductible. In an article appearing in the 2008 Church and Clergy Tax Guide, Richard Hammer seeks to clarify the issue by examining court cases that infer practical administrative and financial controls which, if implemented, may ensure that contributions made meet IRS requirements for tax deductibility. While we always encourage you to ask your legal advisor about these issues, the article provides some helpful information. Click here to read an excerpt.
