Nonprofit Law Resource Guide
Introduction
State Law, Regulations, and Case Law
Federal/U.S. Law, Regulations, and Case Law
U.S. Internal Revenue Service - Selected Links
Ohio Treatises, Practice Guides and Forms
Other Treatises, Practice Guides and Forms
Study Aid
Searching Scholar and OhioLINK
Journal Articles and Current Awareness Services
Aggregate Files and Other Web Resources
Introduction
The Non-Profit Corporation Seminar (LAW 722) "considers the legal problems and current issues involved in the structuring and operation of non-profit organizations and includes practical exercises in drafting legal memoranda and corporate documents." It "satisfies the upper level writing requirement."
This selective guide highlights major print and electronic resources available to Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and other Cleveland State University students and faculty researching legal issues related to nonprofit organizations, especially nonprofit corporations.
Please note: Westlaw and LexisNexis links require a law student or attorney password issued by those companies; LexisNexis Academic links are available on campus and remotely to CSU students, faculty, and staff with a SCHOLAR PIN.
For additional resources about Corporation Law in general, please consult our Corporation Law Resource Guide. For matters specific to educational institutions, there may be additional information sources on our Education Law Resource Guide.
Please contact your Law Library Research Services librarians during their regularly scheduled hours, or via email to research.services@law.csuohio.edu for assistance in locating/using these or other resources to meet your needs.
State Law, Regulations and Case Law
Ohio:
Ohio Revised Code (LAWriter - from State of Ohio website - unannotated) Chapter 1702: Nonprofit Corporation Law
For annotated versions of ORC Title 17, see:
Baldwin's Ohio Revised Code Annotated / West Pub. Co., 1994 - . Print. Reference, Reserve, Ohio Room KFO 30 1953 .A4 (Westlaw - OH-ST-ANN )
Page's Ohio Revised Code Annotated / Anderson Pub. Co., 1953 - . Print. Reference, Reserve, Ohio Room. KFO 30 1953 .P3 LexisNexis Academic - Page's Ohio Revised Code
LexisNexis - (Legal > States Legal - U.S. > Ohio > Statutes & Regulations > OH - Ohio Statutes, Constitution, Court Rules & ALS, Combined )
Business Organizations Law & Rules (Ohio Practice Business Organizations) / Adam M. Ekonomon and Matthew A. Heinle eds./ West. Annual. KFO 210.A29 O36
Ohio Administrative Code / West , 1994 - KFO 34.5 .O35 Westlaw - OH-ADC
Ohio Administrative Code (LAWriter - from State of Ohio website)
LexisNexis - OH - Ohio Administrative Code and the Ohio Register (Legal > States Legal - U.S. > Ohio > Agency & Administrative Materials > OH - Ohio Administrative Doce and the Ohio Register)
Updated by the Ohio Monthly Record KFO 35.A23 O35
Register of Ohio (for notice of Ohio rule-making)
Westlaw - Ohio Regulation Tracking & Text Combined (OH-SNREGS)
LexisNexis - Ohio State Regulation Tracking (Summaries and status of proposed Ohio agency regulations.) (Legal > States Legal - U.S. > Ohio > Agency & Administrative Materials > Ohio State Regulation Tracking )
Ohio Secretary of State - Creating a Nonprofit
Ohio Secretary of State - NonProfit Entities - Forms and Fees
Westlaw - OHBUS-CS - Ohio Business Organizations Cases - Cases from Ohio state courts related to public, private, and not-for-profit business and corporations. Coverage begins with 1821.
LexisNexis - OH Corporate Cases (Legal > Area of Law - By Topic > Corporate > Cases > OH Corporate Cases ) Caselaw relating to Corporate law from the various courts from the state of Ohio
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Other States -- Laws:
Legal Information Institute (Cornell): State Statutes on the Internet By Topic - Corporations
Other States -- Administrative Regulations
IRS links to state sites for regulatory information about nonprofit registration, taxes, etc.
Other States - Cases
Westlaw - MBUS-CS - contains cases/orders selected for relevance to public, private, and not-for-profit businesses and corporations.
LexisNexis - Corporate Cases, Federal and State ( Legal > Area of Law - By Topic > Corporate > Cases > Corporate Cases, Federal and State )
LexisNexis Academic: Legal Research > Area of Law By Topic > Corporate Law (Federal and State Cases)
Federal/U.S. Law, Regulations and Case Law
United States Code (From GPO Access) Section 501(c)
Administrative Regulations - Federal:
Code of Federal Regulations (From GPO Access)
Federal Register (From GPO Access) also includes notices of new grant opportunities.
For tax aspects aside from federal income tax, consider these 2 U.S. Government publications from the U.S. General Accountability Office and House Hearing:
Tax Compliance - Thousands of Organizations Exempt from Federal Income Tax Owe Nearly $1 Billion in Payroll and Other Taxes (GAO-07-563, June 2007) Report to the Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Oversight, Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives.
Tax Compliance - Thousands of Organizations Exempt from Federal Income Tax Owe Nearly $1 Billion in Payroll and Other Taxes ((GAO-07-1090T, July 24, 2007) Statement of Gregory D. Kutz, Managing Director Forensic Audits and Special Investigations; Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Oversight, Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives.
Tax-Exempt Charitable Organizations: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Oversight of the Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives, 110th Congress, 1st Sess., July 24, 2007. KF 27 .W345 2007
U.S. Internal Revenue Service Selected Links
Tax Information for Charities & Other Non-Profitshttp://www.irs.gov/charities/index.html
Governance and Related Topics - 501(c)(3) Organizations - IRS - released 2/27/08 (replaces the 2/2007 discussion draft )
Form 990 Redesign for Tax Year 2008 (Filed in 2009) - Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax [for reference: Draft Redesigned Form 990 - Return of Organizations Exempt From Income Tax -]
Form 990 Draft of Instructions - Comments due 6/1/2009
Pension Protection Act of 2006 Revisions to Exempt Organization Tax Rules
Annual Electronic Filing Requirement for Small Exempt Organizations - Form 990-N (e-Postcard)
Charities, Churches, and Educational Organizations - Political Campaign Intervention
Cumulative List of Organizations Described in Section 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (Publication 78) (organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions) http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=96136,00.html "Search for Charities"
Applying for 501(c)(3) Status for Your Organization (Publication 4220) http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4220.pdf
Charitable Contributions (Publication 526)
Determining the Value of Donated Property (Publication 561)
Tax Information for Contributors
Exempt Organizations Forms and Publications
Exempt Organizations Update (EO Newsletter)
Life Cycle of a Public Charity
Life Cycle of a Private Foundation
Tax-Exempt Organizations and Political Campaign Intervention
Tax-Exempt Status for Your Organization (Publication 557)
Tax Guide for Churches and Religious Organizations (Publication 1828) http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1828.pdf
Tax on Unrelated Business Income of Exempt Organizations (Publication 598)
Testimony: Charitable Giving Problems and Best Practices - IR-2004-81 June 22, 2004
Ohio Treatises, Practice Guides and Forms
Selected significant treatises and practice guides in the Law Library collection which provide a foundation for Ohio nonprofit organization law issues include the following:
Anderson's Ohio Annotated Business Entities Handbook / Anderson Pub. Co., current year. KFO 205 .O35 LexisNexis ( Legal > Area of Law - By Topic > Corporate > Treatises & Analytical Materials > Anderson Publishing > Ohio Business Entities Handbook )
Anderson's Ohio Corporation Law / Anderson Pub. Co., 2000 - Annual. Current. KFO 213 .A65 S43 LexisNexis ( Legal > Area of Law - By Topic > Corporate > Treatises & Analytical Materials > Anderson Publishing > Ohio Corporation Law (Anderson) )
Ohio Corporate Forms -- see the Ohio Secretary of State's Office website.
Ohio Business Entities, 2d ed. / Zolman Cavitch & Matthew T. Cavitch / Matthew Bender / 2 vols. (Formerly: Ohio Corporation Law, With Federal Tax Analysis) Vol. 2, Chapter 27: Nonprofit Corporations. KFO 210 .A65 C38 2005
LexisNexis (Legal > States Legal - U.S. > Ohio > Treatises and Analytical Materials > All Treatises and Analytical Materials > Ohio Business Entities, Second Edition )
Ohio Forms and Transactions : OFT / Thomas R. Swisher/ West Group, 1989 - 3 vols. Vol. 3, Chapters 28 & 29. KFO 68 .S94 ( Westlaw - Ohio Forms and Transactions OHFT )
Ohio Forms Legal and Business / West Group. Current. Generally Chapter 31: Charities & Foundations. KFO 68 .O35 Westlaw OH-LF
Ohio Transaction Guide - Legal Forms / Matthew Bender, 1975 - Generally Vol. 3, Chapter 41. of this looseleaf set. KFO 213 .A65 O35
LexisNexis (Legal > States Legal - U.S. > Ohio > Treatises and Analytical Materials > All Treatises and Analytical Materials > Ohio Transaction Guide )
Developments in Ohio law are often reflected in continuing legal education materials such as:
Representing Non-Profits / Columbus: OSBA CLE Institute, 2005. KFO 211 .A75 R46 2005
Other Treatises, Practice Guides and Forms
The ABCs of Nonprofits / Lisa A. Runquist / Chicago, IL: American Bar Assn., 2005. KF 1388 .Z9 R86 2005
Advising Nonprofit Organizations / New York: Practising Law Institute, 2002 - . Annual. (Corporate Law and Practice Course Handbook Series) KF 1388 .A15 A39
AmJur Legal Forms 2d / St. Paul: West Group. Start with the Index. Vol. 4B, Chapter 55: Charities; Vol. 6A, Chapter 74:836 Federal Tax-Exempt Status of Nonprofit Organizations. KF 170 .A542
Complete Guide to Nonprofit Organizations - Law, Taxation, Operational Planning / Penina Kessler Lieber and Donald R. Levy, eds. / Kingston, NJ: Civic Research Institute, 2005. KF 1388 .C65 2005
Developing Affordable Housing - A Practical Guide for Nonprofit Organizations / Bennett L. Hecht / Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2006. HD 259 .H43 2006
Exempt Organizations Reports / Chicago: Commerce Clearing House, 1981 - . 3 vols. Current looseleaf service. KF 6449 .A6 E9
The Faithless Fiduciary and the Quest for Charitable Accountability, 1200-2005 / James J. Fishman / Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 2007. KD 1487 .F57 2007
Federal Tax Coordinator 2d / New York: Research Institute of America. Curent looseleaf. Start with the Index under topics as Charitable, Exempt, or Non-profit. KF 6272 .R37
Fletcher Corporation Forms Annotated / Westlaw -- FLTR-FRM
Fletcher Cyclopedia of the Law of Private Corporations, Perm. ed. / West Group, 1931- . 19 vol. looseleaf. Check Index under Nonprofit Corporations and/or Model Nonprofit Corporation Act. KF 1384 .F55 Westlaw -- FLTR-CYC
Guide to Nonprofit Corporate Governance in the Wake of Sarbanes-Oxley / ABA Coordinating Committee on Nonprofit Governance / Chicago: Section of Business Law, American Bar Association, 2005. KF 1388.5 .G85 2005
Guidebook for Directors of Nonprofit Corporations, 2nd ed. / George W. Overton and Jeannie Carmedelle Frey, eds. and the Nonprofit Corporations Committee / Chicago: American Bar Association, Section of Business Law, 2002. KF 1388.7 .Z9 G85 2002
IRS Form 990 - Tax Preparation Guide for Nonprofits, Rev. ed. / Jody Blazek / New York: Wiley, 2004. KF 6449 .B53 2004
Joint Ventures Involving Tax-Exempt Organizations, 3rd ed. / Michael I. Sanders / Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2007. KF 1388 .S257 2007
The Law of Intermediate Sanctions - A Guide for Nonprofits / Bruce R. Hopkins / Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2003. KF 6614 .E94 H68 2003
The Law of Tax-Exempt Organizations, 9th ed. / Bruce R. Hopkins / Hoboken: John Wiley, 2007. KF 6449 .H6 2007
The Legal Answer Book for Private Foundations / Bruce R. Hopkins and Jody Blazek / New York: Wiley, 2002. KF 1389 .Z9 H67 2002
The Lobbying Manual - A Complete Guide to Federal Law Governing Lawyers and Lobbyists, 3rd ed. / Chicago, Ill.: ABA Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice, 2005. See Chapters 11 (Internal Revenue Code Limitations on Lobbying by Tax Exempt Organizations,) 15 (Office of Management and Budget Regulations Governing Lobbying Costs Incurred by Nonprofit Organizations,) and 19 (Special Considerations for Lobbying by Nonprofit Corporations.) KF 4948 .L62 2005
Nonprofit Controller's Manual / Craig Stevens / Warren, Gorham & Lamont/RIA. Westlaw -- WGL-NPCMAN
Nonprofit Corporation Forms Handbook / Barbara L. Kirschten / Westlaw -- NONPROFIT
Nonprofit Enterprises: Corporations, Trusts, and Associations / Westlaw -- NPECTA
Nonprofit GAAP Practice Manual / Allan B. Afterman, Martha L. Benson, and Rowan H. Jones / Warren, Gorham & Lamont/RIA / Westlaw -- WGL-NPGAAPMAN
Nonprofit Governance and Management / Victor Futter, ed. in chief, Judith A. Cion and George W. Overton, managing eds. / New York: Am. Soc. of Corp. Secretaries; Chicago: American Bar Association, Section of Business Law, 2002. KF 1388 .N657 2002
Nonprofit Governance - The Executive's Guide / Victor Futter, gen. ed., George W. Overton, man. ed. / New York: American Society of Corporate Secretaries; Chicago: American Bar Association, Section of Business Law, 1997. HD 62.6 .N66 1997
The Nonprofit Handbook, Management, 3rd ed./ New York: John Wiley, 2001. / OhioLINK electronic book.
The Nonprofit Legal Landscape / Thomas K. Hyatt, ed. / Washington, DC: BoardSource, 2005. KF 1388 .N67 2005
Nonprofit Organizations Law, 2003: Coping with the New Environmental Post 9/11 & Sarbanes-Oxley - A Satellite Program / Daniel L. Kurtz and Jonathan A. Small, co-chairs / New York: Practising Law Institute, 2003. (Tax Law and Practice Course Handbook Series, No. 600; "J0-009A") KF 1388 .Z9 N672 2003
Nonprofit Resources, 2nd ed. : A Companion to Nonprofit Governance / Victor Futter ed-in-chief, Lisa A. Runquist acting ed-in-chief et al. / Chicago: ABA Section of Business Law, 2007. KF 1388 .A1 N66 2007
Not for Profit GAAP - LexisNexis (Legal > Reference > General > Not for Profit GAAP )
Philanthropy and Law in Asia: A Comparative Study of the Nonprofit Legal Systems in Ten Asia Pacific Societies / Thomas Silk, ed. / San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1999. KNC 151 .P48 1999
Principles of the Law of Nonprofit Organizations - Discussion Draft / Philadelphia, PA: Executive Office, American Law Institute, 2006 - . Vol. 2. KF 1388 .P74
Private Foundations: Tax Law and Compliance, 2nd ed. / Bruce R. Hopkins and Jody Blazek / Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2003. KF6449 .H63 2003
Ready in Defense -- A Liability, Litigation and Legal Guide for Nonprofits / Melanie L. Herman / Washington, DC: Nonprofit Risk Management Center; Fairfax, VA: PERI, 2003. KF 1388 .Z9 H47 2003
Representing Nonprofit Organizations / Westlaw -- IRS-REPNPO
Sarbanes-Oxley for NonProfits - A Guide to Building Competitive Advantage / Peggy M. Jackson and Toni E. Fogarty / Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2005. HG 4027.65 .J33 2005
Starting and Managing a Nonprofit Organization: A Legal Guide, 4th ed. / Bruce R. Hopkins / New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2005. KF 1388 .H66 2005
ALI-ABA Course of Study - Tax Exempt Charitable Organizations
LexisNexis - (Legal > Area of Law - By Topic > Taxation > Multi-Source Groups > Tax Center > Federal > Exempt Organizations > Planning > ALI-ABA Course of Study - Tax Exempt Charitable Organizations )
The Tax Law of Unrelated Business for Nonprofit Organizations / Bruce R. Hopkins / Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2005. KF 6449 .H67 2005
Lexis ( Legal > Area of Law - By Topic > Corporate > Clauses > Lexis Clause Library - Corporate Law )
Revised Model Nonprofit Corporation Act (1986) - Exposure Draft / the Committee on Nonprofit Corporations, Section of Corporation, Banking, and Business Law, American Bar Association / Chicago: ABA, 1986 (Earlier: Model Nonprofit Corporation Act (1952) (1964) ) KF 1388 .A912 1986
LexisNexis (Legal > Area of Law - By Topic > Corporate > Statutes & Legislative Materials > Uniform & Model Acts > Martindale-Hubbell - Model Business Corporation Act )
Organizing Corporate and Other Business Enterprises / LexisNexis (Legal > Area of Law > Corporate > Treatises & Analytical Materials > Matthew Bender > Organizing Corporate and Other Business Enterprises )
Uniform Unincorporated Nonprofit Associations Act (1996) in Vol. 6A Uniform Laws Annotated 651. KF 879 .A45 U5
West's Legal Forms / St. Paul: Thomson/West. Vol. 29: Nonprofit Organizations. KF 170 .W47
Westlaw -- WESTLF-BUS
Study Aid
Understanding Nonprofit and Tax Exempt Organizations / Nicholas P. Cafardi and Jaclyn B. Cherry / Newark: LexisNexis/Matthew Bender, 2006. KF 6449 .C34 2006
Searching Scholar and OhioLINK
Search Scholar and OhioLINK catalogs using the main subject heading:
Nonprofit organizations -- Law and legislation -- United States
Additional related subject headings:
Charitable uses, trusts, and foundations -- United StatesCharitable uses, trusts, and foundations -- Taxation -- United States
Nonprofit organizations -- Taxation -- Law and Legislation -- United States
Tax Exemption -- United States
Journal Articles and Current Awareness Services
Indexes:
See Finding Articles in Law Reviews, Journals and Other Legal Periodicals for an explanation of the legal periodical indexes and databases available to Cleveland-Marshall College of Law students and the CSU community.
Subject headings:
Legal Resource Index/Current Law Index: Nonprofit organizations.
Index to Legal Periodicals: Nonprofit corporations; Charities
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Selected specialty journals and current awareness materials in Nonprofit Law include:
Exempt Organizations Reports / Chicago: Commerce Clearing House, 1981 - current. 3 vols. Looseleaf. KF 6449 .A6 E9
Exempt Organization Tax Review / Pasadena, MD: P. Streckfus, Tax Analysts, 1988 - LexisNexis Academic (1/1/1992 - present).
International Journal of Not-for-Profit Law / Washington, DC: International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, 1998 - present. Available via OhioLINK Directory of Open Access Journals. http://www.icnl.org/knowledge/ijnl/index.htm
Bruce R. Hopkins' Nonprofit Counsel / Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Periodicals, Inc., 2003 - . (Via OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center, 2003 - present.)
Nonprofit Report / Monthly / Warren, Gorham & Lamont/RIA. / Westlaw -- WGL-NPREP
Non-profit Times / Westlaw - NONPROFITT
Nonprofit World / Westlaw - NONPROFITW
Taxation of Exempts / New York: Warren, Gorham & Lamont, 2001 - KF 6449 .A15 J66. Westlaw - WGL-TXNEXEMPT Formerly Journal of Taxation of Exempt Organizations (1989 - 2001; same call number)
Westlaw - BUS-TP
LexisNexis - (Legal > Secondary Legal > Law Reviews & Journals > Law Reviews by Area of Law > Corporate Law Review Articles, Combined)
Westlaw - Practising Law Institute (PLI) Corporate materials from both Course Handbooks and Reference Books ( PLICORP-ALL )
LexisNexis ( Legal > Secondary Legal > Practising Law Institute > Practising Law Institute Business and Corporate Publications )
Aggregate Files and Other Web Resources
LexisNexis - ( Legal > Area of Law - By Topic - Corporate ) Searchable databases include corporate governance (Sarbanes-Oxley materials), federal and state cases, statutes and legislative materials, law reviews and journals, treatises and analytical materials, legal news, and legal reference materials.
LexisNexis ( Legal > Area of Law - By Topic > Corporate > Corporate Goverance > Sarbanes-Oxley Corporate Reform ) Text of the Act, Legislative History, SEC Releases, News, etc.
Westlaw -- West KeySearch -- Non-profit Organizations “A research tool powered by the West Key Number System that identifies the terms and key numbers most relevant to your legal issue and creates a query for you.” For searching Westlaw state and/or federal caselaw, encyclopedias and treatises, and/or journals and law reviews, utilizing the West Key Number topical approach
Westlaw - Andrews Corporate Officers and Directors Liability Litigation Reporter - ( ANCODLLR)
LexisNexis Search Advisor -- (All Topics > Business & Corporate Entities ) Explore Legal Topics which include: Nonprofit Corporations & Organizations and Unincorporated Associations
Bruce R. Hopkins Nonprofit Law Center
http://www.nonprofitlawcenter.com/
Don Kramer’s Nonprofit Issues
Some information; individual documents may be ordered; or by subscription.
http://www.nonprofitissues.com/public/indices/byfeature/ready.html
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance / Washington, D.C.: Office of Management and Budget, annual). Also available in print: Ref HC 110 .P63 U53a. [Major directory for information related to federal grant programs.]
Grants.Gov - U.S. government site where organizations can find out about and apply for federal grants.
The Foundation Center
http://fdncenter.org/
The Foundation Center Library - Cleveland
http://fdncenter.org/cleveland/index.jhtml
Please note: this significant area resource is located in Downtown Cleveland, at 1422 Euclid Ave.
GuideStar.org - The Donor's Guide to the Nonprofit Universe / Williamsburg, VA: Philanthropic Research, Inc., 1998 - . http://www.guidestar.org/
Independent Sector http://www.IndependentSector.org/ http://www.independentsector.org/index.htm
Internet Nonprofit Center/ Idealist.org
Nonprofit FAQs - http://www.nonprofits.org/npofaq/
Legal Information Institute (Cornell) - LII - Law About ... Nonprofit Organizations
Panel on the Nonprofit Sectorhttp://www.nonprofitpanel.org/
And its report with supplement:
Strengthening Transparency Governance Accountability of Charitable Organizations - A Final Report to Congress and the Nonprofit Sector - June, 2005 report of the
Panel on the Nonprofit Sector (Convened by Independent Sector) 112 pages
http://www.nonprofitpanel.org/final/Panel_Final_Report.pdf
Supplement to the Final Report - April 2006
http://www.nonprofitpanel.org/supplement/
Marie Rehmar
Head of Reference Services
Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Library
Cleveland State University
Rev.6/15/07; 8/14/07;3/12/08;4/17/08