The VLSP Story
Internet Resources for Nonprofits*
These organizations and agencies work to help individuals better manage and form nonprofit organizations.
Please email us at corp@sfbar.org if you have resources that should be added to this list.
In addition to the below internet resources, please visit CORP’s Model Policies and Legal Alerts.
General Resources
CompassPoint Nonprofit Services: A nonprofit training, consulting, and research organization with offices in San Francisco and Silicon Valley that provides nonprofits with the management tools, concepts and strategies necessary to shape change in their communities.
Website: http://www.compasspoint.org
NoLo Press: Helps organizations handle their own every day legal matters, or learn enough about them to make working with a lawyer a more satisfying experience. They specialize in publishing reliable, easy to understand books and forms. Of particular interest is their book How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation in California.
Insight Center for Community Economic Development: Works to develop and promote innovative solutions that help people and communities become, and remain, economically secure.
Practicing Law Institute (PLI): Founded in 1933, PLI is a nonprofit continuing legal education organization chartered by the Regents of the University of the State of New York . PLI is dedicated to providing the legal community and allied professionals with the most up-to-date legal information.
Legal Aid and Assistance
California Lawyers for the Arts:California Lawyers for the Arts is a non-profit service organization which provides lawyer referrals, dispute resolution services, educational programs, publications and a resource library to people in the creative arts and arts organizations.
Public Counsel: Works to advance equal justice under the law by delivering free legal and social services to the most vulnerable members of our community, including abused and abandoned children, homeless families and veterans, senior citizens, victims of consumer fraud and nonprofit organizations serving low-income communities. Public Counsel’s Community Development Project (CDP) works to develop the capacity of underserved and low-income communities by advancing affordable housing production and preservation; strengthening the healthcare safety net; and building foundations for financial independence.
Legal Aid Foundation Los Angeles: As Los Angeles' frontline law firm for low-income people, it promotes access to justice, strengthens communities, combats discrimination, and effects systemic change through representation, advocacy and community education.
Alliance for Justice: This project works to strengthen the voice of the nonprofit sector in important public policy debates by giving tax-exempt organizations a better understanding of the laws that govern their participation in the policy process.
Public Law Center: PLC, Orange County's pro bono law firm, is committed to providing access to justice for low income residents. PLC’s Community Organizations Legal Assistance Project (COLAP) –makes free legal services available to community-based nonprofit organizations, child care centers and providers.
Legal Assistance for Nonprofit Organizations Outside California
Legal Assistance for Domestic Organizations
American Bar Association: For a listing of pro bono business law programs by state, please visit the ABA’s business law pro bono program directory.
Legal Assistance for International Groups
Lawyers Without Borders: The world's largest group of volunteer lawyers from around the globe, this organization offers pro bono service to international projects and initiatives.
Public Interest Intellectual Property Advisors: An international nonprofit organization that provides legal counsel in intellectual property matters. The organization’s goal is to work with developing countries and public interest organizations that seek to promote health, agriculture, biodiversity, science, culture and the environment.
Self Help Resources for Nonprofit Incorporation
Nolo Press: Helps organizations handle their own every day legal matters, or learn enough about them to make working with a lawyer a more satisfying experience. They specialize in publishing reliable, easy to understand books and forms. Of particular interest is their book How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation in California.
Nonprofit Genie: The Nonprofit Genie, a project of CompassPoint, maintains a website with answers to FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) in topics such as fundraising, board governance, technology and finance.
Form 1023 Self-Help Site: This site is designed to help new non-profit organizations complete the Application for Exempt Status Under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Free Management Library: This site provides comprehensive advice and materials for anyone who is considering starting a nonprofit organization. It also includes helpful step-by-step guidelines one should follow when starting a nonprofit organization.
Classes and Workshops
CompassPoint Nonprofit Services: A nonprofit training, consulting and research organization with offices in San Francisco and Silicon Valley that provides nonprofits with the management tools, concepts and strategies necessary to shape change in their communities.
Center for Excellence in Nonprofits: The Center for Excellence in Nonprofits (CEN) provides the nonprofit community of Silicon Valley and the Peninsula with in-depth leadership development and improvement programs through an innovative learning community model.
The Nonprofit Roundtable: Burr, Pilger & Mayer LLP and their co-sponsors offer free seminars to assist nonprofits in a variety of topics, such as finding major donors and purchasing insurance.
Website: http://www.bpmllp.com/display.asp?catid=9&pageid=303
Free Management Library: This site provides comprehensive advice and materials for anyone who is considering starting a nonprofit organization. It also includes helpful step-by-step guidelines one should follow when starting a nonprofit organization.
Website: http://www.managementhelp.org/np_progs/org_dev.htm
Fiscal Sponsorship Information
The Tides Center: Tides Center partners with individuals, groups and funders to implement programs that accelerate positive social change. Please note that the Tides Center is only considering projects that have at least $100,000 in confirmed funding and a minimum first year operating budget of $200,000.
Community Initiatives (CI): Works to support and provide services to unincorporated nonprofit projects in California that benefit the community. CI serves as a fiscal sponsor to various nonprofit projects that benefit arts and culture, education, environment, health, human services, and public affairs.
Fiscalsponsordirectory.org: This website is a tool created by the San Francisco Study Center to help connect community projects with fiscal sponsors; it is also a forum for fostering understanding of the fiscal sponsorship relationship and its impact on the nonprofit sector.
Health Insurance Questions
The California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF): CHFC's is designed to help California business owners with 50 or fewer employees make informed decisions about offering health benefits.
HealthCoverageGuide.org: This site is a one-stop source for unbiased health coverage information. Site visitors are guided through a series of considerations to help them decide whether health insurance is right for their business, and then offered step-by-step support for choosing and implementing a coverage plan.
Liability Insurance Questions
Nonprofits' Insurance Alliance of California: NIAC serves as a liability insurance pool for 501(c)(3) organizations and provides a stable source of reasonably priced liability insurance coverage tailored to nonprofits. NIAC also helps organizations develop risk management programs.
Risk Management Questions
The Nonprofit Risk Management Center: A source for tools, advice and training to control risks.
Board of Director Resources
Boardnet USA: This site is designed to be a common technological platform for a national collaborative network of communities working locally to enhance nonprofit board governance. This growing network of community partners work together on common themes of populating board rooms as well as individually developing services tailored to their local market.
Craigslist Foundation's Volunteer Center's Board Match: The Volunteer Center Serving San Francisco and San Mateo Counties plays a critical role in fostering a strong network among nonprofit, public, and business sector organizations and ordinary citizens, united by the overarching goal of improving local communities.
State and Federal Agencies
Office of the Attorney General: Regulates charitable activities-refer for questions regarding regulations and possible violation of law
Telephone: Public Inquiry Unit: (800) 952-5225
Franchise Tax Board: Form 3500 state tax exemption application and other information
Internal Revenue Service: Section on charities and nonprofits.
Resources for New Foundations
The Council on Foundations: The Council on Foundations is a membership organization of more than 2,000 grantmaking foundations and giving programs worldwide. It provides leadership expertise, legal services and networking opportunities – among other services – to its members and to the general public.
Northern California Grantmakers (NCG): NCG is an association of foundations, corporate contributions programs and other public and private grantmakers. NCG's work is focused in two broad arenas: enhancing the effectiveness of philanthropy and strengthening the ties between philanthropy and its many stakeholders in nonprofit organizations, government, business, media, academia and the public at large.
Salary Information
Center for Nonprofit Management: 2004 California nonprofit salary survey
JobStar Central:National salary surveys and information for the nonprofit sector
Guidestar:Guidestar publishes the Form 990s of nonprofit organizations across the country. The Form 990 includes the salaries of each nonprofit’s highest compensated employees.
Funding Resources
Foundation Center: The Foundation Center's mission is to strengthen the nonprofit sector by advancing knowledge about U.S. philanthropy.
Taproot Foundation:The Taproot Foundation strengthens nonprofits by engaging business professionals in service.
SRA International Grants: A great tool and overview of government and private funders.
Excess Access: Excess Access links donations of business and household items / materials with the wish-lists of nearby nonprofits that can provide pick-ups or accept drop-offs.
Gifts In Kind International: Gifts in Kind International's mission is to link donor resources to enhance, empower, and restore communities and people in need.
Volunteer Recruitment
Clearinghouse for Volunteer Accounting Services: Service for organizations with annual administrative budgets of under $500,000.
Volunteer Match: A national online service that connects volunteers with local nonprofit and sector organizations.
OneBrick Volunteer Center: One Brick is a 501(c)3 non-profit volunteer organization that brings volunteers together to support other local non-profit organizations. Through their volunteer projects, they provide non-profits with the much-needed labor to carry out their visions. At the same time they also foster an environment in which to meet new people, both socially and professionally.
Website: http://www.onebrick.org
Business Services Resources for Nonprofit Organizations
Taproot Foundation: The Taproot Foundation strengthens nonprofits by engaging business professionals in service.
Resources for Individuals Needing Legal Assistance
American Bar Association: The ABA provides a national list of lawyer referral services.
Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) of The Bar Association of San Francisco:LRIS offers legal assistance from its panel of experienced lawyers.
Telephone: 415.989.1616
Questions?
For more information, or to sign up for CORP monthly e-newsletter, send an email to corp@sfbar.org.
Last year, VLSP staff and over 1,800 VLSP volunteers assisted nearly 8,000 clients at an approximate value of $13 million. Our award-winning program changes lives by using a holistic approach that offers social services as well as legal assistance.
3 Things You Can Do to Help CORP Advance Its Work:
1. Donate to VLSP: For every dollar VLSP spends, seven dollars worth of services are donated.
2. Volunteer: Join over 1,100 attorneys that work to enhance the lives of low-income individuals and the organizations that serve them.
3. Spread the Word: Tell your friends that work for nonprofits about CORP -- a project that provides free legal services to organizations in Northern California. Email corp@sfbar.org for more information.
* Note: This information is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by the Volunteer Legal Services Program and whilst we endeavor to keep the information up-to-date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
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