Courses for Animal Nonprofit Professionals
Animal Nonprofit Communications
Avoid and navigate common legal pitfalls when working in nonprofit communications.
4-Week Virtual Course - FREE but space is limited
COURSE DATES
- Teaching Sessions: Tuesdays from 4/9-4/30, 2-3pm EST / 11am-12pm PST
- Group Office Hours: Thursdays from 4/11-5/2, 2-3pm EST / 11am-12pm PST
COURSE OVERVIEW: This course is essential for communications staff at all levels within nonprofit animal protection organizations. It identifies and addresses common intellectual property infringements, as well as any steps needed to protect your own intellectual property. The course also outlines the risk of defamation in criticizing companies or individuals, and other legal considerations in written and media communications. In an ever-changing social media landscape, this course also outlines all relevant legal considerations when using social media on behalf of an animal protection organization.
Although we encourage you to attend all weeks, we invite you to register for the series and attend only select sessions.
Week 1: Avoiding Common Intellectual Property Missteps
This session addresses common copyright and trademark issues that may arise on your website, in social media posts, and in your programs and program materials. Understand what constitutes “fair use,” issues involved in the use of copyrighted video and/or photos taken by volunteers or third parties, photo/video releases, and concerns with using anonymous videos depicting animal cruelty. The session also includes a brief discussion of copyright concerns pertaining to publishing recipes. General information on protecting your own intellectual property will also be included.
Week 2: Understand Defamation Risks and Damages
Animal protection organizations frequently criticize practices of other specific corporations and/or individuals. Understand what constitutes defamation when you are talking to the press, sending mailings, and publishing digital or print materials.
Week 3: Social Media and The Law
This session outlines the common legal pitfalls in using social media as an animal protection nonprofit, including the right to privacy, intellectual property, advertising law, lobbying restrictions, fair use, proper attribution, the posting of discriminatory content, endorsements, and internal social media policies.
Week 4: Legal Considerations in Email and Other Communications
This session addresses legal restrictions around building and managing mailing lists as well as privacy considerations for all data collected. It also covers other legal restrictions relevant to the work of animal nonprofit communications staff, including state laws regulating the taking of photos and/or video at events, compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, and other concerns.
Animal Nonprofit Development & Fundraising
Avoid and navigate common legal pitfalls when working in nonprofit development and fundraising.
5-Week Virtual Course - FREE but space is limited
COURSE DATES
- Teaching Sessions: Tuesdays from 5/7-6/4, 2-3pm EST / 11am-12pm PST
- Group Office Hours: Thursdays from 5/9-6/6, 2-3pm EST / 11am-12pm PST
COURSE OVERVIEW: This course provides development and fundraising staff of nonprofit animal protection organizations an understanding of the legal regulations around frequently occurring money-raising activities, including soliciting and receiving individual donations as well as non-cash gifts. It outlines relevant estate planning options that participants may offer as support opportunities for their organizations. This course also outlines legal regulations and best practices around giving and receiving grants.
Although we encourage you to attend all weeks, we invite you to register for the series and attend only select sessions.
Week 1: Fundraising Legal Compliance
This session includes guidance on fundraising state registration requirements, legal restrictions around raffles, required licenses when serving and/or selling food and/or alcohol, local regulations around special event permits, and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act at public events. Participants will also gain an understanding of what constitutes unrelated business income that will not be exempt from tax.
Week 2: Receiving Large & Small Individual Donations
This session includes guidance on receiving individual donations, including requirements and best practices around documenting and acknowledging gifts, honoring restricted gifts, and donor confidentiality and privacy. This session will also address the use of fundraising and crowd-funding platforms.
Week 3: Understanding Non-Cash Support & Planned Giving Opportunities
This session outlines the various means of financial support a nonprofit may seek, including gifts in the form of securities, real estate, tangible property, and services. The session also briefly outlines planned giving opportunities, including deferred gifts of cash or other assets, gifts that pay an income, and gifts that protect a donor’s assets. Finally, this session also includes legal concerns around bequests contingent on the receipt of animals.
Week 4: Grant Compliance and Grant Making
This session discusses legal regulations and best practices around receiving private grants as well as internal compliance measures for each regulation. This session also addresses legal concerns in acting as the grantor.
Week 5: Partnering with For-Profit Entities
This session outlines guidance around both time-limited and ongoing relationships with for-profit companies, including corporate matching programs and cause marketing partnerships. The session will include the legal implications of the terminology used in setting up and maintaining cause marketing partnerships, as well as relevant state laws to avoid legal and tax pitfalls.
PREVIOUS COURSES:
Nonprofit 101
For Animal Advocates Contemplating or in the Early Stages of Starting an Animal Nonprofit
5-Week Virtual Course – FREE but space is limited
COURSE DATES:
- Teaching Sessions: Tuesdays from 4/4-5/2, 2-3pm EST / 11am-12pm PST
- Group Office Hours: Thursdays from 4/6-5/4, 2-3pm EST / 11am-12pm PST
COURSE OVERVIEW: This course is for animal and/or plant-based diet change advocates who are in the early stages of forming and growing a nonprofit organization, whether you have already filed Articles of Incorporation or you are in the process of bringing an idea to fruition. Over five weeks, we will discuss the special characteristics and requirements of nonprofit organizations that distinguish them from other business forms, as well as how to build a healthy nonprofit board and protect your nonprofit team members. The course will provide an overview of the legal requirements around fundraising for a nonprofit. One week of the course will specifically focus on legal considerations when starting a nonprofit that will be transporting, housing, and/or adopting out animals. Finally, the course will introduce additional capacity building resources of which you should be aware as you strive to make the most of limited resources in developing your organization.
Week 1: What is a nonprofit, and how is it different from other businesses?
This session discusses what legal qualities make an entity a “nonprofit,” an overview of the kinds of nonprofits, the potential for certain nonprofits to apply for tax-exempt status, and legal restrictions around lobbying for 501(c)(3)s. This session will discuss the initial state and federal governing documents and fees needed to get your nonprofit up and running, as well as what to note on your calendar for next year’s filings. Finally, this session also explains the concept of fiscal sponsorship and when that arrangement may be recommended.
Week 2: Who makes up your nonprofit team, and how do you protect them?
This session covers state requirements for nonprofit boards, what to look for in prospective board members, and how to protect your board members with adequate insurance. This session also briefly discusses conflict of interest policies if the nonprofit plans to pay a board member for their work, or purchase goods or services for the nonprofit through a board member’s personal connection.
Week 3: What you need to know about fundraising before you can ask for your first donations.
This session covers the basics of what you need to do before you can start raising money, whether donations can be tax-deductible if your nonprofit hasn’t yet received its tax exempt status, and restrictions around certain kinds of fundraising (eg., games of chance, unrelated business income).
Week 4: Special considerations for nonprofits rescuing, transporting, housing, and/or adopting out live animals.
This session addresses the legal precariousness of adoption contracts including return provisions, potential unlawful discrimination in adoption and/or foster care placements, and liability around placing dangerous or potentially dangerous animals.
Week 5: Capacity Building Resources/Custom Q&A Topics
This session will provide an overview of other capacity building resources available in the animal protection movement as you develop all aspects of your new nonprofit. This final week will also address topics requested by attendees that have not been previously covered.
For Current and Prospective Animal Nonprofit Board Members
Led by savvy business lawyers with a combined 170 years of experience, with expertise in the animal nonprofit sector.
6-Week Virtual Course – FREE but space is limited
COURSE DATES:
- Teaching Sessions: Tuesdays from 2/7-3/14, 2-3pm EST / 11am-12pm PST
- Group Office Hours: Thursdays from 2/9-3/16, 2-3pm EST / 11am-12pm PST
COURSE OVERVIEW: Geared toward current and prospective nonprofit board members, this course addresses common concerns that 501(c)(3) organizations encounter in each stage of an organization’s existence, from formation through successful operations. These concerns include special considerations for organizations that handle and/or house animals. This course is geared toward both prospective and experienced board members. This is an opportunity to both learn from savvy nonprofit lawyers, and also to network with individuals and organizations in similar positions as you. Additional detail below.
Week 1: Creating and Maintaining Required Corporate Records
This session details the records that organizations must legally maintain as required by the state and/or federal government, including core documents, documents updated annually, and records updated regularly. The session also outlines board member duties implicit in maintaining those records, including securing business licenses required based on the operations of the animal organization. Finally, this session will touch on zoning and other laws that may be relevant to organizations that handle and/or house animals.
Week 2: Implementing and Amending Board Policies
This session outlines board policies congruent with best governance practices, including policies pertaining to conflicts of interest, harassment and discrimination, document retention, whistleblowers, granting contractual authority to employees, and other policies specific to animal protection organizations. The session will also touch on insurance policies, including directors and officers insurance, general liability insurance, and vehicle insurance.
Week 3: Avoiding and Mitigating Common Employment Concerns
This session addresses the proper legal categorization of workers (exempt/non-exempt; employee/independent contractor), making use of volunteers and interns, worker’s compensation insurance guidelines, hiring and termination best practices, and how to legally manage employees who also volunteer for the nonprofit.
Week 4: Understanding Board Members’ Fiduciary Duties
This session outlines the legal fiduciary requirements of board members, as well as intellectual property and data privacy considerations to protect the organization’s assets. The discussion will touch on legal considerations raised by street activism, undercover investigations, pressure campaigns and using video and other documentation of animal cruelty. This session also addresses tax considerations for board members to address with their tax advisors in regard to employee expenses, restrictions on lobbying, and unrelated business income tax.
Week 5: Legal Concerns Specific to Organizations with Animal Adoption and/or Foster Care Programs
This session addresses the legal precariousness of adoption contracts including return provisions, potential unlawful discrimination in adoption and/or foster care placements, and liability around placing dangerous or potentially dangerous animals.
Week 6: Final Session to Address Requested Topics by Course Participants