Let’s Go Legal: Getting on the right road to compliance and protection

You care about your mission and want to make sure your organization does what it needs to do to succeed. You need to know some basic nonprofit law in order to stay compliant and protect your assets. Developed by Washington Nonprofits and Wayfind, Let’s Go Legal breaks down nonprofit law into its must-know pieces to help busy board members stay on the right road towards their mission.

Let’s Go Legal covers the five main topics board members need to know: State Law, Federal Law, Fundraising, Employment, and Intellectual Property. Let’s Go Legal shows how your organization is like a car. You need to register it with the state, driving on federal roads involves an additional set of rules, you need fuel to move your car forward (that’s the money part), the people in the car matter, and the look and feel of your car make it special. It covers what you need to know about each of these topics and provides an easy checklist to make sure your organization covers it all.

We will take some deeper dives into nonprofit law topics along the way: by-laws and how to use them to strengthen your board practice, advocacy and ways to grow your mission within the public sector, and the new rules around minimum wage and overtime (FLSA).

This workshop is designed for nonprofit board members or staff interested in nonprofit law basics. It is appropriate for organizations with or without staff.

Trainer: Nancy Bacon

Nancy Bacon leads the development and implementation of Washington Nonprofits’ learning programs. She was the founding director of the World Affairs Council’s Global Classroom and has served as in the roles of executive director, founding program director, board member, and volunteer. Nancy led the team creating Finance Unlocked for Nonprofits in 2014, Boards in Gear in 2015, and Let’s Go Legal in 2016. She is a former middle school teacher who loves to teach.

Trainer: Jodi Nishioka

Jodi Nishioka is the Executive Director of Wayfind, which improves the quality of life in Washington communities by providing access to free business legal services for nonprofits and microenterprises. Jodi enjoys her work at Wayfind because it combines her legal skills with her dedication to improving the status of low-income communities. She believes in Wayfind’s mission of increasing community development and capacity through its support of nonprofits and microenterprise businesses. Jodi is also on the Board of Directors of the Women’s Funding Alliance.