Resources for Nonprofit and Community-Based Organizations

This page provides guides, sample policies, state compliance resources, and checklists for nonprofits and community-based organizations of all sizes. If you do not find what you are looking for, please contact us and we will do our best to connect you with additional resources.

While we would love to assist everyone, please note our legal services are intended for 501c3 and 501c4 Washington state based nonprofits and community based organizations.

Page Contents

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: Please note the resources below are for reference purposes only. An organization should always consult tailor this information to their specific needs. If you need consultation with an attorney or subject matter expert, we may be able to help provide you with one (that’s what we do).

Updates on the New Washington Nonprofit Corporation Act

Washington’s legislature significantly updated the Nonprofit Corporation Act (RCW 24.03A)! Nonprofits are automatically governed by the new act on January 1, 2022. Here are some resources:

Full Toolkits

Communities Rise has created, or partnered with additional organizations to create, full toolkits on a range of nonprofit subjects.

  • Washington State Nonprofit Handbook, July 2022 Edition -Updated with changes based on the new Washington Nonprofit Corporation Act RCW 24.03A, that was enacted on January 1, 2022.
  • Starting a New Nonprofit Toolkit – Created in collaboration with Washington Nonprofits as a resource for anyone thinking about starting a NPO. (pending new changes to be released in 2023)
  • Let’s Go Legal – A nonprofit law learning series, which includes 5 short videos and accompanying written materials on State Law, Federal Law, Fundraising, Employment and Intellectual Property. (pending new changes to be released in 2023)
  • Washington State Tax Basics for Nonprofits – Created in collaboration with Washington Nonprofits explaining the state taxes that Washington nonprofits are subject to.
  • Liquor, Cannabis, Gambling… and Your Fundraising Event – This tool that helps nonprofits navigate the complex rules of liquor, cannabis and gambling at events.
  • Nonprofit Legal Checklist – helps nonprofits understand common legal obligations and highlights areas where greater inquiry should be made (pending new changes to be released in 2023).
  • Commercial Lease Toolkit – This toolkit is designed to provide key, easy-to-understand information for small businesses about common terms or sections of a typical commercial lease.
  • Lease Amendment Toolkit – This toolkit is designed to provide information and template documents to help small businesses and nonprofit navigate the negotiation of their rent situation under their commercial leases with their landlords.
  • Community Collaboration Toolkit – This toolkit was created in partnership with Communities of Opportunity and is designed to help community organizations create a Community Collaboration Agreement (also known in the nonprofit sector as an “MOU”) for collaborations between community organizations, who are coming together for a common purpose or project.
  • Alternative Leadership Toolkit – This toolkit was created in partnership with Communities of Opportunity and designed to help community organizations learn and explore alternative leadership structures that share power and decision-making.
  • Human Resources and Equity Toolkit – This toolkit was created in partnership with Communities of Opportunity and explores three human resources areas with an equity lens: 1) Compensation, 2) Performance Reviews, and 3) Wellness
  • Fiscal Sponsorship Toolkit – This toolkit was created in partnership with Communities of Opportunity and designed to help community organizations navigate the ins and outs of entering into a fiscal sponsorship relationship. The toolkit also includes two written template documents to capture the spirt an details of the fiscal sponsorship relationship: 1) the Fiscal Sponsorship Agreement Template and 2) the Statement of Shared Values Template.

Founding Documents and Templates

Governance & Organizational Policies

Employment & Human Resources

Intellectual Property

Fundraising

Additional Services & Resources from Partner Orgs

  • RVC (Rooted in Vibrant Communities) promotes social justice by cultivating leaders of color, strengthening organizations led by communities of color, and fostering collaboration between diverse communities.
  • 501Commons offers board trainings and nonprofit leadership forums geared towards executive directors, board members, and potential board members.
  • Washington Nonprofits (WN) is a Washington state-wide nonprofit association. WN offers trainings for nonprofits on a variety of topic areas throughout the state and online.
  • Seattle Public Library has free resources, services, and customized assistance for nonprofits.
  • BIPOC Executive Directors Coalition of Washington State (BIPOC EDs), a coalition created in 2020 to advocate for equitable funding to BIPOC communities and to create space for healing and wellness.
  • Statewide Nonprofit Resource Directory for nonprofit specialists, tools and best practices, featured trainings, a venues map, and more.
  • Nonprofit Learning Lab is a national organization, offering free webinars, guidebooks, and a directory of nonprofit specialists.
  • List of additional capacity builder organizations
  • Delta Vision Project. The Delta Vision is a collaboration of BIPOC led and serving capacity building organizations working on creating a supportive network of capacity building services for BIPOC led and serving community organizations in Washington and working together to address inequities in the nonprofit sector. The Delta Vision researched and authored a “Paper of Color” on capacity building for BIPOC led and serving organizations.
    • Delta Vision Project – Building Capacity for Communities of Color (2018) Full Report
    • Delta Vision Project – Building Capacity for Communities of Color (2018) Executive Summary