Nonprofits have the same legal needs as other corporations but sometimes lack the budget to address these concerns. That’s where Pro Bono Partnership comes in. A nonprofit like many of you, we provide free, transactional legal services to nonprofits throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Working with our own in-house staff attorneys, and partnering with more than a thousand lawyers at major law firms and corporations throughout the Northeast Corridor, we service the needs of more than 650 nonprofits annually.
Typical issues, and solutions, include:
Corporate Governance/Revitalization Act: A nonprofit that operates homeless shelters needed its bylaws reviewed and revised to comply with the New York State Revitalization Act. Guided by a Pro Bono Partnership staff attorney, the nonprofit performed a holistic assessment of its operations and determined that it could function more efficiently if certain structural changes were implemented. Pro Bono Partnership revised the bylaws to accommodate the new structure, brought the organization’s bylaws into compliance with the Revitalization Act, walked the nonprofit through the entire process and provided guidance on “best practices” on a number of corporate governance issues.
Fundraising: As Pro Bono Partnership’s nonprofit clients expand their fundraising efforts to include mobile fundraising through text messages, Pro Bono Partnership has assisted numerous clients in reviewing the terms of the contracts with the corporations that provide these services.
Intellectual Property: A nonprofit that funds pediatric cancer research sought assistance trademarking the name, logo and content of one of its primary fundraising mechanisms. Pro Bono Partnership introduced the nonprofit to a team of volunteers from an international corporation who not only assisted with the project but identified some additional issues that needed to be addressed and provided guidance with respect to those as well.
Strategic Alliances: When two nonprofits that provided support and services to people living with HIV/ AIDS determined that they could better serve the changing needs of their clientele if they combined resources, Pro Bono Partnership teamed a lawyer from a national law firm with a lawyer from a global company to structure and negotiate the merger.
Pro Bono Partnership is eager to assist your nonprofit in indentifying and addressing its legal needs. For more information, please contact us at 914-328-0674 or visit our website at www.probonopartner.org to access our Request for Legal Assistance Form or to sign up for an upcoming workshop or webinar.
By Judy Siegel, Esq., Staff Attorney, Pro Bono Partnership (New York Office)