Product Description Nonprofit? Stay out of IRS trouble with the ultimate corporate housekeeping tool!
Nearly 1.5 million nonprofit organizations are busy preserving historic sites, saving libraries, helping the homeless, greening our cities- and so much more. Yet, while some have sophisticated record-keeping systems, most nonprofits are staffed by volunteers who need help running the organization and keeping up a proper -- and legal --paper trail.
Help has arrived! With Nonprofit Meetings, Minutes & Records, you'll get the all-in-one solution every nonprofiteer needs to hold meetings and document actions taken by board members.
Step by step, it walks readers through:
calling meetings
appointing officers
taking minutes
making resolutions
voting on proposals
adjourning meetings
working with a lawyer, if necessary, and
finding a tax adviser.
Nonprofit Meetings, Minutes & Records also provides useful tips and advice on how to do important tasks, such as organizing records, preparing meeting folders, and taking minutes. Plus, all necessary documents are included on the CD-ROM. It's everything you need to keep your nonprofit running smoothly and legally.
The most helpful resource of its kind! November 20, 2008 As someone who has been thinking of starting a non-profit organization, I've done exhaustive research on the topic. If only I would have found this book sooner! This helpful guide is a consummate resource on all things non-profit. The Nolo books really break everything down for you in simple, easy-to-understand language. I find them even more helpful than the "Dummies" books.
If you're thinking of starting a non-profit company, this book will tell you everything you need to know. It'll teach you a detailed definition of what "non-profit" really means, including the laws and bylaws, how to manage your company, and how to qualify for tax-exemption. It lists helpful contact information for all 50 states, and the cd that's included contains all the legal documents you might need. You'll definitely come away from this book feeling more enlightened about the whole process. I highly recommend it!
Easy to Read and Understand November 20, 2008 I wasn't excited about reading this book, but I knew that I needed to! We are involved in a non-profit private school, and this book was essential to me understanding the importance of record keeping and the filing of timely documents. It comes with a cd full of document examples that you can personalize. These documents have given me fresh ideas on how to keep track of meeting minutes. This book contains valuable information on general needs, and it includes information pointing you to the correct state contacts that can help you with your individual state requirements.
You might think that you have enough know-how with the persons in your organization to stay out of any legal mess. I would recommend purchasing this book to reference and to make sure that you are on the right track. Without proper record keeping and procedures, you can be held accountable for any discrepancies.
This book has alerted me to value of organization. I plan on reviewing our articles of incorporation, bylaws, and past minutes and make sure that they are located in an easily-accessible notebook.
Good for smaller businesses, starter for bigger ones. November 19, 2008 There are many very helpful reviews delineating who will benefit from this book and why. My suggestion is that this is a great "starter" book for a small non-profit or a mid-sized start up. It is well organized which is a huge help in and of itself because you can find what you need when you need it. If you have no lawyer to consult during start up phase this could save you a huge amount of hassles and potential legal problems. In fact, the book advises you when you should consult with a professional, which won't be necessary in most cases. It does not give much information about how to conduct a meeting other than a basic outline of what should be covered, but the details really aren't important otherwise. The included CD-ROM with forms and documents is a huge help, saving hours of wasted time starting from scratch. I held back one star because there were several places where more information on a particular subject could be helpful. However, even after working in a non-profit for 20 years, a friend of mine found some good information here. Overall, I think this is a great place to start for easy-reference info.
Definitive NOLO expertise! November 18, 2008 "Nonprofit" is a heaven-sent work of putting things in order. don't be scared by the weight of it; NOLO's guide is textbook spot-on, and the ONE book that I keep next to my desk, trying to figure out how to keep things in order. Wished I'd had this a decade ago, but very grateful to the NOLO library (I've yet to read one of their books that isn't 100% great)for invaluable guidance. I've recommended this for two other organizations I'm with, and boy, it'll clear a lot of arguments and problems for ANYbody! Highly recommended!
Mark Braun Executive Director Old timers' Baseball Association of Chicago
A Gold Mine for Non-Profits Big and Especially Small November 18, 2008 I am involved with a local non-profit that is over 10 years old that brings technology and community information to rural Missouri. We have no dedicated staff, one part-time helper and a lot of volunteers. One of the biggest challenges we face, especially since we do have finances we must account for and vote on, is how to keep good records of what we spend our money on and what decisions we make. Up until now we've done the "best we could" with our combined knowledge, but we knew there had to be a better way -- a one-stop answer to keeping better meeting notes and records to protect us.
We found the answer in "Meetings, Minutes and Records". I was literally surprised at how much useful information they packed into such a small book. They provide a number of very useful templates and sample record keeping examples that really help you understand what types of information needs to be kept and what doesn't. Also it helps to answer questions like, "What do we do if there isn't a quorum present?" and "How do we hold a vote for directors?"
Recently I found myself wanting to authorize the purchase of some software to help us with our web efforts. Yet I didn't want to call a special meeting of the board, since we just met a few weeks prior. I found myself flipping through the book looking for ideas and found it! Information on how to hold votes and special meetings electronically and over the phone.
In short, this is a great book that every non-profit who is not familiar with the legal process involved (especially when it comes to IRS regulations) should pick up and keep in their library. It comes with a CD-ROM with templates of some (but not all) of the documents discussed, but honestly I think the CD adds little value because it is missing a good deal of the documents that the book talks about. Still, as a reference manual this is definitely one you will want to keep around!
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