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Nonprofit Need to Know: File the Iowa Biennial Report

I've written a lot about IRS Form 990 on this blog, but all nonprofits organized in Iowa or authorized to business in the state also need to file a Biennial Report with the office of the Iowa Secretary of State. The report is required under…

5 Necessary Policies for your Employee Handbook

There are several provisions that just about all employee handbooks should include. Let's simply cover the top five. There are certainly numerous other important provisions to include in an employee handbook, but these five are critical and…
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Form 990 Variations: Which Annual Return Should Your Nonprofit File?

Not paying federal taxes is a big deal for a nonprofit and is one of the major benefits of going through all that work of Form 1023, state filing requirements, drafting foundational policies, and the like. For oversight and evaluation purposes,…
Conflict of Interest chair with book on table

Nonprofit Policy Spotlight: Conflict of Interest

When you truly believe in a cause or issue your favorite nonprofit is addressing, you want everything to be in place to achieve the utmost success. This most certainly means adopting well-written and well thought out policies and procedures. Make…
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How to Form a 501(c)(3) Organization

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Imagine I'm working with a great new client named Daphne. She wants to found a nonprofit organization to assist at-risk youth in her local community and across Iowa. This is a hypothetical memo I would send to Daphne outlining the steps of what…
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Make a Nonprofit Merger Happen

At times nonprofits that share highly similar missions, goals, and the like can be consolidated to maximize impact. So, in Iowa, what’s the process of a legal merger between two nonprofits? Definition of Terms: What's a Merger Like many…