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Wagenmaker & Oberly provides legal counsel to NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS across the nation with offices in Chicago and Charleston.

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Abuse Prevention Policy Essentials: Protecting the Least of These

September 10, 2020

Abuse of children and other vulnerable persons is always tragic, to be closely guarded against on any level.  For nonprofit organizations like churches, schools, and social service providers that care for vulnerable individuals, it is imperative that such organizations use strong protective measures.  For optimal personal safety and organizational risk management, these measures warrant careful development, board approval, a written policy document provided to all workers, and implementation through training and other follow-through.  An effective abuse protection policy can significantly reduce the risk to vulnerable individuals and the organization, and provide a safe framework in which the nonprofit can care for at-risk persons.

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Conflict Resolution/Governance

NONPROFIT LAW NEWSFEED

Chicago Reader to Become a Nonprofit in Bid to Stay Afloat Amid Steep Ad Declines

09/18/2020

The Chicago Tribune - Leaders of The Chicago Reader, a free alternative newspaper known for its coverage of local culture, have decided to undergo an ownership transfer and become a nonprofit organization.

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Hawks Regain Nonprofit Designation

09/18/2020

Valley News - A baseball team located in Vermont has successfully regained its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.

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NJ Sham Charity Shut Down by Attorney General

09/18/2020

Shore News Network - Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced today that a lawsuit filed by New Jersey, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Attorneys General of New York, Minnesota, and Virginia has permanently shut down a sprawling, New Jersey-based charitable fundraising operation that scammed donors out of millions of dollars.

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Federal Prosecutors Have Steve Bannon’s Murky Nonprofit in Their Sights

09/10/2020

ProPublica Near the end of a lengthy indictment detailing fraud allegations against Stephen Bannon, former Donald Trump campaign CEO and chief strategist and his associates, federal prosecutors reveal that they intend to seize the assets of a murky nonprofit organization Bannon launched in 2017 to promote “economic nationalism.”

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With Trump Flag and Pro-GOP messages, Taneytown Church at Intersection of Politics and Religion

09/09/2020

Carroll County Times With a campaign banner supporting the president and voicemail messages promoting Republican causes, a Taneytown church finds itself at an intersection of politics and religion.

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Charity Founded by Pinal County Sheriff has $18,000 in Unaccounted Spending

09/08/2020

The Arizona Republic A charity founded by Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb reported raising more than $50,000 during its first year in operation, but tax filings by the American Sheriff Foundation are largely blank and leave at least $18,000 unaccounted for.

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Inside Steve Bannon's Mysterious Charity That Allegedly Siphoned $1 Million From the Wall Project

08/28/2020

​CNBC According to federal prosecutors, Bannon received $1 million in funds from We Build the Wall via a 501(c)(4) nonprofit he created.

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Dark Money Mystery: Top Pa. Lawmaker Helped Raise Cash for Nonprofit Whose Agenda is Largely A Secret

08/27/2020

PennLive Pennsylvania State Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman has come under fire for serving as the keynote speaker an event in March that raised funds for a dark money group.

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Denver Lawyer Accused of Charity Fraud by Former CO Supreme Court Justices

08/20/2020

The Denver Post Two former Colorado Supreme Court justices have asked state investigators to look into what they claim are the fraudulent actions of a prominent Denver lawyer who is running for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire.

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U.S. House Reps Want Professional Sports Leagues to Pay Their Share of Taxes

08/18/2020

Florida Daily Earlier this month, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., brought out the “Properly Reducing Overexemptions for Sports Act.” U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., is co-sponsoring the proposal. Professional sports organizations have received the 501(c)(6) status and exemptions since 1966, but this proposed legislation could change that.

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Chicago Reader to Become a Nonprofit in Bid to Stay Afloat Amid Steep Ad Declines

09/18/2020

The Chicago Tribune - Leaders of The Chicago Reader, a free alternative newspaper known for its coverage of local culture, have decided to undergo an ownership transfer and become a nonprofit organization.

READ MORE

Hawks Regain Nonprofit Designation

09/18/2020

Valley News - A baseball team located in Vermont has successfully regained its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.

READ MORE