TRUSTED ADVISORS TO NONPROFITS

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

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Re-Opening: Yet, Not Yet, Somewhere In-Between?

August 26, 2020

Gathering in person for nonprofit programs, religious worship, and work: how does a nonprofit engage in these activities mid-pandemic? With masks becoming ubiquitous, people yearning to connect, and Zoom tolerance tiring, nonprofit leaders are taking a variety of approaches for operating amidst coronavirus-related restrictions. In our law practice, we are seeing precautions for religious worship, school activities, and other social service programming.

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Employment/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