Resources for US Nonprofits
Compliance, Risk Management, and Pro Bono Assistance
Resources to help US nonprofits navigate federal and state law requirements, manage and mitigate organizational risks, and access pro bono legal services.

Legal & Financial Compliance
The following resources can help nonprofits understand and navigate legal and financial requirements.
General Resources
National Council of Nonprofits
The National Council of Nonprofits maintains a Running a Nonprofit page with free resources related to legal compliance. Topics include administration and financial management, employment and human resources, ethics and accountability, fundraising, and governance. The National Council of Nonprofits also provides a U.S. map and directory with links to each state’s association of nonprofits, so that users can seek out information on state-specific legal compliance and other resources.
Candid
Candid (formed by the merger of the Foundation Center and GuideStar) has a Nonprofit Startup Resources page that includes links to resources for nonprofit organizations in all 50 states. Each state page contains a guide to nonprofit incorporation under state law, links to state agencies, local legal resources, and local management and technical assistance providers.
The National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO)
NASCO’s Resources page offers links to national and state resources for charities, including each state’s charity regulator.
Council on Foundations
While primarily tailored for foundations, the Council on
Foundations’ Resources page has toolkits and links to information that is useful to many other nonprofits. Information related to legal compliance covers topics including advocacy and lobbying, boards and governance, financial management, fiscal sponsorship, ethics and accountability, self-dealing, tax filing, audits, and public disclosure requirements. Some resources are only available to Council members or for cost.
501 Commons
501 Commons produces and curates extensive Tools and Best Practices for nonprofit organizations. Resources are divided into topics such as advocacy and community engagement, assessment, boards and governance, communications, financial management, HR, and legal resources. A few resources are specific to Washington State, but most are more generally applicable.
IRS and Tax-Exempt Status
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
The IRS website provides useful information for charities and other nonprofits, including answers to frequently asked questions about the U.S. federal government’s requirements for nonprofits. Their Stay Exempt page offers an online course and other guidance on maintaining 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, including information on required disclosures, unrelated business income, political activities, and charitable contributions.
National Council of Nonprofits
The National Council of Nonprofits’ Protect Your Nonprofit’s Tax-Exempt Status page provides information about obligations that accompany tax-exempt status, situations and activities that may jeopardize a nonprofit’s tax-exempt status, and the implications of losing tax-exempt status.
Board and Governance
BoardSource
BoardSource provides Resources, Tools, and Templates addressing legal issues related to the roles and responsibilities of boards of directors. Topics include board-staff partnership, oversight and accountability, structure and committees, board composition, roles, and fundraising. Among its resources is Top 10 Ways to Get Investigated by a State Regulator, a 2017 guide designed to help boards of directors understand the regulatory vulnerabilities of their organizations. Some resources are only available to BoardSource members.
National Council of Nonprofits
The National Council of Nonprofits offers a collection of tools and resources about the roles and responsibilities of nonprofit boards of directors.
Foundation Group
Foundation Group, a for-profit company offering services to nonprofit organizations, provides an overview of some situations in which board members may face legal liability for not fulfilling their duties.
Lobbying and Advocacy
Bolder Advocacy
Bolder Advocacy’s Resource Library includes a number of guides, factsheets and tools for nonprofit organizations related to the rules of advocacy under federal and state law. Among many other resources, they have developed an Advocacy Check-Up: Nonprofit Self-Assessment tool to help 501(c)(3) charities assess their compliance with federal and state requirements related to advocacy, and a 501(c)(4) Strategy and Discussion Guide for organizations to use when assessing whether to create a 501(c)(4) entity.
National Council of Nonprofits
The National Council of Nonprofits offers an extensive collection of resources related to advocacy and legal compliance. Among other materials, the council provides a primer on 501(h) election, a means of measuring whether lobbying is a substantial part of an organization’s activities.
Charitable Solicitation
Harbor Compliance
Most states require nonprofits to register before soliciting donations in-state. Harbor Compliance, a for-profit company, offers a Fundraising Compliance Guide produced in partnership with the Foundation Center, GuideStar, and the National Council of Nonprofits. The guide provides comprehensive information about complying with laws on charitable solicitation, including state-specific information.
URS Compliance
URS Compliance is a for-profit company that offers services including a charity compliance audit, initial charitable registration, and renewal of charitable registrations in compliance with individual state laws.
Foreign Assistance: The Mexico City Policy
The Mexico City Policy requires non-U.S. nonprofits, including partners of domestic U.S. organizations, to certify that they do not “perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning.” The Mexico City Policy only applies to U.S. nonprofits accepting U.S. government funding for foreign assistance programs. For more general information on foreign assistance, see our Philanthropy Law Report series, Global Grantmaking Country Notes, and information on cross-border funding.
Kaiser Family Foundation
The Kaiser Family Foundation provides a useful explanation of the Mexico City Policy.
Risk Management
Nonprofits can face a variety of risks, including targeted investigations and audits, surveillance, and intimidation lawsuits by opponents. This section provides links to resources that may be useful for organizations as they seek to identify and mitigate risks.
General Resources
Nonprofit Risk Management Center (NRMC)
The Nonprofit Risk Management Center has collected an extensive resource library on nonprofit risk management, including articles, infographics, tutorials, and webinars. Areas of focus include reputation, legal compliance, fiscal oversight and fraud protection, workplace safety, volunteer management, employment practices, and governance.
Charity & Security Network (CSN)
CSN has a Know Your Rights page with resources related to protecting nonprofits against government audits, seizure of assets, or designation of their organizations, directors, or employees as terrorist groups.
Roadmap Consulting
Roadmap Consulting produced a 2017 report entitled Weathering the Storms: A Toolkit on Protecting Your Organization Against Opposition Attacks to help nonprofits prepare for potential attacks by opponents, such as allegations of partisan political activity, intimidation lawsuits, harassment and violence, and infiltration, surveillance, and entrapment.
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI)
NYLPI produced a 2024 report, Guidance to Nonprofits Regarding Immigration Enforcement, which seeks to outline the rights of nonprofits and establish best practices with regard to protecting immigrant clients.
Government Investigations
Protect Democracy
Protect Democracy has developed a primer, Protecting Civic Space: How to Prepare Your Organization for Politicized Government Investigations. The primer provides a guide to different types of investigations and how organizations can ready themselves for government scrutiny.
Charity & Security Network (CSN)
CSN developed a 2017 guide for nonprofits entitled Rapid Response Plans for NPOs: Political Attacks and Government Investigations.
Digital Risks
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
EFF’s Surveillance Self-Defense page provides tips, tools, and strategies for safer online communications, especially by activists.
AccessNow
AccessNow maintains a 24/7 Digital Security Helpline to provide free-of-charge advice to organizations on improving their digital security practices, as well as rapid-response emergency assistance to organizations under attack.
STRATEGIC LAWSUITS AGAINST PUBLIC PARTICIPATION (SLAPPS)
Protect the Protest
A number of organizations have faced or been threatened with SLAPP lawsuits, which can chill the speech of nonprofits and others by forcing them to devote financial resources to defending themselves against baseless legal claims. Protect the Protest has created a Know Your Rights page for victims of SLAPPs, which includes links to information on how to avoid SLAPPs.
NonProfit Insurance
Nonprofit Risk Management Center (NRMC)
The Nonprofit Risk Management Center provides a number of resources on navigating insurance products for nonprofit organizations. The page includes a primer on insurance fundamentals.
Nonprofit Insurance Alliance Group
The Nonprofits Insurance Alliance Group is four nonprofits that provide insurance to thousands of nonprofits across the country. The group also offers useful resources to help nonprofits understand and mitigate risk.
Public Counsel
Public Counsel’s 2015 guide, A Nonprofit’s Guide to Risk Management and Insurance, produced in cooperation with the District of Columbia Bar’s Pro Bono Program, provides a
Pro Bono Assistance
Nonprofits may require tailored legal advice to navigate complex legal and financial compliance requirements. While a variety of law and consulting firms provide such counsel, pro bono legal services are also available to some nonprofits, including through local bar associations. This section provides links to additional resources.
General Resources
Democracy Protection Network
The Democracy Protection Network coordinates low- to no-cost crisis-response and resilience-building services for eligible organizations, including physical security, cybersecurity, crisis communications, and legal services.
Candid
Candid’s interactive map provides links to state resources for nonprofit organizations, includes organizations that provide pro bono assistance.
Lawyers Alliance for New York
The Lawyers Alliance for New York maintains a list of Pro Bono Providers Nationwide for nonprofits in the following states: CA, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, MA, MD, MI, MN, NJ, NY, PA, TX, VA, and WA.
Pro Bono Partnership
Pro Bono Partnership connects lawyers who provide pro bono business and transactional legal services to nonprofit organizations in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.