Have you always wanted to get involved in nonprofit leadership but didn’t know where to start? Check out the HCBA’s Leaders Impacting Nonprofit Communities (LINC) program. This four-session program, offered bi-annually, will give you the training needed to lead on nonprofit boards, committees, associations, and faith communities.
The 2022 LINC session starts on March 17 and runs bi-weekly through April 28. More details and registration can be found here.
Serving nonprofits is a great way to give back to organizations you care about, and also to give you the career skills to help you become a better lawyer.
Here are six ways LINC to can add value to your career.
Be a better board member: Learn how to effectively serve on a board, and how to best utilize your talents. “Lawyers are valuable on boards because they are taught to imagine the worst thing that can happen, which can help to balance out a sector in which most of the people involved want to see the best in the everyone,” said program co-chair Emmett Robertson.
Improve your skills around reading and understanding finances: Nonprofit finances can trip up even the most meticulous lawyer. To be an effective steward of a nonprofit organization, lawyers need to have a certain vigilance and diligence surrounding finances due to the unique rules that govern nonprofits. “If you’re on a board, you should be reviewing financials at every board meeting,” said Robertson. LINC will guide you through the nuances of nonprofit budgeting, financial statements, restricted vs. unrestricted funds, and form 990s.
Learn areas to take particular caution in when transacting with nonprofits: Laws that govern nonprofits are different than the ones that govern for-profit corporations. Learn where lawyers could get tripped up in details of nonprofit governance: compensation, business contracts, lobbying activities, etc. “The ways you operate matter a lot more and the decisions you make about how you operate your business matter a lot more than people would think because that's what determines whether or not you're going to qualify as tax exempt,” said Robertson.
Learn how the Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct impact your board service: Your ethics rules still apply when serving on a board. Learn how to manage professional ethics rules as you guide a nonprofit’s mission.
Navigate new and unique regulatory environments: Did you know that charities in Minnesota are overseen by the Minnesota Attorney General’s office? Or that many charities need to navigate interstate laws? Get familiar with these unique challenges that face nonprofits.
Expand your network: Join the hundreds of attorneys in Hennepin County and beyond who have taken part in the LINC program and be connected with other attorneys and professionals in the nonprofit space.
Learn more and sign up for the 2022 LINC session.