Charity Therapy
What if you could hang out with experienced nonprofit professionals and ask them your burning questions about the day-to-day life of nonprofits? What if you could take their wisdom and bring it back to your organization, for free? That's what we do on Charity Therapy. Hosted by Jess Birken - owner and lawyer at Birken Law Office. Every episode is an in-depth look at how to run a nonprofit, from fundraising to IRS woes to people problems and more! Our goal is to empower nonprofits to achieve your mission by doing things right.
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The Past Tense of Sync | How to Get a New IRS Determination Letter
<p >So you've submitted your IRS application and you're anxiously awaiting the letter in the mail with their response. But what if it just… never comes??</p> <p >Meghan and I tackle a listener question from a new nonprofit that did everything right – they got their tax-exempt status (yay!) but still can't find the actual letter. What do you do?</p> <p >Real Listener Question:</p> <p >"My org got approved as a 501(c)(3) according to the IRS bulk list for my state. But I never actually received the determination letter and it's not on the website. Is this common? I kn...
Ermahgerd! | How to Evaluate Executive Director Performance with Debbie Rabishaw
<p >So a nonprofit hires an Executive Director, skips all the onboarding, sets no goals, and now… wants to fire them. Yikes!</p> <p >I'm joined by Debbie Rabishaw, founder of HR consulting firm Next Step Advisory, to tackle a listener question that has more layers than an onion. A small nonprofit is in the middle of transitioning from a working board to a governing board, their new ED is getting mixed reviews, and some board members have already gone rogue. Things are messy, and Debbie and I have thoughts.</p> <p >Real Listener Question:</p> <p >"We hired a ne...
A Runway of Snacks | Can a Religious Nonprofit Apply for Status with the IRS 1023-EZ Short Form?
<p >So you're a charity grounded in religious values. Does that make you a church in the eyes of the IRS?</p> <p >Meghan and I dig into a listener question that had me doing a genuine double take. A religious nonprofit submitted the 1023-EZ short form and got rejected because the IRS decided they were a church. What gives?!</p> <p >Real Listener Question:</p> <p >"The IRS rejected our 1023-EZ because they think we are a church, which would require the full 1023 form. But we are not a church. We are a religious organization. How do I fix...
No, Not the Tomatoes! | Are Nonprofit Startup Costs Tax-Deductible Donations for the Founder?
<p >You scraped together your own money to start a brand-new nonprofit. You're out the money, but can you at least take a tax deduction?</p> <p >Meghan and I are back with a question from a new nonprofit founder who wants to know if the startup cash they put in before getting their 501c3 status counts as a tax-deductible donation. It's one of the most common questions we hear from new founders, and the answer involves a pretty handy IRS rule most people don't know about.</p> <p >Real Listener Question:</p> <p >"In June 2025, two friends and I...
A Rinky-Dink Outfit | Why Recording In-Kind Donations Matters For Your Nonprofit
<p >Your nonprofit is doing real work, but do your financials show it?</p> <p >In this episode, Meghan and I tackle a listener question from a small nonprofit that's running into a big problem: their numbers don't match their story. The for-profit company supporting them pays for nearly everything, but none of that shows up on the books, and funders are raising eyebrows.</p> <p >Real Listener Question:</p> <p >"Our employees, office space, and equipment are all paid for by a for-profit company and donated to our nonprofit. Our financials make it look like we're barely doing anything...
Indiana vs Minnesota Throwdown | Can Business Interruption Insurance Help Nonprofits Who Closed During ICE Raids? With Cody Wiswasser
<p >Your nonprofit closed its doors because of ICE enforcement or federal funding cuts. Is there an insurance policy that could actually help? Maybe, but the answer is a lot more complicated than you'd hope.</p> <p >In this episode, I'm joined by Cody Wiswasser, an insurance professional at Community Partners Insurance Group, to dig into my questions. With so much uncertainty hitting nonprofits right now, I needed to know whether business interruption insurance is something my clients should actually be thinking about.</p> <p >Here's the situation:</p> <p >Can nonprofits get business interruption insurance? Are closures for ICE...
Reporter on the Street | Can You Use Retirement Funds to "Invest" In A Nonprofit? With Jeff Beck
<p >Do you know someone eyeing their retirement accounts to fund their nonprofit dreams? We need to talk!</p> <p >In this episode, I'm joined by Jeff Beck, a wealth advisor at COE Financial Group, to tackle a listener question that had me equal parts fascinated and horrified.</p> <p >Real Listener Question:</p> <p >"My partner has a traditional IRA with about $100,000 in it. Can she invest that money in my 501(c)(3) without penalties? Do we need to set up a for-profit company for her IRA to invest in first? Are there IRS rules against her investing in something...
Is Your Ringer On? | How Nonprofits Can Find and Hire a Good Lawyer
<p >Finding a lawyer should not feel harder than solving the legal problem itself. And yet, here we are.</p> <p >In this episode, Meghan and I talk about something that comes up constantly in my nonprofit law practice: how nonprofit leaders and boards actually find a good lawyer and how to tell whether someone is the right fit.</p> <p >Real Listener Question:</p> <p >"I am a board member tasked with finding my small nonprofit a lawyer. I am trying to collect five options for the board to review and have the board interview each lawyer. I've prepared...
Old Woman Shakes Fist at Sky | How Classy May Be Hurting Your Donor Relationships
<p >Nonprofit newsflash - your donation platform might be quietly annoying your biggest donors 😬</p> <p >In this episode, Meghan and I dig into some nonprofit LinkedIn drama sparked by a post from the one and only Eve Borenstein. Here's the situation:</p> <p >You gave a big donation, and you received an auto-generated donation receipt from the org's donation platform. The problem? The gift acknowledgement letter and receipt are WRONG. </p> <p >We break down why donor acknowledgement letters matter so much, what the IRS actually requires in those receipts for gifts over $250, and how automated systems can unintentionally dam...
Captain Depressio Reporting for Duty | Can Nonprofits Give Tax-Free Money to People?
<p >Nonprofits are tax-exempt, so lots of people assume that nonprofits don't have to worry about taxes ever. Right???? Well, not quite 😐</p> <p >In this episode, Meghan and I dig into a question I hear all the time from people who want to help their communities but are confused about how nonprofit tax rules actually work.</p> <p >Real Listener Question:</p> <p >"I own a couple of restaurants and we have several events to raise money for certain causes. Usually the money goes toward a charity or a local group, but sometimes we'll do it for a community mem...
