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If your nonprofit’s Form 990 deadline is approaching and your organization is scrambling a bit… you are not alone. Every year at this time nonprofit leaders face similar stressors: - the bookkeeping is behind - receipts are missing - board minutes are incomplete ...and the filing deadline is here. Here’s the important thing: Do not panic! And, equally important, PLEASE do not avoid filing altogether. An imperfect but good-faith filing is far better than failing to fi

Filing for tax-exempt status is one of the most important steps a nonprofit can take—but it’s also one of the most misunderstood. Many founders assume that once they “have a nonprofit,” tax-exempt status naturally follows. It doesn’t. In reality, tax exemption is a separate legal recognition by the IRS, and getting it right requires more than just filing a form. It requires intentional structure, clarity of purpose, and alignment between how your organization is built and how

When people think about nonprofits, they think about causes they care about: overcoming homelessness, feeding families, supporting communities, solving urgent social problems. What’s less visible (but still critical) is the need for a solid legal framework based on best practices for compliance and governance that allows that mission to endure long-term. Swenson Law Group seeks to support this invisible infrastructure by providing resources for nonprofit leaders to build a st

Karina Swenson, Esq. Strategic Legal Counsel for Nonprofit & Mission-Driven Leaders April 9, 2026 In many nonprofits, HR is treated as a back-office function. Policies get drafted. Handbooks get updated. Issues get addressed when they arise. But in practice, HR is one of the most important governance functions an organization has. From my experience, how an organization manages its people is how it lives its mission. Nonprofits operate in uniquely complex environments. They