2025

Nonprofit Organizations Fundamentals

PRESENTED BY
The University of Texas School of Law
Philanthropy Southwest

Austin Jan 22, 2025 Four Seasons Hotel
Conference Concluded

Overview

The 2025 Nonprofit Organizations Fundamentals is the perfect overview for new entrants and seasoned practitioners in the field, with focused attention on core issues for both private foundations and charitable organizations, as well as opportunities to ask questions of experts and colleagues.

Continue on for the 42nd Annual Nonprofit Organizations Institute for two full days of nationally recognized experts from private foundations, public charities, law, finance and government discussing the latest tax, legislative and governance issues affecting nonprofit organizations.

Event Schedule

Program is subject to change.
All times are Central Time Zone.

Time

Credit

Subject

Speaker
Wednesday Afternoon, Jan. 22, 2025
Presiding Officer:
Andrea L. March, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid - Austin, TX
1:00 pm

Registration Opens

Includes light refreshments.
1:50 pm

Welcoming Remarks
2:00 pm

1.00 hr

Texas Nonprofit Basics (Part 1): Entity Formation, Governance, and Fiduciary Duties

A discussion about the types of entities that can be used to carry out nonprofit activities and the factors that should be considered when selecting among them. Recognizing that nonprofit corporations typically are the most appropriate choice, the panelists explain the role of a Board of Directors and offer suggestions for how to determine whether individual directors are abiding by their fiduciary duties.

Katherine E. David, Steptoe & Johnson PLLC - San Antonio, Texas
Elaine Sommerville, Sommerville & Associates, P.C. - Arlington, TX

Katherine E. David, Steptoe & Johnson PLLC - San Antonio, Texas
Elaine Sommerville, Sommerville & Associates, P.C. - Arlington, TX
3:00 pm

1.00 hr

Texas Nonprofit Basics (Part 2): Regulatory and Tax-Related Essentials

Deepen your understanding of essential regulatory and tax issues for Texas nonprofits. This session covers critical compliance considerations, including franchise and property taxes, sales tax exemptions, UBIT basics and proactive steps to manage fundraising and event-related risks.

Kurt Coburn, Blazek & Vetterling - Houston, TX
Genevra Williams, Mendrygal Law, PLLC - Dallas, TX

Kurt Coburn, Blazek & Vetterling - Houston, TX
Genevra Williams, Mendrygal Law, PLLC - Dallas, TX
4:00 pm

15-Minute Break
4:15 pm

1.00 hr

Federal Organization and Compliance for Nonprofits (Part 1): The Do’s and Don’ts for Obtaining Tax-Exempt Status

Learn what nonprofit organizations need to know to qualify for recognition of tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Topics also include an overview of the application process, the different basis for obtaining exemption, and the different types of tax-exempt organizations from an attorney and accountant perspective. Learn about when it may be necessary from a liability standpoint to set up another entity.

Neely D. Duncan, Forvis Mazars, LLP - Dallas, TX
Nykolas McKissic, Holland & Knight LLP - Dallas, TX

Neely D. Duncan, Forvis Mazars, LLP - Dallas, TX
Nykolas McKissic, Holland & Knight LLP - Dallas, TX
5:15 pm

1.00 hr

Federal Organization and Compliance for Nonprofits (Part 2): Maintaining Tax-Exempt Status

Explore a high-level overview of the general compliance requirements in connection with maintaining tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. In particular, touch upon certain on-going federal and state-level reporting obligations, baseline operational and technical requirements, and governance practices.

Susanna Blackmon, Blazek & Vetterling - Houston, TX
Hamish Nieh, Fizer Beck - Houston, TX

Susanna Blackmon, Blazek & Vetterling - Houston, TX
Hamish Nieh, Fizer Beck - Houston, TX
6:15 pm

Adjourn to Networking Reception (6:15 p.m. - 7:15 p.m.)

Join us for a networking opportunity with faculty and colleagues.

Download Schedule

Conference Faculty

Susanna Blackmon

Blazek & Vetterling
Houston, TX

Kurt Coburn

Blazek & Vetterling
Houston, TX

Katherine E. David

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC
San Antonio, Texas

Neely D. Duncan

Forvis Mazars, LLP
Dallas, TX

Nykolas McKissic

Holland & Knight LLP
Dallas, TX

Hamish Nieh

Fizer Beck
Houston, TX

Elaine Sommerville

Sommerville & Associates, P.C.
Arlington, TX

Genevra Williams

Mendrygal Law, PLLC
Dallas, TX

Planning Committee

Megan E. Bell

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
New York, NY

Jonathan S. Blum

Holland & Knight LLP
Dallas, TX

Lucille DiDomenico

DiDomenico Group
Dallas, TX

Mallory Driggers

Philanthropy Southwest
Dallas, TX

Karey Dubiel Dye

Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund
Houston, TX

Joyce Hellums

Ernst & Young LLP
Austin, TX

Tomer Inbar

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
New York, NY

Joanna Jefferson

The University of Texas School of Law
Austin, TX

Andrea L. March

Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid
Austin, TX

Danika H. Mendrygal

Mendrygal Law, PLLC
Dallas, TX

Darren B. Moore

Bourland, Wall & Wenzel, P.C.
Fort Worth, TX

Norman E. Nabhan

Graystone Consulting
Houston, TX

Jeffrey E. Sher

Fizer Beck
Houston, TX

Nicola Fuentes Toubia

Fuentes Toubia, PLLC
Houston, TX

Kay Walther

Blazek & Vetterling
Houston, TX

Maura L. Whelan

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
New York, NY

Eric Wynn

Philanthropy Southwest
Dallas, TX

Credit Info

Austin

MCLE Credit

Texas – 4.00 hrs
Legal Specialization(s): Estate Planning and Probate Law, Tax Law

You may claim your credit online in Your Briefcase, and UT Law CLE will report credit on your behalf to the State Bar of Texas. A Certificate of Attendance will be provided in Your Briefcase for your records. The system reports Texas CLE credit every Tuesday. If you are claiming credit in the last week of your birth month, self-report your CLE credit directly to the State Bar of Texas at texasbar.com, using the course number provided on your certificate of attendance.

California – 4.00 hrs

You must claim your credit online in Your Briefcase, and will then be provided a Certificate of Attendance for your records. UT Law CLE is required to provide the State Bar with electronic attendance records for any MCLE participatory activity within 60 days of completion of the activity. The California licensee is responsible for reporting their compliance/credit hours earned to the State Bar at the end of their reporting period directly to the State Bar of California at calbar.ca.gov UT Law CLE will maintain Attendance Records for four years.

New York – Available Via Reciprocity – 5.00 hrs

As The University of Texas School of Law is a Oklahoma Bar Association presumptively approved MCLE provider (#169), and Oklahoma is a New York Approved Jurisdiction on List A, our courses are approved for MCLE credit based on a 50-minute credit hour, and in accordance with the Program Rules and the Regulations and Guidelines of the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board. More information and details can be found at Section 6 of the Regulations and Guidelines (PDF).

You must claim and certify your credit online in your UTCLE "Briefcase", and will then be provided a Certificate of Attendance for your records. Self-report your CLE credit directly to the New York State Bar Association. UT Law CLE will maintain Attendance Records for four years.

Oklahoma – 5.00 hrs

You must claim and certify your credit online in Your Briefcase, then you will then be provided a Certificate of Attendance for your records. UT Law CLE will report credit on your behalf to the Oklahoma Bar Association within 30 days after the conference.

Pennsylvania – 4.00 hrs

UT Law CLE is an approved provider of Pennsylvania credit, sponsor #236. You must claim your credit online in Your Briefcase, and will then be provided a Certificate of Attendance for your records. Attorney attendance will be reported to Pennsylvania within 2 weeks after credit is claimed and submit. Attorneys are not able to report this credit on their own, and UT Law CLE pays all associated fees for the credit hours. Contact us at accreditation@utcle.org if you have additional questions.

Other States – 4.00 hrs

Note on Self-Reporting Your Credits in Another State

If you wish to satisfy MCLE or other professional education requirements in another state for a program offered by the University of Texas School of Law, please check with the state bar or other licensing authority in that state to ensure it will qualify for self-reporting your credits.

You must claim and certify your credit online in Your Briefcase, you will then be provided a Certificate of Attendance for your records and to provided to other licensing authorities as needed.

MCLE credit is presented based on a 60-minute credit hour.

Other Credit

National Accounting CPE – 4.50 hrs

The University of Texas School of Law is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.

Delivery Method: Group-Live (UT Law CLE is a provider of NASBA Group-Live credit only, which excludes online offerings.

To comply with NASBA Standards, attendees claiming CPE credit must sign in to verify attendance for each segment. Attendance sign-in sheets will be available at the registration desk. You will need your CPA license number to sign in. A CPE Certificate of Completion will be provided at the conclusion of the conference.

Reporting: CPAs are responsible for reporting CPE credits earned to their state's accountancy board, and must retain appropriate documentation of their participation in learning activities. Visit your state’s reporting website for more information or www.nasba.org.

TX Accounting CPE – 4.50 hrs

The University of Texas School of Law (Provider #250) live conferences are presumptively approved by The Texas State Board of Public Accountancy for Texas Accounting CPE credit based on a 50-minute credit hour. Approved for general CPE credit only.

At the conference, you are welcome to sign in on the Accounting CPE Record of Attendance form at the registration desk, but we are now reporting all credit online. You will receive a Texas Accounting Certificate of Completion in Your Briefcase. Self-report your CPE credit directly to TSBPA. UT Law CLE will maintain Attendance Records for four years.

Contact us at accreditation@utcle.org if you have additional questions.

Key Dates

Austin – Jan 22, 2025 – Four Seasons Hotel

Conference Concluded

Buy

Austin

Individual
Last day for $275.00 Early Bird pricing: Sep 13, 2024
Last day for $325.00 Regular pricing: Jan 8, 2025
$375.00 for registrations received after this time

Group (5 registrants minimum)
Last day for $245.00 Early Bird pricing: Sep 13, 2024
Last day for $295.00 Regular pricing: Jan 8, 2025
$345.00 for registrations received after this time

Group (10 registrants minimum)
Last day for $210.00 Early Bird pricing: Sep 13, 2024
Last day for $260.00 Regular pricing: Jan 8, 2025
$310.00 for registrations received after this time

Cancellation Policy
Last day for full refund cancellation: Jan 15, 2025
$50 processing fee applied after this date
Last day for cancellation: Jan 17, 2025

Venue

Four Seasons Hotel

98 San Jacinto Boulevard
Austin, TX 78701-4082
512-478-4500 (reservations)
Map

Accommodations

The Four Seasons Hotel room block has been exhausted.

Please see list below for nearby hotels.

Austin Marriott Downtown
The LINE Austin
JW Marriott Austin
Fairmont Austin
Hampton Inn & Suites Austin-Downtown/Convention Center
Hyatt Place Downtown

Parking Information

Daily self-parking: $23
Daily valet: $25
Overnight valet parking: $60

Additional Information

The conference will take place in the Four Seasons Ballroom located on the lake level of the hotel.

Our Sponsors

Thank you to our sponsors! Click each logo below to learn more.

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
www.morganlewis.com/services/tax-exempt-organizations

Since its founding in 1873, Morgan Lewis has represented philanthropists and the nonprofit organizations they create through every major development in the tax law. Our tax-exempt organizations team represents institutions of all kinds—corporate, family and institutional foundations, colleges and universities, hospitals, trade associations, religious organizations, governmental entities, cultural organizations, advocacy groups, and many others—in achieving their objectives.
Frost Wealth Advisors

Frost Wealth Advisors
www.frostbank.com/pages/personal-investments.aspx

Frost is the banking, investments and insurance subsidiary of Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE: CFR). One of the 50 largest U.S. banks by asset size, Frost provides a full range of banking, investments and insurance services to businesses and individuals in the Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Permian Basin, Rio Grande Valley and San Antonio regions. Founded in 1868, Frost has helped Texans with their financial needs during three centuries.

Frost has a team of professionals who work together towards a common goal: to help you achieve financial security. Today the Frost Wealth Advisors are responsible for more than more than $64 billion in assets at September 30, 2024. of individuals, families, businesses and non-profit institutions. You can count on us for investment management, trust administration, estate and financial planning, real estate, oil and gas management, retirement plan management, tax planning and wealth management. Frost has built a legacy of involvement with the communities it serves, especially with the organizations that provide for the betterment of the community. In fact, we have a dedicated group of specialists in our Public Finance Division who understand the specialized financing, treasury, investment and insurance needs of Texas governmental and non-profit institutions including educational, religious and healthcare organizations.
Your Part-Time Controller, LLC

Your Part-Time Controller, LLC
www.yptc.com/

Your Part-Time Controller, LLC (YPTC) is celebrating 30 years of serving nonprofits! What began in 1993 as a small enterprise by Founder and President Eric Fraint has grown into a national firm of 600+ staff and 1700+ clients. YPTC does one thing and does it well—financial management for nonprofits. No matter the type, size, or location, YPTC offers valuable services to all clients, including accounting, financial reporting, data visualization, and more. Support, flexibility, and transformation mark our overall approach; we meet clients wherever they are. As a partner and strengthening agent, YPTC allows nonprofits to focus on what matters: furthering the mission of the organization. For more information, please visit our website www.yptc.com.
Arnold & Porter

Arnold & Porter
www.arnoldporter.com/en

At Arnold & Porter, we are client-driven and industry-focused. With over 1,000 lawyers across 15 offices worldwide, we provide sophisticated regulatory, litigation, and transactional capabilities across multiple industries to nearly half of the Fortune 100, as well as many other clients.

Our Tax-Exempt Organizations team employs a comprehensive knowledge of market practices to develop innovative structures and vehicles that help clients maximize their charitable, policy, and social impact. Clients turn to us on issues involving collaborations and consortiums, complex multiparty transactions, corporate and venture philanthropy, governance, impact investing, intellectual property licensing, internal investigations, international affiliations, major gifts, and regulatory compliance, among many others. Leveraging our firm’s full breadth of experience, we provide sector-based insights and advice tailored to each client’s unique needs.
Blazek & Vetterling

Blazek & Vetterling
www.bvcpa.com

Blazek & Vetterling brings together a collective specialization in nonprofit organizations that we believe is unique. With approximately 80 people working with over 700 tax-exempt organizations, we believe that we bring more focused experience to our nonprofit, governmental, and employee benefit plan clients than any other firm. We are a nationally recognized leader in the nonprofit arena, offering audit, tax, and consulting services to a wide range of organizations. In addition to providing professional accounting services to nonprofit organizations, we teach locally and nationally, write, and serve on boards of directors. Our philosophy of service is to understand the unique issues that nonprofit organizations face and to approach them in a professional, business-oriented manner.
Bourland, Wall & Wenzel, P.C.

Bourland, Wall & Wenzel, P.C.
www.bwwlaw.com

Bourland, Wall & Wenzel, P.C. (“BWW”) has been providing high-quality legal services since its founding more than 40 years ago. Throughout that time period, representation of nonprofit organizations, including trade and professional associations, has been a key component of the firm’s practice. BWW is located in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. This location has allowed our firm to work on sophisticated legal projects in a “large city” environment while also giving us the unique ability to represent and work closely with entrepreneurs—both on their for-profit projects as well as in their nonprofit endeavors.

BWW has 29 lawyers spread over a number of different practice areas. We consider ourselves a full-service firm, with limited exceptions where we partner with others. As part of our practice areas, we have lawyers skilled in business planning (including general contract law and leasing and rental issues), tax planning, employment law, intellectual property law, litigation, and the law of tax-exempt organizations. While located in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, we have major clients all over the State of Texas and Southwestern United States (as well as clients that go beyond those primary boundaries). Our clients’ businesses, however, have a much greater reach, as they operate nationally and internationally, resulting in us working on projects well beyond the State of Texas. From the standpoint of exempt organizations, we represent very small local organizations, from booster clubs to library associations, to state-wide and regional charitable organizations, to national organizations and organizations that work internationally.
Brown Advisory

Brown Advisory
www.brownadvisory.com

Brown Advisory is an independent investment management and strategic advisory firm committed to delivering a combination of first-class performance, strategic advice and the highest level of client service with offices in Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Delaware, Frankfurt, London, Nashville, New York, North Carolina, San Francisco, Singapore, Southern California, Tokyo, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The firm’s institutional and private clients are based in 50 states and more than 44 countries and territories and are served by over 850 colleagues worldwide, all of whom are equity owners of the firm.
Ernst & Young LLP

Ernst & Young LLP
www.ey.com

Your business will only succeed if you build it on a strong foundation and grow it in a sustainable way. At EY, we believe that managing your tax obligations responsibly and proactively can make a critical difference. Our global teams of talented people bring you technical knowledge, business experience and consistency, all built on our unwavering commitment to quality service—wherever you are and whatever tax services you need.

We create highly networked teams that can advise on planning, compliance and reporting and help you maintain constructive tax authority relationships—wherever you operate. Our technical networks across the globe can work with you to reduce inefficiencies, mitigate risk and improve opportunity. Our 50,000 tax professionals, in more than 150 countries, are committed to giving you the quality, consistency and customization you need to support your tax function.
Fizer, Beck, Webster, Bentley, & Scroggins, PC

Fizer, Beck, Webster, Bentley, & Scroggins, PC
www.fizerbeck.com

FizerBeck has a highly-regarded and extensive nonprofit and tax exempt organizations practice, in which we assist clients in creating private foundations and public charities, render tax advice on the operation of tax exempt organizations and plan all forms of present and deferred charitable gifts. In this area, we are frequently called upon to obtain private letter rulings from the IRS, and represent tax exempt organizations before the IRS. In this practice area, we advise directors and trustees as to their rights, powers and duties, and in general, work with nonprofit and tax exempt organizations in all phases of their operations and administrative compliance. Clients range from individuals seeking to establish their own charitable organization to established national charities seeking fundraising, fiduciary and/or other legal advice.
Holland & Knight LLP

Holland & Knight LLP
www.hklaw.com

Holland & Knight has a deeply engrained culture of collaboration, client service, efficiency and diversity, as well as integration across multiple practice groups and industries. Few other law firms have our combination of experience, knowledge and capabilities with nonprofit organizations.

As active industry contributors and thought leaders, our Nonprofit and Tax-Exempt Group takes pride in keeping our clients abreast of significant legal and industry developments impacting nonprofits, often before they happen. We are committed to learning about our nonprofit clients' operations, objectives and challenges. This combined focus on both the big picture and client specifics helps us provide tailored guidance to enhance our clients' decision-making to achieve desired outcomes and results. With H&K as a strategic partner, nonprofits are able to focus on what they do best, furthering their mission.
Morgan Stanley Graystone Consulting

Morgan Stanley Graystone Consulting
www.morganstanley.com/graystone

An independent business unit of Morgan Stanley, Graystone Consulting has more than 40 years of experience advising institutional clients as a fiduciary. Our boutique business structure, depth of experience and vast resources have helped us grow into one of the most respected investment consulting firms in the U.S. Whether you are looking to reduce expenses, enhance returns or align your mission with your investments, Graystone is your strategic partner. Our research on “Best of Class” 3rd party asset management firms is one of the broadest in the industry, designed to help nonprofits and foundations meet their investment goals. Graystone consults on over 800 Foundations & Endowment clients with a combined $29B in AUM.
Northern Trust

Northern Trust
www.northerntrust.com/FIA

Northern Trust Foundation & Institutional Advisors serves foundations, endowments and other institutional investors as a dedicated investment advisor or a fully outsourced chief investment officer. The practice is consultative and advice-driven, providing holistic solutions that combine sophisticated advisory expertise with a spectrum of value-added services.
Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund

Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund
www.goldmansachs.com

Nonprofit Organizations Fundamentals

Overview

Event Schedule

Wednesday Afternoon, Jan. 22, 2025

Conference Faculty

Planning Committee

Credit Info

MCLE Credit

Other Credit

Key Dates

Venue

Four Seasons Hotel

Accommodations

Parking Information

Additional Information

Our Sponsors

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

Frost Wealth Advisors

Your Part-Time Controller, LLC

Arnold & Porter

Blazek & Vetterling

Bourland, Wall & Wenzel, P.C.

Brown Advisory

Ernst & Young LLP

Fizer, Beck, Webster, Bentley, & Scroggins, PC

Holland & Knight LLP

Morgan Stanley Graystone Consulting

Northern Trust

Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund

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