eCourses

This session addresses key tax issues relating to charitable giving currently faced by colleges and universities (and their donors). How should your institution handle donor requests for involvement in scholarship selections, or for race- or gender-based scholarship criteria? As sophisticated donors increasingly turn to strings-attached philanthropy, what opportunities and pitfalls are there in the qualified sponsorship UBTI rules and rules relating to completion of a gift? How can your institution’s donation acknowledgment and Form 8283/8282 practices impact your donors’ likelihood of successfully taking tax deductions for their gifts? Will your institution feel the impact of the newly proposed donor-advised fund regulations? The session discusses both the theory and practice of tackling these questions in the higher education environment.

Includes: Video Audio Slides

Includes: Video Audio Slides

An interactive game of Jeopardy with topics highlighting international issues including; BEPS 2.0, indirect and digital taxes, nexus and triggering permanent establishment, NSPM33, 117 compliance, audit notices, and more!

Includes: Video Audio Slides

A discussion of available credits and tips on working with campus partners to identify and quantify projects. The discussion is from the university perspective to highlight experiences and challenges we’ve encountered in working with the tax credits.

Includes: Video Audio Paper Slides

Walk through specific examples of operating agreements for joint ventures structured as a partnership. Learn what language you should include, what to watch out for and some common approaches to ensuring the joint venture will further tax-exempt purposes. This session is intended to provide a practical approach to joint ventures based upon real-world examples.

Includes: Video Audio Paper Slides

The new tax landscape with recent legislation and a significant budget increase for the IRS raises the risks and stakes in managing unrelated business taxable income (UBTI). This session discusses reporting UBTI for both alternative investments and other university operations, including issues that have arisen during the post pandemic period, such as debt from lines of credit, rent from unused office space, and the use of energy resources. Also, hear best practices, tips and planning strategies (including considerations for using a corporate blocker structure), to identify, quantify and minimize UBTI liabilities while maximizing tax savings. Proper management of these emerging UBTI challenges and concerns will provide executive management with awareness, avoiding unnecessary surprises, which may result in an increase in needed resources and support.

Includes: Video Audio Slides

Where are we today when it comes to Name, Image & Likeness? This session discusses the background and current state of NIL legislation from NCAA, Federal and State levels with a focus on institutional compliance.

Includes: Video Audio Slides

Highlight and discuss some of the hot topics higher education institutions are facing in the accounts payable and payroll spaces.

Includes: Video Audio Slides

This session addresses navigating the shifting tax landscape of audits due to the increased IRS budget and innovative information technology and discusses current issues in higher education that are being audited by the IRS and state taxing agencies. This session also explores best practices to prepare your institution for examinations, inquiries and compliance checks in the near future, including managing additional risks from new or emerging issues, bolstering files, communicating compliance to campus units and updating executive management on risks and resources.

Includes: Video Audio Paper Slides

Congress views tax exemption of colleges and universities as a subsidy to produce charitable goods and services for the benefit of society. Recently, some members of Congress have expressed the view that the subsidy entitles them to demand that schools adopt certain policies and procedures. Executive Branch agencies from the IRS and Treasury to Department of Education and Department of Labor are actively pursuing various regulatory agendas as well. These range from prohibiting investments in Chinese companies, attacks on endowments, setting tuition rates, requiring campus speech and antisemitism policy, regulating name image and likeness payments to student athletes, dictating what donor advised funds can do, granting authority to executive branch agencies to enact regulations furthering these and other positions. The federal government’s actions will impact your university. The question is: how will you respond?

Includes: Video Audio Slides

Session 01: Recent Developments in College and University Tax Law - Review recent tax law developments that affect the higher education community, such as Congressional legislation, IRS enforcement measures and pronouncements as well as judicial decisions. Discuss the impact on prevalent tax issues, including unrelated business taxable income, compensation and fringe benefits, charitable contributions, international activities, endowments, and reporting requirements. Session 02: Legislative and Policy Update; Playing Defense for 2024 and Preparing for 2025 - Gain insight into what has been and will be occurring in 2024 regarding taxation of universities, their endowments, and examinations of school conduct and governance policies. Discuss the upcoming 2024 elections and the impact on tax policy, including the expected rewrite of the 2017 tax bill and related issues.

Includes: Video Audio Paper Slides

This session provides an overview of the IRS rules and regulations applicable to tax-exempt bonds, including arbitrage rebate, private business use, and change in use of bond financed facilities, and provides an update on IRS enforcement and oversight in these areas. In addition, our university representative provides insight on how her organization manages its post-issuance tax compliance responsibilities.

Includes: Video Audio Slides

THIS MONTH: The Science of Readable Legal Writing • Techniques for Negotiating With Difficult Counterparties  • Election Year Issues: Political Engagement by Nonprofit Organizations • Bank Failures and Banking Distress • ​Safety and Texas Schools: Their Future Depends on What We Do Today • ​Dealing With the Problem of Opposing Counsel

Includes: Video Audio Paper Slides

Session 01: Let’s Chat About ChatGPT: Ethical Considerations in the Use of Generative AI - Since the introduction of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools, lawyers around the country have been getting into ethical hot water over their misuse of generative AI. Courts have responded with mandatory AI disclosures and certifications by attorneys. What are your ethical obligations in using AI, and how can you stay within the lines? Find out in this informative and entertaining presentation! Session 02: Philanthropy in Sports - Collegiate athletics draw significant attention, and revenues, to many institutions and associated nonprofit organizations. This presentation covers tax and legal considerations around such activity for organizations and donors, including "name, image and likeness" (NIL) structures, licensing/joint ventures, and sponsorships. Session 03: Overcoming School Challenges for Students with Disabilites - Having school-aged clients with a disability can provide unique challenges in their care. Learn about these challenges and potential solutions from the collaborative perspective of an education consultant and a nurse case manager. Session 04: Challenges Presented by Litigation Funding - District courts and parties continue to grapple with issues relating to litigation funding and the funders themselves. This panel discusses some of the more prominent challenges including disclosure requirements (e.g., Delaware), how to get a funded litigant to settle, and patent aggregation by funded entities. Session 05: Texas Public Information Act and Texas Open Meetings Act: How They Work - An overview of the requirements and procedures under Texas’ government transparency statutes and a look at some common issues.

Includes: Video Audio Paper Slides

This panel presents an overview of the latest in policy and regulation from the US Government affecting the nonprofit sector, including Congress, the IRS, the Courts, and the States. As in years past, there is a lot happening—affirmative action and race based grantmaking, campus politics and free speech, political campaign intervention and the limits of nonprofit advocacy, health care and community benefit, Congress’s power to tax wealth, and much more. This panel aims to help you stay abreast of current developments.

Includes: Video Audio Slides

Hear components of a Non-Profit Organization’s financial statements, including the footnotes, and how information tells the Non-Profit Organization’s financial story. Additionally, learn how to identify differences between the financial statements and the Form 990.

Includes: Audio Paper Slides

Since the end of the pandemic, charities are continuing to pursue various fundraising opportunities in the constant search for sustainable, unrestricted revenue. Through fundraising opportunities like events, commercial co-venture, and fundraising platforms, charities continue to struggle to maintain revenue streams. As consumer preference and regulatory environments change, charities will need to continue to adapt to changing circumstances, as well as adapt to the introduction of newer models of raising revenue.

Includes: Video Audio Paper Slides

This session approaches impact investments from the 'other side,' examining the legal issues that matter equally to return-driven investors. Delve into the legal structures and key terms of common forms of equity and debt investments to understand the issues and considerations that shape financial returns but also have significant implications for achieving impact.

Includes: Audio Slides

Session 01: Setting Up a Nonprofit: State Law and Organizational Issues and Considerations - Establishing a solid legal and tax foundation is essential for nonprofits. This presentation addresses how to prevent organizational building blocks from becoming missional roadblocks. Session 02: Applying for and Maintaining Tax-Exempt Status - Hear what you need to know to become tax exempt and to stay that way. Session 03: Reporting Obligations for Section 501(c)(3) Organizations - Explore compliance requirements for charitable organizations with IRC section 501(c)(3) status. Provide a framework for the reporting obligations at the federal and state levels. The federal reporting discussion will concentrate on the key reporting items of the Form 990 and when other forms may be required. Discuss the high-level requirements for state registrations for nonprofits, charitable trusts and charitable solicitations. Session 04: Regulatory Horizons Interplay: State and Federal Enforcement - Ex-regulators for both the IRS and states attorney general offices provide perspectives on enforcement activity from the “outside," including a discussion on cooperation amongst the states’ AGs, and communication between state regulators/the IRS. Are they sharing? How does one’s enforcement efforts affect the other? Session 05: IRS Audits - An IRS audit won’t happen to my organization, you say—until it does. Audit preparedness should be at the center of any good compliance regime for a Section 501(c)(3) public charity or private foundation, whether you’re audited this year or in 2030. Review the basics of an IRS audit and gain practical advice on preparing for, understanding, managing, and ultimately surviving the audit process. Session 06: Governance: Essential Organizational Policies and Protections - A strong set of policies serve as a key building block in good governance and organizational effectiveness. This session offers an overview and discussion of a number of standard organizational policies to better understand not only the nature of the policies and their format but also what they are designed to accomplish and how they interact with insurance and tie into an overall compliance program. Session 07: Governance: Managing an Internal Investigation - Explore the anatomy of an internal investigation from a governance perspective— from the allegations, through the first moves and the next steps, to the investigation’s findings and aftermath. An internal investigation can be a complex, fast moving and highly fraught legal experience not for the faint of heart and understanding the role of the board is imperative to a successful outcome. The scope (and costs) can easily get out of hand, and there are many landmines hidden throughout the process. Discuss the following with a special focus on the governance considerations: Who do you tell and when (the executive team, the executive committee, the board, key donors or other stakeholders)? What is the role of each stakeholder and how do you navigate disagreements? Do the allegations warrant a full-fledged investigation or would that be an over-reaction? Do you bring in outside counsel or other third parties (forensic accountants or other experts) and when? What is the proper scope of an investigation? What are the legal and privilege issues involved, in particular when interviewing employees and former employees? What are the communications/PR concerns? What do you do with the findings? Do you do a written report? What should come out of the investigation (employment actions, governance reforms)? Do you self-report to the IRS or other regulators? What do you make public and when? And what is the role of the board (or a board or special committee) in navigating each of these questions? Session 08: Protecting Your Nonprofit Client: Opinions, Privilege, and Return Positions - A practical overview of the legal requirements of tax opinions, the attorney-client privilege in tax situations, and the various types of tax advice on return positions. Discuss the myriad of penalties on organizations and tax return preparers. Hear real-world examples of problems that non-profit organizations face and best practices to solve those problems. Session 09: Commercial Activities and UBIT - Exempt organizations are increasingly focused on generating additional revenue, capitalizing on tangible and intangible assets, and partnering with for-profit entities. This session will cover trends in the area, instances of how the UBIT rules apply, and examples of how including tax in early stage project/revenue planning can add value, improve post-tax returns, and avoid unpleasant surprises. Session 10: Election Year Issues: Political Engagement and Affiliated Structures - A practical exploration of the rules regarding political engagement across the nonprofit sector, including how to maximize impact through the use of affiliated structures. Session 11: MASTER CLASS: Accounting for Non-Profits: Understanding the Balance Sheet and Financial Statements (and the Form 990 Connection) - Hear components of a Non-Profit Organization’s financial statements, including the footnotes, and how information tells the Non-Profit Organization’s financial story. Additionally, learn how to identify differences between the financial statements and the Form 990. Session 12: Cybersecurity and Data Protection Issues Affecting Non-Profits - Many nonprofits collect and store sensitive personal information that is protected by law from identity theft. When there is a breach of the security protecting this sensitive personal information, that poses a risk for the individuals whose data was disclosed, and for the nonprofit that will now potentially be subject to liability for the data breach. This presentation features takeaways for non-profits about how to - at a minimum - assess the risks of a data security breach, and protect its data from unauthorized disclosure.

Includes: Video Audio Paper Slides

Hear what you need to know to become tax exempt and to stay that way.

Includes: Video Audio Slides