• Start a 501c3 Nonprofit That Doesn’t Ruin Your Life: How to Legally Structure Your Nonprofit to Avoid I.R.S. Trouble, Lawsuits, Financial Scandals & More!

  • Nonprofit Law Series, Book 1
  • By: Audrey Chisholm
  • Narrated by: Clinton Herigstad
  • Length: 4 hrs and 6 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (132 ratings)

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Start a 501c3 Nonprofit That Doesn’t Ruin Your Life: How to Legally Structure Your Nonprofit to Avoid I.R.S. Trouble, Lawsuits, Financial Scandals & More!  By  cover art

Start a 501c3 Nonprofit That Doesn’t Ruin Your Life: How to Legally Structure Your Nonprofit to Avoid I.R.S. Trouble, Lawsuits, Financial Scandals & More!

By: Audrey Chisholm
Narrated by: Clinton Herigstad
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Publisher's summary

Can starting a 501c3 nonprofit really ruin your life? Absolutely - if you don’t know what you’re doing!

In this accessible guide, nonprofit attorney Audrey K. Chisholm shares in plain English how to legally structure your nonprofit to avoid IRS trouble, lawsuits, financial scandals, and more!

This book is perfect for anyone who wants to start a nonprofit or who already has a nonprofit and wants to make sure they're in compliance with the I.R.S. and the law. Nonprofit founders, board members, officers, employees, volunteers, donors, and community partners can all benefit from this text.

The book includes comprehensive information and guidance designed to save each listener thousands of dollars in legal fees.

This book will share:

  • How to avoid I.R.S. trouble when paying yourself
  • How to avoid a lawsuit when choosing a name for your nonprofit
  • How to avoid getting kicked off your own board of directors
  • 11 things you need to do before accepting any major donations
  • How to avoid financial scandals when handling money for your nonprofit
  • Top seven reasons nonprofits get into legal trouble and how to avoid them
  • How to avoid liability when fundraising for your nonprofit
  • How to legally structure your nonprofit to avoid I.R.S. trouble
  • Most important things you absolutely must know to avoid liability when recruiting volunteers
  • How to protect your nonprofit’s name from counterfeits and identity theff
  • 10 things you need to do to avoid being sued personally for your nonprofit’s actions even if you’ve incorporated with the state
  • How to avoid losing your entire nonprofit by keeping up with annual filings
  • And more

Attorney Audrey K. Chisholm is the founder of Chisholm Law Firm, LLC (Chisholmfirm.com) a law firm focusing on helping professionals start nonprofits throughout the United States. She has a 100 percent success rate with her nonprofit filings, and her clients range from professionals to NFL players and a Fortune 500 company. She is also the founder of Revolution Leadership, Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit that has served over 1,633 students and has awarded over 30 college scholarships for the past 17 years. She resides in Orlando, Florida, with her husband, Dr. Juan Chisholm, and three daughters. Visit StartYourTaxExemptNonprofit.com for more information.

©2018 Audrey Chisholm (P)2018 Audrey Chisholm

What listeners say about Start a 501c3 Nonprofit That Doesn’t Ruin Your Life: How to Legally Structure Your Nonprofit to Avoid I.R.S. Trouble, Lawsuits, Financial Scandals & More!

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Amazon Book Reviews Accurate

Don't let the review about this being an advertisement dissuade you. It's inaccurate. Not sure they even listened or read it. There's rarely any mention of the attorney's law firm.

Instead it's 18 chapters explaining how to successfully start your nonprofit and keep it going without legal pitfalls for years to come! This book exceeded my expectations. I encourage you to give it a shot. It won't disappoint.

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a must listen

this is a must if you are thinking about starting a non profit. I wish I found this book before I started the process its filled with great advice and real situations that the writer actually went through creating her own non profit. a must must must

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Fundamentals are Vital

This is an amazing book for starters who usually wonder know how to start a nonprofit, and what is most important in the beginning phases. The book would had resonated better with me if the audio resembled more of how the author might sound like.

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This a great nonprofit 101 resource

I highly recommend this book for those of whom are considering getting a nonprofit underway. Also, this is a great resource for those who just received their IRS tax exemption status and are wondering "what do I do next?" Overall, its a very good step-by-step on what to do to achieve your goal of becoming a legit nonprofit.

For those complaining about the numerous plugs for the lawyer, I feel it is 100% OK and I did not find it too annoying.

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  • MM
  • 09-08-22

Great book to open one’s eyes

This is a great book that not only tells the story of the authors struggles when opening a non profit but gives many answers as well as raises great questions to simplify and clear much of the muddy water. I have already started my Human Trafficking aftercare Non Profit SAFEEus.org and realize I should have done a few things differently. Now to share this book with the others on my BOD and initiate contact with the author… MM

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Very Insightful

If you are curious about what to expect from starting and running your own nonprofit get this book! It includes first hand experiences from the author and so much helpful information. I would recommend this audible book to anyone who wants to start their own nonprofit.

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Great read. Plain English. Extremely helpful.

I found this book helpful in thinking through the legal aspects of starting a nonprofit. I founded a nonprofit in December 2020 and am pursuing 501c3 application. I found myself thinking a few months ago, there has to be books out there about how to properly begin the 501c3 process. This is it.

Audrey seems to really care about her work as a nonprofit founder and attorney. She provides plenty of resources to get started.

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A Friend Karina Lamar, Referred Me To Your Book!

On Target Points and Insider Info. Referred by Karina Lamar, Re: The Tree Life, I Will Be Involved With Her Organization and This Was A Great Educational Start For Her Organization!

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Too focused on advertising law firm

This book did provide some useful information and was well narrated; however, it was very focused on the reasons why you should hire a law firm to assist with your non profit -- specifically the authors law firm.

The authors law firm undoubtedly provides a valuable service and she gave some excellent examples of why hiring a lawyer is useful. With that said, if you're looking for in depth information on forming and operating a non profit and you don't get have the resources to hire an attorney, you can benefit from this book but it's not a comprehensive guide.

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Must for Nonprofit startups

I can now confidently commence our journey in finding a nonprofit attorney to start on the right path to a successful (not stressful) 501c3.

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