PBPA Podcast

What happens when a member of your organization receives an honorarium? Should the payment go to the individual or to the nonprofit? Well, it depends. In this episode of the PBPA Podcast, Kathryn Hecker and Felix Swierski with Arnall Golden Gregory will explore these questions and provide guidance on receiving or paying honoraria. While an honorarium serves as recognition to an individual for their time, expertise, and contributions, it is important to be aware of the legal and tax implications that come with making or receiving honorarium payments.

ChatGPT has become all the rage, inside and outside of the technology world. In fact, I even used ChatGPT to write this intro - but only after taking into consideration the guidance that Creighton Frommer, Counsel at RelX, shares in this episode of the PBPA Podcast. Join us as we talk about ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence (AI), the legal issues they raise, and legal tips to guide your nonprofit’s use of this cutting-edge technology.

Employers are becoming increasingly creative with meeting their workforce staffing needs. In this episode of the PBPA Podcast, Chris Anderson and Will Collins with Ogletree Deakins will be focusing on a recent trend: virtual assistants. If your nonprofit is considering outsourcing some administrative duties, tune in to this episode as we outline legal considerations and guidelines for working with virtual assistants in the US or abroad.

Employers are becoming increasingly creative with meeting their workforce staffing needs. In this episode of the PBPA Podcast, Chris Anderson and Will Collins with Ogletree Deakins will be focusing on a recent trend: virtual assistants. If your nonprofit is considering outsourcing some administrative duties, tune in to this episode as we outline legal considerations and guidelines for working with virtual assistants in the US or abroad.

You may have heard of the “fair use defense”, where certain unauthorized uses of copywritten material may be allowed by law. Here at PBPA, we often get questions from clients about the “fair use defense.” What really is the fair use defense? Does it give nonprofits a free pass to use copywritten material? In this episode of the PBPA Podcast, Jennifer Sandlin with Eversheds Sutherland will answer those questions and more as we review the fair use defense for nonprofits.

Your nonprofit wants to honor & celebrate its employees, whether it is with a company meal, holiday present, or award for years of service to your organization. Employees appreciate employer gifts for any reason, but the gift is not as exciting if it's taxed. In this episode of the PBPA Podcast, Darrell Smelcer with Hunton Andrew Kurth will walk us through the tax considerations of gifts to employees. He will share tips and guidance to help your nonprofit and its employees avoid a tax spoiler.

Your nonprofit has received notice from a government agency or court to garnish an employee’s wages. Now what? Nonprofit employers may not always be clear on their responsibilities when they receive a garnishment order. In this episode of the PBPA Podcast, Elijah Davis with Stanton Law outlines why a nonprofit should immediately respond to garnishment papers, tips for the conversation with the garnished employee and guidance to make those garnishments papers less daunting.

Is your nonprofit considering renting out its space for occasional events? For example, you have a great garden that could be rented out for special events or a gym that another nonprofit wants to use for after-school programming. Occasionally renting out your space can be an opportunity to collaborate with the community and raise funds for your organization, but there are some important questions to ask before handing over the keys. Join James Reed with Morris Manning & Martin in this episode of the PBPA Podcast as he reviews those questions and more for nonprofits looking to rent out their space for one-time or limited use.

Pause Before You Post: Nonprofits and Social Media Legal Considerations

Volunteers and employees engage nonprofits via social media in multiple ways. Volunteers may take pictures of themselves at an organization event and post them on their social. Or a board member may mention their affiliation with a (C)(3) in their profile, while making posts that should not be associated with the nonprofit. And finally, each organization has their own social media accounts to manage. So many ways to engage and so many legal considerations. Shelley Hildebrand will break down those considerations and will share some helpful guidance about nonprofits and social media use in this episode of the PBPA Podcast.

501(c)(3)s have rules and restrictions around political activity, lobbying and advocacy. With that in mind, how can a nonprofit get involved in next month’s election or be more active in the future? In this episode of the PBPA Podcast, Robyn Miller, Senior Corporate & Tax Counsel with PBPA, speaks with us about the difference between political activity, lobbying and civic engagement. Join us as she answers our questions about how 501(c)(3)s can participate in “Get-Out-the-Vote” initiatives.