TYLA Project

Getting Involved with Nonprofits
By:  Nick Guinn

If you want to make a long-term impact on your career, you should consider serving on a nonprofit board. Board service provides a number of benefits, including professional and business development, as well as the fantastic feeling of fulfillment.

The Texas Young Lawyers Association is organizing a project on this topic. Project committee members include Shannon Steel White of Corpus Christi, Nicole Soussan of Houston, Sara Giddings of San Angelo, Ryan Scharar of Fort Worth, and Nick Guinn of San Antonio. The committee spent the fall researching and organizing content for a written pamphlet to be published in the spring. We would like to thank the Southeast Texas Nonprofit Development Center for its ongoing support of this project. The committee is now planning presentations across the state. Stay tuned for a presentation coming to a local affiliate near you.

TYLA has identified a number of questions that arise with respect to board service, and answers them with this project. For instance, the project addresses formation issues. These issues include selection of an entity, choosing a name, drafting written materials such as bylaws, and scheduling meetings. We also address applying for a federal employer identification number and obtaining tax-exempt status.

The project also addresses serving existing nonprofits and how to identify the appropriate nonprofit for you. Similarly, we identified strategies to help you prepare yourself to join as well as recognizing what skills you have to offer, and what skills the board wants from you.

The written materials and presentations also provide content regarding the benefits of serving on a nonprofit board, which includes business and professional development. Those who read the written materials or attend a presentation will walk away with ideas for making the most of their experience on the nonprofit board such as volunteering, fundraising, time management, and other skills.

Lastly, this project addresses fiduciary duties and the responsibilities of serving on a nonprofit board. We hope young lawyers will better understand what roles they fill when serving on a board; attorney-client relationships; and conflicts of interest.

It is with great excitement that TYLA offers this project to lawyers across Texas. If you have any questions about this project or how to get involved with TYLA, please contact the author or your regional representative.