Staying in Good Standing: A Compliance Check-Up for Nonprofits

Nonprofit compliance involves more than just filing a Form 990. This practical, high-level session offers a “check-up” on the key filings, registrations, fees, and governance practices nonprofits must monitor throughout the year to remain in good standing.

Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of required compliance touchpoints, common pitfalls that can create risk, and simple systems nonprofits can use to stay organized, proactive, and compliant—without becoming legal experts.

Topics We’ll Touch On:

• IRS filings, including Form 990 variations
• State charitable registrations and renewals
• Corporate filings and annual reports
• Required licenses, fees, and recurring obligations
• Board roles and responsibilities related to compliance
• What happens when a filing or deadline is missed
• When it’s time to call an attorney or accountant

About Tom:

Tom has advised clients in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors on governance, finance, and real estate matters for over 35 years. A past president of the Pennsylvania Association of Bond Lawyers, he is active as bond counsel in tax-exempt financing transactions for nonprofits, school districts, and municipalities. He has served as President of Knox Law—a 40-member firm based in Erie, with offices in Pittsburgh, North East, and Jamestown, New York—since 2007. He is currently included in The Best Lawyers in America® for Public Finance Law, Health Care Law, Real Estate Law, and Land Use & Zoning Law.

Tom is a graduate of Westminster College and Harvard Law School, where he served as Executive Editor of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute, having served on its Consultative Groups for the Restatement of the Law, Charitable Nonprofit Organizations, and Principles of the Law, Compliance, Risk Management, and Enforcement. He is a member of the Charitable Organizations Committee of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and is active in several other professional organizations.

In addition to his extensive professional service to nonprofits, Tom has volunteered on several nonprofit boards. He is immediate past Chair of the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership, a trustee of The Erie Community Foundation, and a director of The Nonprofit Partnership, the United Way of Erie County, the Foundation for Erie’s Public Schools, and the Warner Theatre Preservation Trust. He is past board chair of Westminster College, UPMC Hamot, the Erie County Historical Society, Northwestern Legal Services, and the Erie City Mission. He is a past board member of the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Hamot Health Foundation, and UPMC.

About Colleen:

Colleen D. Campbell is an attorney with Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett, P.C. She focuses her practice in nonprofit and tax-exempt entities; business, commercial and tax law; banking and commercial lending; and community development projects. She provides counsel to nonprofit organizations and a variety of other entities, including governance, compliance, and tax-exempt status. She serves on the Helping Today Community Advisory Committee of The Erie Community Foundation, the Community Impact Committee for the United Way of Erie County, and is a board member of Groundwork Erie.