Nonprofit Law, Boards, and Form 990 Masterclass with Genevra Williams

Nonprofit law and compliance get real in this deep dive on Form 990, Schedule A vs public support, Schedule O storytelling, private foundation mixups, UBIT and 990-T, gift acceptance, and board governance.

If you work with a nonprofit board or run a charity, this convo is your crash course on Form 990 and the policies that keep you compliant and funder-ready. May L. Harris, Esq. interviews Genevra Williams, a Texas nonprofit attorney, about what smart orgs highlight on page one, how to sanity-check Schedule A for public support status, when to use Schedule O to tell your impact story, and the sleeper policies that save you from audits and awkward donor gifts. We also hit common filing paths 990-N, 990-EZ, 990, 990-PF, and why churches still file 990-T when there is unrelated business income. Funders read your 990. Make it tight.

What you will learn

✅ How to read and leverage page one of Form 990 to impress funders
✅ How to spot Schedule A red flags and confirm your public charity status before it slips
✅ Why Schedule O is prime space to narrate outcomes and governance practices funders care about
✅ The must-have policies: conflict of interest, whistleblower, document retention, gift acceptance, and accountable reimbursement

 Want templates and step-by-step nonprofit leadership training
→ https://nonprofitcounsel.com/leadership-accelerator

Key timestamps

• 00:00 Intro and why Form 990 is a goldmine for diligence and grants

• 01:00 Genevra’s path from data modeling to nonprofit law and foundation work in Dallas

• 03:39 Form 990 overhaul and why analysts love the added transparency

• 06:38 What funders scan on page one and in program accomplishments

• 07:21 Governance signals funders notice, independent directors and accuracy cues

• 08:03 Schedule A pitfalls, disqualified persons, support percentages, wrong subtype checked

• 10:24 Why boards should review the 990 before filing and avoid “bobblehead board” vibes

• 13:53 Three core policies asked on the full 990, conflict, whistleblower, document retention

• 15:06 Two more clutch policies, gift acceptance and accountable reimbursement

• 17:09 Year-end tune-ups to prep for smooth tax reporting next cycle

• 18:05 990 filing tiers,990-N, 990-EZ, 990, and 990-PF explained in plain English

• 19:25 Tracking support now so you do not fail the public support test later

• 21:21 When a DIY 1023 accidentally checks “private foundation” and how to fix it fast

• 24:38 Churches and religious orgs, when UBIT triggers 990-T filing anyway

• 25:55 Close and where to get help and tools

4 key takeaways

🔷 Page one plus Schedule O is your public narrative. Treat it like prime real estate for funders and donors.
🔷 Schedule A accuracy is mission critical. Validate your support calc annually so you do not drift out of public charity status.
🔷 Policies are protection. Conflict, whistleblower, document retention, gift acceptance, and accountable reimbursement keep governance clean and audits chill.
🔷 Filing class matters. Know when you are 990-N, 990-EZ, 990, 990-PF, and when UBIT means 990-T, even for churches.

Guest

Genevra Williams  Nonprofit attorney based in Texas who blends data chops with exempt-org expertise. Her lens: use Form 990 strategically to attract grants, signal strong governance, and stay compliant.

Resources

• For Profit Law Group - Website - https://www.fplglaw.com

• Nonprofit Counsel - Website - https://www.nonprofitcounsel.com/
  
  

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