Inaugural Nonprofit Summit to focus on leadership in faith-based nonprofits

Napa Legal will present its inaugural Nonprofit Summit on Wednesday, July 24, at the Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa, California.

The event will begin and conclude with Mass celebrated by Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, who serves on the Napa Legal board.

Following will be two morning and two afternoon breakout sessions addressing topics of interest to leaders of Catholic nonprofit institutions, including compliance with state directives/regulations regarding employment, fundraising, and religious liberty.

According to Mary Margaret Beecher, vice president and executive director of Napa Legal, the event is designed for those who have “a leadership role in faith-based nonprofits, and hence have an active interest in supporting both faith and freedom.” Among those participating, she continued, could include diocesan priests who head parishes, administrators of parish schools, legal and tax professionals who serve on nonprofit boards, and Catholic media companies.

Topics addressed by event speakers include government compliance “as it relates to creating a workplace that has a culture of integrity,” Beecher said, including financial transparency, employment matters, organizational policies, and board governance.

Also covered will be “the spirituality of fundraising,” which, Beecher said, is the nonprofit leadership’s “opportunity to share their mission with the community, inviting people to invest and become contributors towards the work of evangelization.”

Religious freedom will also be a topic addressed, Beecher said, “as faith-based organizations are increasingly facing challenges to their ability to live their faith authentically … we need to be prepared to confront these challenges and defend our faith.”

Types of examples which could be discussed, she continued, include schools seeking employees who share the school’s identity and running a summer camp in a way that is consistent with Christian anthropology.

John Peiffer, a partner of Brown & Streza, will be a co-presenter on the topic of best practices in nonprofit governance.  He noted that in the nonprofit world, directors and officers owe three primary fiduciary duties to the organization: a duty of loyalty, a duty of care and a duty of obedience.  For Catholic organizations, he continued, the duty of obedience “is of particular significance because this is about obedience to the purposes of the organization.”

He explained, “If an organization claims to be ‘Catholic,’ its directors and officers owe a fiduciary duty to ensure that the organization actually strives to be Catholic.”

During their presentation, he and his co-presenters will work through case studies and strategies illustrating practically how leaders can fulfill this important fiduciary duty along with the others.  He believes their message will be of particular value to not only directors and officers, but donors, as “it will provide a framework for evaluating the extent to which an organization and its leaders are faithful to the organization’s Catholic identity.”

Paul Schmitt, an attorney with Brown & Streza who will also be a speaker at the Summit, noted that while in the past religious nonprofits counted on government “to leave them alone” in regards to corporate governance laws, “those days of deference are over.”  Religious institutions must now prioritize compliance with state reporting requirements in order to protect religious liberty, which from a corporate law perspective, begins with properly classifying one’s institution.  In some states, such as California, if the organization is specifically classified as a religious nonprofit, it is automatically exempted from many laws and regulations.  But, if it is misclassified as a secular nonprofit, compliance with those laws is required.

Schmitt continued, “My main takeaway is that if your organization fits into the right place in the legal system, it will have a huge impact on protecting your religious liberty.”

He believes the message is one that all nonprofit leaders and those who work with them should hear, including directors, board members and those involved in development—as well as religious leaders, from deacon to bishop. “Anyone active in the life of the Church,” he added, “should pay attention.”

Napa Legal provides corporate, tax, philanthropic, and other strategic education, equipping nonprofits with “the tools and resources they need so they can protect their organizations and achieve their missions,” according to their website.

Beecher said Napa Legal’s vision is to become a “center of evangelization,” with future programming including quarterly webinars, online self-study programs, and regional events throughout the country.

She continued, “Our goal is to teach people the art of uniting, furthering faith and freedom, and providing practical skills to unite.” Tim Busch is chairman of the board; speakers include legal professionals with Napa Legal and nonprofit leaders. Schmitt noted that Napa Legal “was filling a space where there is a huge need for resources … providing at low or no cost services many nonprofits cannot afford.”

Organizers are expecting as many as 100 to attend with professionals being drawn from all over the U.S.  The Meritage Resort is known for its excellent facilities and food, Beecher concluded, as well as its “spaces to meet one another and facilitate fellowship.”

The cost is $425, with scholarships available based on need. To register, and for additional information, visit the “Attend the 2024 Nonprofit Summit” page on the Napa Legal site.  Email questions to info@napalegalinstitute.org.