Practice Summary
At Avisen Legal, we bring our entire work bench of business and tax tools to attend to the unique issues that affect nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations, social enterprises, benefit corporations or B-Corps and cooperatives. To us, they are all “social enterprises” – organizations that bring together economic services or activities to solve social or market concerns for others or the members these organizations serve. We help guide social enterprises to the ideal structure for the social venture. We assist with formation (or start-up), financing, day-to-day legal operations, contracts, employment matters, mergers and combinations, and more.
Attorneys
Proudly Serving Nonprofit Organizations
The nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations that make up the nonprofit sector have unique legal needs that require experienced legal professionals. We advise clients on a wide array of legal and business issues facing nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations, including the organization and incorporation of nonprofits, governance and management issues, social enterprise, donation planning, employment issues, and director and officer responsibility and liability matters.
At Avisen Legal, we also address a wide array of tax issues, including obtaining and maintaining an organization’s exempt status, unrelated business income, program-related investments, applicability of sales and use taxes, and audits and regulatory compliance. We also assist with investigations by the attorney general or the Internal Revenue Service. Our experience includes taxable and tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, as well as both public charities and private foundations. Our work encompasses the spectrum of nonprofit corporations, including public charities, corporate and community foundations, churches and other religious organizations, educational organizations, social service agencies, charter schools and supporting organizations for donor advised funds.
The legal and tax regimes governing nonprofit organizations are complex and demand lawyers who are immersed in this area. We stay on the cutting of edge of both the tax and legal developments impacting nonprofit enterprises and we provide clients the benefit of this insight.
Benefit Corporations or B-Corps
Our team is a leader in both Minnesota and around the country when it comes to benefit corporations and B. Corps. Creatures of state law, Benefit Corporations present both a unique and obvious entity option for social entrepreneurs, but this is not always the best.
We assist social entrepreneurs with the various considerations — from taxation, financing to governance – facing these modern options. Once you get beyond the entity type, we assist numerous benefit corporations with their regular legal needs and reporting obligations. We also work with benefit corporations and other social enterprises with accessing alternative capital such as Program Related Investments.
Cooperatives
Cooperatives are unique entities that are not just for grain elevators. The cooperative structure – both the traditional cooperative and the hybrid-cooperative – allow smaller sub-groups in the economy to obtain more economic power. There are many types of cooperatives that span the entire economy: marketing cooperatives; group purchasing cooperatives; worker (you name the worker) cooperatives, retail cooperatives. At Avisen we are one of the few firms nationally that bring the tool of the cooperative as a unique and creative option to the sharing economy and business structuring. In addition to helping with building and structuring cooperatives, Avisen has deep and extensive experience with cooperative securities law compliance.
Working with Tribes Business and Corporate Organization and Governance
We work with tribal clients to assist them in establishing business ventures and structuring business entities, including corporations organized under federal or tribal law, Section 17 corporations, state-chartered entities, cooperatives, LLCs, partnerships and other joint ventures. These projects involve tax, financing, governance, sovereign immunity and other liability issues. In addition, we use our legislative drafting skills to assist tribes and tribal counsels with enacting tribal laws and codes.
Our Clients
- Social Service Agencies that provide direct services to those in need
- Financial intermediaries that serve as fiscal and managerial agents for HUD, state and county grants and services
- Churches and the social ventures they undertake and support, such as senior housing facilities
- Community Funds
- Healthcare related organizations
- Teachers Cooperatives
- Group Purchasing Cooperatives
What Makes Avisen Legal Unique
Our attorneys bring their state and national experience with structuring and managing social enterprises as well as their immense depth and experience in structuring and navigating the relationship between nonprofit and for-profit enterprises and inter-woven complex structures. Being deeply steeped in all of the social enterprise options, our team brings a unique set of skills to our clients needs and desires.
Contact Us
Find out more about how you can take your Nonprofit, Social Enterprise, or Cooperative to the next level. Contact us today with your questions. We are here for you.
