PAnonprofitlaw.org is a website that is a legal education clearinghouse offering resources and tools and other supports for the legal needs of nonprofit organizations in Pennsylvania.

PAnonprofitlaw.org is not just for lawyers. It’s a resource for everyday people. Anyone who is seeking knowledge and know-how about legal matters for Pennsylvania nonprofits can use this site. Our free, easy-to-understand Insights & Updates and How-to Guides will help you get up to speed quickly on topics and will connect you to other helpful resources. You can also purchase for download our checklists, template agreements, and other time-saving tools to help with your nonprofit legal needs. If you have a legal question, you can ask a Pennsylvania nonprofit lawyer for more direction using the Ask-a-Lawyer feature on the site. This is just a quick Q&A service, and you should definitely engage legal counsel for legal advice and have them review any drafts you prepare using the tools and templates downloaded from this site before you file or sign anything!

PAnonprofitlaw.org is designed to help accelerate and elevate the work of lawyers and other legal professionals who are serving Pennsylvania’s nonprofits. PAnonprofitlaw.org can help you get up to speed quickly on topics and help you work more efficiently to serve the needs of nonprofits. Whether the nonprofits you serve are paying or pro bono clients – or whether you are a board member and simply want to connect the organization with resources – you’ll find helpful materials and other resources on this site. For legal professionals who want to earn their CLE credits by taking nonprofit law courses, see the Events page and look for courses offering CLE. For a deeper dive and more information about the laws governing Pennsylvania nonprofits, PAnonprofitlaw.org also offers more advanced resources, such as annotated statutes and more technical explanations and tools that help distill complex legal matters. For ready-to-tailor forms and templates, risk assessment tools, and more, check out the Tools & Templates page and download checklists, template agreements, and other time-saving tools to swiftly support the legal needs of the nonprofit you serve. (Just remember: in whatever capacity you serve, if you are serving on the board of a nonprofit organization, make your role clear and document it in writing for the organization.)

Yes, our easy-to-understand Insights & Updates and How-to Guides are all free. Some of the events listed on the Events page are also free or are discounted if you are a member of the organizations hosting the sessions. Some tools and templates on the site are also free.

PAnonprofitlaw.org was kickstarted and continues to be curated by Cheshire Law Group, a law firm exclusively serving the legal needs of the nonprofit sector, and has been further developed in partnership with the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO) and in collaboration with nonprofit attorneys throughout the nation, and in Pennsylvania, with the support of Pennsylvania funders.

No. PAnonprofitlaw.org’s legal resource library and educational materials do not provide legal advice. These resources are for educational purposes only, and organizations should always consult legal counsel with experience representing nonprofit organizations for advice and assistance with their legal matters.

PAnonprofitlaw.org provides purchasers access to digital content in two different ways. The mode of delivery of the digital access will depend upon the material you purchase. Most of the digital content available for purchase on PAnonprofitlaw.org is available only in the form of PDF downloads; upon purchasing this type of content, the purchased PDF will appear in the Downloads file folder on your computer. Other purchased digital content (e.g., access to annotated statutes) is provided digitally through a link, rather than a download. Upon purchasing this content, you will receive an email with a link to access the content, and that link will also appear at the point of purchase and under your Order history for your future use.

Yes, please do! You may download the PDF template agreements and modify them as you wish to tailor them for your organization’s use.  Just be sure to have any drafts you prepare reviewed by legal counsel before your organization files or signs anything – agreements ought to be tailored to the specific needs of the organizations using them, and the templates available for download on PAnonprofitlaw.org are simply starting points and tools to help kickstart your drafting.

On the Tools & Templates page of the website, once you locate the product you are looking for, select the “E-book plus print” version of this product. The print copy will be mailed to your address and will arrive by U.S. mail within about 7-10 business days of your purchase date; the physical copy version of this text is printed double-sided and assembled in a 2” three-ring binder, with tabs for each chapter. After your purchase order is complete, you will also be provided a link so that you will have immediate access to the digital version; you will receive an email with the link to access the content, and the link will also appear at the point of purchase and under your Order history for your future use. While viewing this product online, you may search and navigate the text electronically, as an e-book.

No, but you can purchase access to the “E-book plus print” version if you’d like a print copy. The print copy of Stern’s Pennsylvania Nonprofit Corporation Law (3rd edition) comes in a 2” three-ring binder that is labeled and each of the 26 chapters of the treatise are tabbed.

Like the previous editions, the third edition of Stern’s Pennsylvania Nonprofit Corporation Law is a helpful resource for legal professionals serving Pennsylvania nonprofit organizations. Robert J. Stern, Esq. authored the first edition in 2011 and released a second edition in 2015. The third edition has been revised and newly annotated by Cheshire Law Group, a law firm focused exclusively on representing the legal needs of nonprofit organizations. With 740+ comments, it is an essential resource, summarizing and annotating in detail Pennsylvania’s Nonprofit Corporation Law of 1988, contained in Subpart C of Title 15 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, Section 5101 et seq. This third edition is digitally available and can be searched using keywords and navigated as an e-book. It has many more detailed commentaries and practice pointers than the previous editions, and includes cross references, links to resources, and many more citations. The third edition also differs from the previous editions, in that it no longer contains forms and checklists, as newly revised versions of these will be available separately for purchase on PAnonprofitlaw.org. Please note that the fourth edition is forthcoming in 2026, to reflect amendments made to Title 15 in 2022 (and that have provisions effective beginning in 2023, 2025, and 2027).

We always welcome feedback and suggestions about how to improve the site. Please email in**@************aw.org and someone will be in touch with you to follow up.

Please email in**@************aw.org and someone will be in touch with you to follow up.