Navigating Nonprofit Compliance: What Your Nonprofit Needs to Know

Ron Barrett is the VP of Nonprofit Services at COGENCY GLOBAL, a professional registered agent company. Mr. Barrett developed a comprehensive suite of nonprofit products and services that COGENCY currently offers to legal, accounting and nonprofit clients. He is the author of Nonprofit Fundraising Registration: Nolo’s 50-State Digital Guide, has authored numerous articles and has presented public and in-house CLE and CPE seminars on state charitable registration requirements around the country. Mr. Barrett is also a Standards for Excellence Institute Licensed Consultant. He is a Founding Member of The Nonprofit Alliance, a member of the Nonprofit Advisory Board, a current member and former President of Capital Toastmasters in DC, Corresponding Secretary of the Baltimore Kickers, and is the President of the Ellicott City Rotary Club.

Shannon believes that while our world is constantly changing, philanthropy has proven time after time that people are always willing to help each other. With over 30 years spent working in the philanthropy industry, Shannon considers it a privilege to use her skillset to strengthen organizations so they in turn can enhance and empower their own communities. She has a depth of expertise in systems and operations including, but not limited to, program management and optimization, business analytics, training and implementation, and data and system development.

At BWF, Shannon helps organizations optimize their philanthropic service efforts and advance their missions through innovative technology and process improvement. Her tenacity and ability to assess and solve complex business challenges, paired with her seasoned experience, helps her effectively and thoroughly guide organizations to increased success.

Shannon has served on the program committee for the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits. When she’s not optimizing systems, she enjoys building furniture, growing plants from scrap food products, traveling, and spending quality time with family and friends.

Elyse Wallnutt is a senior marketing and tech leader with 16+ years of experience driving results at the intersection of revenue, advocacy, brand, and policy objectives.

After nearly two decades working in leadership roles for some of the largest nonprofit brands in the world — including Amnesty International, Heifer International, Feeding America, UNICEF USA, The Nature Conservancy, and World Food Program USA – she launched Agility Lab Consulting to help nonprofits understand and adjust for the impact that audience demand for privacy is having on mission reach and donor acquisition strategy.

As a founder of RealHR, Susan’s commitment to our clients begins with her career-long mission to blend legal and regulatory rigor with common sense and fairness in real workplace settings. With experience practicing employment law as well as leading human resources departments, Susan has held roles in the non-profit, government and corporate sectors. She takes pride in her ability to hone-in on client needs and build trusting partnerships in order to help them understand their goals and put them into action.

Prior to founding RealHR Solutions, Susan was the Director of Human Resources at the Medical and Health Research Association of New York City, now named Public Health Solutions, and served in legal and Human Resources leadership roles at the New York Clearing House Association. She began her legal career at the New York City Commission on Human Rights.

When not running the day-to-day business of RealHR or presenting training on employment law or HR management topics, Susan spends her time exploring museums, art galleries, music and great food in her hometown of New York City and her adopted home in the Berkshires, and as often as possible travels to London and the Catskills where she and her husband visit with their two daughters. Susan holds a B.A. in History from Georgetown University and a J.D. degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington D.C.