Mission Guardian Program
A legal subscription service for nonprofit organizations.
Add a lawyer to your team and safeguard your mission.
What is it?
Subscription Legal Services is a new way to think about and interact with your lawyer. The Mission Guardian program is an innovative legal subscription service. This full service program is an alternative to traditional hourly billing and promotes nonprofit sustainability.
Who is it for?
Only nonprofit clients of Birken Law Office may join our full service subscription plans. Subscribers have an attorney by their side – we become part of your executive team, a nonprofit coach and confidant. A great team is vital for success as a nonprofit – now you have it.
What subscribers say…
“Incredible. This I can budget for. No surprise bills. It professionalizes us.”
– M.W., Executive Director
“I don’t know what we’re going to need. Now I don’t have to – I can focus on fundraising and know we’ve got the basics covered – it’s a no brainer.”
– Matt, Board Member
“I love being able to pick up the phone without worrying about getting a bill for one question.”
– Brian, Founder
“Now nonprofits can protect themselves – it’s like insurance.”
– S. G., Administrator
“It gives me great peace of mind as a decision maker on the board.”
– Co-op Board Member
“The member badge is awesome – it gives us credibility when we are reaching new donors that are big for us.”
– Outreach Ministry Founder
“This is so valuable, I’ve always been worried, what if i messed something up? Now I don’t have to worry. And it shows my board I’m getting the help I need.”
– C.P., Executive Director
“It's so important to have an attorney that knows you on your side as a nonprofit.”
– J., Senior Pastor / Founder
Now you can…
- Stop worrying about making decisions in a vacuum
- Feel secure in knowing you’re protecting the business
- Have a strategic partner who helps you advance your mission
- Finally, budget for the organization’s legal and consulting spend
Why did I build this model?
After earning my law degree, I worked in the courts and then went to business school for a masters in nonprofit management. I spent many years in-house at a large nonprofit (Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever) working with volunteers, program staff and executives. Then I spent many more years serving small nonprofits in private practice at my old firm. When I started my own practice there was one thing I knew for sure – nonprofits avoid problems when they have access to experienced legal advice during every stage in the process. But, so many nonprofits have a difficult time getting their legal and consulting needs met. Maybe the scenarios below will feel familiar to you too.
Have you ever felt like this?
You hesitate to pick up the phone to ask your lawyer questions. You know every minute on the phone is billable time, and wonder – is it worth the bill? So, you may only call when there’s a big scary mess brewing. That’s the most expensive way to do business. As a Mission Guardian member, you never have that worry – we provide quarterly check-ins to make sure we stay on top of new issues.
Your organization can’t effectively budget for its legal spend because you don’t know what it will be. So you don’t hire help when you need it – unless it’s an emergency and then it’s very expensive indeed. Mission Guardian solves that problem. You have a clear sense of what the costs are – no more guesstimating.
You’ve cobbled together a patchwork of lawyers who might donate an hour of work here or there. The result is a happenstance collection. No single lawyer ever really knows your organization, its culture, or operational issues. When you become a member, we get to know you and understand the whole picture and the people involved.
You have a lawyer on your board and look to them as a resource. You don’t realize it, but you’ve put your board member / lawyer in a professionally awkward spot. You wouldn’t ask a heart surgeon to do brain surgery, so why ask a board member to guess about nonprofit law? Mission Guardian ensures you never put your board at risk.
What my team provides
Fresh eyes & big picture perspective. We’ll help you with critical advice, so you feel safer. Checking in with you regularly throughout the year ensures you stay on track and on mission.
Access to content and referrals you need. Don’t use Google to search for an example or a name, then hope it magically works out for you. We can give you what you need when you need it to make sure you’re connected to the right resources for you.
Transparent pricing. Need a paid project? No worries, every project you purchase will have one scope of work and a fixed price. You always know exactly what it will cost – no surprises. Plus, subscribers enjoy a substantial discount on projects vs. DIY subscribers.
Mission Guardian website member badge that inspires donor confidence. Add the badge to your website and tell donors “This nonprofit cares about doing things right.”
We never needed a lawyer before, why now?
Using a team is smart. Everybody looks out for each other. Everyone shares a common goal – execute on the mission and get there in one piece. Still, lots of nonprofits go it alone. Why bother when nothing bad has happened…yet.
OR
Everyone falls eventually, when you’re in free fall, someone could swoop in and save you…
But a bad fall can cause you pain:
- $4-5,000: one day arbitration or mediation case
- $36,000: average to seek dismissal of frivolous suit
- $125,000: average to defend a business litigation
- Losing your IRS tax exemption
- Losing your grant funding
- Public relations problems with members / donors
- Payroll and staff time lost on damage control
- Your lost time being distracted from the mission
How Mission Guardian works:
You pay a recurring monthly fee that covers a suite of benefits. As part of your membership dues, you get scheduled quarterly check-ins to get advice and consulting. For example, during a check-in we might talk about any number of things to make sure the nonprofit is staying healthy and strong…
- Meet ahead of an important board meeting to seek advice to reassure the board.
- Review any upcoming contract deals, grant agreements, fundraising opportunities, etc.
- Ask for operational recommendations, like what software to use.
- Discuss any people problems, organizational culture or conflicts that may be brewing.
- Get ahead of voting member concerns before a member meeting notice goes out.
Throughout the year, rather than copy samples from the internet, you'll access the member portal. There you’ll find our ever-expanding library of apps to generate customized documents. Like template contracts, forms, policies, procedures, and more. Need another contract? Just run the app again, it’s all included in your subscription. Hiring a lawyer to create these customized resources just for you would cost more than $10,000 in billable hours each year – as a member you get access to all of it for one low monthly price.
In the portal, search the knowledge base for answers to your questions. If something is keeping you up at night or on the weekend, it’s probably been a question others have asked too – check the knowledge base to get quick guidance any time.
Plus, when you need additional services, you simply purchase a project from our flat fee menu. Unlike traditional hourly billing, you know up front what every project will cost, and you enjoy a substantial discount on any project costs compared to DIY-subscribers.
What is so different about us?
Want to get started?
To find out about becoming a client and subscriber, schedule a call now.
