Good Counselor Network

Canon Law

In the eyes of the Church, Catholic lay apostolates form an integral part of Church life and evangelization. The Canon Law issue area includes canon lawyers from across the country who are committed to assisting lay apostolate leaders in understanding their special responsibilities under applicable canon law and related theological principles.

This issue area provides educational resources to teach Catholic nonprofit leaders how canon law applies to their organizational mission and activities.

Members of this issue area are primarily canon lawyers, as well civil lawyers and others experienced in canon law.

Corporate Governance

The Corporate Governance issue area connects professionals who seek to assist lay apostolates in building an effective and legally compliant organization with a focus on accountability and transparency.

This issue area develops resources to address issues related to board responsibilities, strategic planning, conflicts of interest, record keeping, stewardship of assets, and corporate policies.

Members of this issue area include nonprofit executives, attorneys, consultants, accountants, and business professionals.

Employment

The Employment issue area is a network of employment professionals who share human resources (HR) best practices and assist Catholic lay apostolates in developing and managing a team in a manner that affirms the dignity of each team member and which provides a faithful foundation for the apostolate’s mission.

This issue area focuses on the HR management, religious liberty employment matters, policies, and employee handbooks and policies.

Members of this issue area are experienced employment attorneys, HR professionals, and religious organization employers.

Healthcare

In a healthcare system increasingly challenging for people of faith, providing healthcare options which are consistent with Catholic moral teaching requires strategic thought and planning. The Healthcare issue area is a diverse network of Catholic healthcare professionals who come together to share experiences, discuss current issues, and help Catholic organizations navigate this area with confidence.

This issue area focuses on issues related to employer healthcare plans, legal compliance, rights of conscience, and Catholic Social Teaching.

Members of this issue area include healthcare providers, insurers, attorneys, and medical professionals.

K-12 Education

The K-12 Education issue area includes a network of Catholic education professionals and other industry leaders united to address the needs of Catholic schools. The objective of this issue area is to develop resources to teach Catholic school board members, administrators, and educators about best practices in Catholic education, particularly with respect to corporate governance and regulatory compliance.

This issue area focuses on religious liberty matters, student and family policies and handbooks, employment matters, spiritual formation, and other topics directly affecting the mission of educators.

Members of this issue area include Catholic school board members, administrators, attorneys, consultants, and other education professionals.

Legal Strategy

The Legal Strategy issue area provides a forum for attorneys to share expertise in areas which do not fall into the traditional categories of religious nonprofit and tax-exempt organization law.

This issue area develops resources which provide legal insights in subjects such as litigation readiness, copyright and trademark matters, privacy and technology law, and contract use and drafting. These areas are strategically important for nonprofit leaders.

Members of this issue area include litigation attorneys, intellectual property attorneys, family law attorneys, transactional/business attorneys, government attorneys, and other professionals whose experiences can assist Catholic nonprofit organizations in pursuing excellence in evangelization.

Legislative and Policy

The Legislative and Policy issue area brings together professionals with experience in thinktanks, policy-related institutes, and the executive and legislative branches of the federal and state governments.

The mission of this issue area is to understand and communicate legislative or administrative policy developments that are impacting or could impact faith-based nonprofit organizations. To achieve this mission, members of this issue area prepare resources that teach nonprofit leaders to respond effectively to these policy developments in order to protect their organizations’ mission and religious freedom.

Professionals in this issue area include policy analysts, congressional staff alumni, federal agency alumni, and other religious freedom advocates with experience in government affairs. Professionals who currently hold positions within the government are also encouraged to join this issue area and contribute to the extent permitted by applicable ethics requirements and outside activity restrictions.

Media & Marketing

The Media & Marketing issue area brings together professionals involved in multi-media, marketing, and communications. Faith-based nonprofits often lack the sophisticated media and marketing capacity that their secular counterparts enjoy, and in an environment that’s increasingly dependent on digital promotion, spiritual entrepreneurs will need to professionalize their messaging.

This issue area focuses on web design, social media, media training, and more.

Members of this issue area include communication directors, public relations professionals, marketing executives, press secretaries, and more.

Tax Compliance

The Tax Compliance issue area connects tax professionals and nonprofit leaders to address tax strategies and best practices for religious organizations.

This issue area is focused on helping religious organizations (with special focus on 990 filers) better understand how to obtain and maintain their tax-exempt status so they can better fulfill their apostolic missions.
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Members of this issue area include accountants, attorneys, and financial professionals interested in the tax-related issues affecting nonprofit religious organizations.

Risk Management
& Insurance

The Risk Management & Insurance issue area connects risk management and insurance professionals from across the country. This issue area discusses current events in the sector and works on educational resources to empower Catholic organizations to respond to challenges to their missions, operations, and religious identity. This issue area develops content related to managing risks related to service of vulnerable populations, protecting religious identity, managing reputation, and avoiding financial mismanagement or malfeasance.

This issue area also publishes specialized resources intended to demystify the nonprofit insurance world. These resources educate readers on key insurance issues, common areas of confusion, and best practices to enable nonprofit leaders to seek and obtain the coverage their organization needs.

Members of this issue area include risk management consultants, attorneys, insurance professionals, and accountants.

Spiritual Entrepreneurship

The Spiritual Entrepreneurship issue area brings together nonprofit professionals and executives to assist, advise, and mentor each other on how to achieve excellence and integrity in both principle and practice. This occurs through spiritual formation for individuals involved in the apostolate’s operations as well as development of practical skillsets. Content developed by this issue area focuses on the role of the founder, organizational management, and organizational culture.

Members of this issue area include executive management, HR professionals, corporate trainers, and founders.

Real Estate &
Land Use

The Real Estate & Land Use issue area brings together real estate professionals and provides them an opportunity to collaborate on resources to help lay apostolates prudently and efficiently exercise stewardship of their real property assets.

This issue area focuses on content related to land use, obtaining and maintaining property tax exemptions, best practices for compliance and risk management, record keeping, protecting title to real estate, and receiving gifts of real property.

Members of this issue area include attorneys, real estate developers, and other professionals with experience related to real estate transactions.

Planned &
Charitable Giving

The Planned & Charitable Giving issue area is a network of professionals with experience in charitable giving and asset management.

This issue area develops content related to planned gifts, split-interest gifts (such as charitable lead and charitable remainder trusts), donor privacy, proper documentation, appraisals and in-kind gifts, endowment administration, and related matters.

Members of this issue area include estate planning attorneys, accountants, planned giving officers, and charitable consultants.

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