Syllabi Project
In 1990, the NCPL published the first volume of Teaching the Law of Nonprofit Organizations: A Comparison of Materials (Syllabi Project) to facilitate growth in the field of nonprofit law.The Syllabi Project is a compilation and analysis of syllabi from professors who teach courses in the law of nonprofit organizations, tax-exempt organizations, or tax aspects of charitable giving. We believe that the information presented in these volumes has increased the number of nonprofit law courses offered at law schools nationwide and the number of law school graduates educated in the laws governing nonprofit organizations.
Due to the increased interest in the field, the NCPL has published subsequent volumes of the Syllabi Project. In the most recent volume published in 2009, the NCPL has broadened the scope to also include courses that teach the concepts of nonprofit law to students studying disciplines other than law.
The materials in the 2009 volume of the Syllabi Project comprise:
- Three detailed spreadsheets, listing topics covered in each course by professors using the Fishman/Schwarz casebooks, as well as professors using other materials;
- A chart indicating the frequency of assignment of the various Problems in the Fishman/Schwarz Nonprofit Law casebook;
- A brief overview and analysis of materials used in each course; and
- Copies of the syllabi from each course.
The 2009 volume of the Syllabi Project can be downloaded, free of charge, by clicking on the link below:
Teaching the Law of Nonprofit Organizations: A Comparison of Materials, 2009 Volume
An electronic update to The Syllabi Project, with recent syllabi from professors across the country (but without analysis of the syllabi), can be found by clicking on the link below:
Syllabi Project collection (updated in Summer 2024)
Annual Philanthropy Professors Meeting
Annually, the NCPL hosts a meeting for faculty members teaching or interested in teaching courses in the law governing nonprofit organizations adjacent to the American Bar Association Section of Taxation Meeting. Approximately, 20-30 professors from law schools nationwide attend the meeting to discuss course offerings in the law governing nonprofit organizations and personal research projects in the area.