*How will you provide your 30 hours of pro bono publico service this year?*
*Publication Date:* June 2007
*Volume:* 42-10
*Author:* Richard Schenkar
*Categories:* Practical resources, Community Service, Professional
Development
Washington's Rule of Professional Conduct (RPC) 6.1 provides that "a
lawyer should aspire to render at least thirty (30) hours of pro bono
publico service per year." There are a number of ways that we can render
this service and there are a number of resources that help us render
this service more effectively.

*How to Serve*

There are many opportunities to serve; several organizations can connect
lawyers with these opportunities. These include your local and state bar
associations. These are some specialty organizations that focus on the
nonprofit sector. The Executive Alliance (http://www.exec-alliance.org)
is a statewide organization that seeks to empower the nonprofit sector;
many non-profits are members and the organization focuses on making the
non-profit sector more effective. Another organization is as close as
your telephone.  Dial 211 and you will connect with the Washington
Information Network's referral service. You can check it out online at
(http://www.win211.org). If your interest is in serving art and artists,
take a look at Washington Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
(http://www.wvla.org). If your interest is in community organizations,
check the web site of the Washington Attorneys Assisting Community
Organizations at (http://www.waaco.org).

*Management Resources*

Once you choose your service opportunity and organization, you will find
that your service opportunities will be wrapped in a number of
managerial challenges. There are many resources available to help you
and many of these will help you in your regular practice activities as
well as your pro bono publico activities. An example of these is the
Free Management Library at (http://www.managementhelp.org). There is a
hypertext link on the left column of the home page that says How to Use
It and that link is worth checking because there is a lot of valuable
material on this site--and not just for your non-profit or pro bono
clients.

The non-profit-focused resources are also deep and helpful. Case
Strategies for Nonprofits (http://www.casestrategies4nonprofits.com) has
an impressive resources section (click on the Resources tab) that
includes tip sheets, journal articles, and a comprehensive list of
hypertext links. Tax return data from the IRS Forms 990 that non-profits
file are available on the Internal Revenue Service site
(http://www.irs.gov) and from Guidestar, a valuable information source
on non-profits (http://www.guidestar.org). If you do not understand the
data on the Forms 990, the Non-Profit Coordinating Committee of New York
has a file online about How to Read IRS Form 990 available from its
home page at (http://www.npccny.org). The Dorothy Johnson Center for
Philanthropy and Non-profit Leadership offers a Non-profit Good
Practice Guide online at (http://www.npgoodpractice.org). The web site
Non-profit Risk (http://www.nonprofitrisk.org) has two helpful files
available by clicking on Free Online Resources from the home page--a
Business Continuity Planning Tutorial and Workplace Safety is No
Accident--An Employer's Online Toolkit to Protect Employees and
Volunteers.

Many local libraries have access to extensive collections or specialized
local data. If you have a library card, you can log on to your local
library's web site from any computer connected to the Internet anywhere
in the world and access some proprietary sources on non-profits that
would be expensive to access on your own. Since resources and accessible
materials vary from library to library, get a card for your local
library and find out what is available to you. 

*Computing Resources*

At some point in your non-profit service, you will probably be using a
computer.

You will be using it for communication and for database management. The
most recent conference materials of the Northwest Technology Network--
dealing with a number of current issues you will encounter--are
available online at (http://www.nten.org/ntc). 

The web site (http://www.NpowerSeattle.org) has three toolkits that will
be of help-- one on Tech-Savvy Communications, one on Getting the
Most from Your Decision--4 Steps to Selecting Donor Management
Software, and one on Using Free Online Tools. At
(http://www.idealware.org/articles), you can find details on A Few Good
Email Newsletter Tools. You can get free hosting for your non-profit
organization's web site at (http://www.grassroots.org).