Nonprofit HR Law: Practical Insights
Friday, September 18, 2026
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
VCCF Community Room
4001 Mission Oaks Blvd., Camarillo (1st Floor)
Individual Members: No Additional Fee
Organizational Members: No Additional Fee
Non-Members: $55
About this event
Non-profits are not treated any differently under California wage and hour law than for-profit companies. There are many pitfalls that most non-profits have no idea exist. Most do not have dedicated HR full-time professionals, and even if they do, there are still issues that slip through the cracks.
In this interactive session, we will explore some of the blind spots and common supervisory mistakes that can create liability for your nonprofit organization and the steps you can take to address them. Among the items we will examine:
- Has your nonprofit properly categorized its workers as salaried exempt or hourly nonexempt? You may be surprised at the rules.
- When you want to revise employee job descriptions and roles, how much can a role change before it becomes a new position? How should you be documenting it?
- Is your organization observing meals and rest breaks correctly with proper documentation?
- If employees are using their personal equipment (cell phone, tablet, computer, home Internet, home electricity) on behalf of the organization, are you properly reimbursing them?
- Do your pay stubs comply with very specific California law? (Don't rely exclusively on your payroll service)
- Are you rounding time for your hourly people?
- When you have a big event, do you let your hourly people take time off at different times?
- How are you managing paid time off (PTO), vacation and sick time, which tend to be more generous in the nonprofit world?
These and many other questions will be answered during this seminar targeted expressly for nonprofit organizations, large and small. Come with your real-world questions, as we will create ample time for Q&A.
Faculty
Jon Light
Jonathan Light has over 40 years of experience in employment law, is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, and was recognized in 2025 by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in the Greater Los Angeles Area. He has been named multiple times as one of Southern California’s “Super Lawyers.” As the managing partner at LightGabler LLP, Jon and his team consult with over 6,000 companies across California on their day-to-day employment law needs.
Jon has successfully tried a range of cases, including jury and court trials, arbitrations and Labor Commission hearings. Case results include defense of employers accused of wrongful termination, sexual harassment, race discrimination, wage and hour, and other employment-related matters. He has been lead trial counsel on at least 50 class action and PAGA wage-and-hour cases. He has also appeared on behalf of employers before the federal EEOC and federal Labor Department, the state Civil Rights Department (formerly the Department of Fair Employment and Housing), the National Labor Relations Board, and other government agencies involved with employment law issues.
Jon frequently speaks before employer and human resources groups and conferences including the California HR Conference, Employers Advisory Council (EAC), SHRM, PIHRA, NHRA chapters, and numerous business associations such as CPA forums, manufacturers associations, nonprofits, and Chambers of Commerce. He addresses topics such as avoiding sexual harassment claims, wage-and-hour issues, business and employment law pitfalls, supervisor strategies, employment law updates, and preparing employee handbooks.
Beyond frequently lecturing to business groups and civic organizations on employment issues, Jon hasserved the community where he lives and works as a former member of the Ventura County CampaignFinance Ethics Commission, and a current or former board member of the Oxnard College Foundation, the California State University Channel Islands Business School Advisory Board, the Camarillo Academic Olympics, Ventura County Bar Association (Past President), Volunteer Legal Services Association, Ventura County Taxpayers Association, the Ventura County Boy Scout Council (Past President), the Footworks Youth Ballet (Production Manager), and the Ventura County Medical Resource Foundation (Past Chair).
Jon is a graduate of the UCLA School of Law, where he served on the Law Review. He is the author of two editions of the nationally acclaimed and award-winning book, The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball.