Advocacy & Civic Engagement

Resources related to political advocacy and lobbying activities.

(Almost) Everything Your Nonprofit Needs to Know about the 2024 Election

In this webinar, you'll learn the basics about what 501(c)(3) nonprofits can and can’t do in an election year, ways nonprofit staff, board members, and volunteers can (legally) engage in campaigns, and common questions (and possibly some answers!) about tricky election-year situations for nonprofits. You will also find out about new election laws and changes to the election process in North Carolina in 2024 that might affect nonprofits and the people they serve.

Do I Really Need to Congratulate That Politician?: Building Working Relationships with Lawmakers Who Make You Cringe

Lisa Hazirjian, Ph.D., Win Together Consulting

Back in November, I published this blog encouraging nonprofit leaders to begin building relationships with elected officials by sending an email congratulating them on their victory. I was surprised and delighted by how much traffic and praise the blog generated. Yet the response I found myself thinking about the most was this question left on LinkedIn by my colleague Veronica LaFemina:

Make Your Nonprofit’s Voice Heard (Legally) – Lobbying Laws for 501(c)(3)s

With the 2023 legislative session beginning this month, many nonprofits will be advocating on policy issues affecting their organizations, their missions, and the people they serve. This webinar will provide an overview of federal and state lobbying laws affecting nonprofits. We’ll address common questions nonprofits have about limits on lobbying and state rules on lobbying registration and reporting.

 

Presenter: David Heinen, Vice President for Public Policy and Advocacy, North Carolina Center for Nonprofits

2022 Election Results, Legislative Update & Implications for Nonprofits

This webinar will begin with a brief overview of trends in North Carolina’s nonprofit sector and current challenges facing nonprofit organizations. It will also include a discussion of the impact of the 2022 election on nonprofits, of state and federal policy solutions that might help nonprofits and the communities they serve, and of potential legislative challenges for nonprofits in 2023 and beyond.

 

Presenter: David Heinen, Vice President for Public Policy and Advocacy, North Carolina Center for Nonprofits

Recording length: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Empowering Voters Is Nonprofit Mission Work

There's no more fitting way to lift up our nonprofits’ missions than to empower our communities during the elections process. As It’s On Us: The Nonprofit Voter Empowerment Project so clearly puts it: Nonpartisan voter engagement is one of the sector’s most effective ways to ensure that our voices, and those of the communities we serve, are “at the table” when critical policies are being decided.