Youth-led candidate forum, photo courtesy of Michigan’s Children
The results of the 2024 election will bring a wave of changes to the child advocacy landscape, from a new federal administration, to shifting leadership in the US Senate, and many new officials in governor’s offices, state houses, and local governments across the nation. No matter who holds any given office, our charge is to speak up for children and their families and to forge effective working relationships with the elected leaders who represent us.
Many nonprofit stakeholders hold a false impression that tax-exempt non-profit organizations are prohibited from lobbying. This myth is untrue, and it can hold organizations back from deploying their deep expertise to better serve children and families. Use the resources in this blog to educate your Board, staff, and stakeholders about how your organization can safely and effectively advocate for your mission.
Throughout 2024, the Partnership for America’s Children collaborated with Bolder Advocacy to create learning opportunities designed to ensure that you can lobby for children and families within the scope of your organization’s 501(c)(3) status. These foundational learning sessions are excellent tools for your staff, Board members, and partners to build their knowledge base as the 2025 legislative session approaches.
Public Charities Can Lobby: How Your 501(c)(3) Can Influence Policy for the Greater Good
In this foundational session, Bolder Advocacy shared information on what advocacy activities a 501(c)(3) can engage in, what communications count as lobbying, and how to maximize non-lobbying advocacy. Consider this session to be a primer in federal lobbying rules for nonprofit organizations.
Download the fact sheet: Being A Player: A Guide to the IRS Lobbying Regulations for Advocacy Charities
Nonpartisan Advocacy: How 501(c)(3)s Can Educate and Advocate During Election Season
In the second session of this series, Bolder Advocacy gave us a better understanding of how to safely engage in nonpartisan advocacy during an election season. While the 2024 election season is over, it is important to understand how your advocacy strategy will need to shift post-2025 as you prepare for mid-term elections and how those rules affect your long-term campaign plans.
Download the fact sheet: The Rules of the Game: A Guide to Election-Related Activities for 501(c)(3) Organizations
Maximizing Your Advocacy: The Advantages of 501(c)(4)s
Whether and how to use a 501(c)(4) structure to advance advocacy goals is a hot topic among Partnership members. In the third and final session of the series, Bolder Advocacy shared what sets a 501(c)(4) organization apart from a 501(c)(3), and how they can work together to achieve advocacy goals.
Download the guidebook: The Connection: Strategies for Creating and Operating 501(c)(4)s and political organizations
Now is the time to reach out to newly elected officials to begin building relationships and educating them about the needs of children and families in their jurisdictions. As your organization speaks out, use the resources in this blog to ensure that you are within the bounds of what the IRS allows. Your state may have different rules that apply to nonprofit organizations, so be sure to review how state rules will impact your organization’s efforts as well.
As newly elected leaders step into their roles, there is no more important time to make your voice heard for kids.
Many thanks to Bolder Advocacy for their excellent research, education, and partnership to bring these high-quality resources to network members.
