What Boards Need to Know

What You Need to Know:
A Nonprofit Board Member’s
Guide to Common Questions
about Advocacy

What is advocacy?
Advocacy is often used as an umbrella term for many different types
of policy and political engagement. That can make things a little confusing. So
here’s a quick cheat sheet about the types of advocacy that are a part of the Stand
for Your Mission campaign.
Broad Advocacy
All types of nonprofits are allowed to
educate policymakers, the media,
and the public about issues that are
important to their mission, as long as
it doesn’t include information about
specific candidates or pieces of
legislation,
It’s this type of advocacy that is the
primary focus of the Stand for Your
Mission Campaign.
Legislative Lobbying
Lobbying means working for or
against a specific piece of legislation
or ballot measure. Most nonprofits
are allowed to engage in a limited
amount of legislative lobbying,
which can be a very important way
to advance – or protect – your
organization’s mission and impact.
When there’s a big decision being
made that will affect your mission,
you have a right and responsibility
to weigh in. Don’t waste it!
Election-Related Activities
Nonprofit organizations may engage
in nonpartisan voter registration,
education and turnout activities.
However, supporting or opposing a
specific candidate (or set of
candidates or a political party) is
never allowed for 501(c)(3)
organizations,* and is not what we’re
describing as advocacy in the
Stand for Your Mission campaign.
*501(c)(4), (c)(5) or (c)(6) organizations are allowed to participate in electioneering activities, but only as a secondary activity.

That’s advocacy?
Often, board members think that advocacy is about getting political or “off-
mission.” But the reality is that advocacy could be absolutely vital to your
organization achieving its mission.
Advocacy can be
• appealing to the zoning board to get permission to have a farmer’s market in
an underserved neighborhood
• requesting a parking variance to allow for a meal truck to serve homeless
people in a central location
• educating a legislator about the value of a community program that requires
public funding
• partnering with public agencies to repurpose an unused
public building for a youth service agency
• convening community leaders at times of natural disaster or
human crisis to develop solutions for the community and
promote healing

Advocacy is about your mission
Advocacy is all about your organization’s work and what it will take to advance it. That
is why advocacy looks different in different organizations. Here’s what a coordinated
advocacy strategy might look like for an anti-smoking organization:
Issue Education Tactics
• Conducting and sharing research on the
dangers of second-hand smoke with
policymakers and the public.
• Surveying the public to better understand public
opinion on regulations related to smoking and
second-hand smoke.
• Sharing success stories of other communities’
efforts to reduce or eliminate smoking in public
places.
• Sharing personal stories about the impact of
smoking.
Lobbying Tactics
• Urging elected officials
to support legislation
that would ban candy-
flavored tobacco.

Who should advocate?
If you care about an issue, then you can be an advocate.
And as a nonprofit board member, you have a responsibility to
advocate for your organization’s mission.
That means communicating the importance of your mission to
others. And helping others understand how larger issues or
decisions in your community are impacting your organization, its
work, and the community you serve.
As a board member with a passion for
your organization’s mission and work,
you have what it takes to be an advocate.

What if I’m not an expert?
You do not need to be an expert on advocacy to be an effective advocate. Here’s
what’s most important:
• Who You Are: The reason that board advocacy is so powerful is because of who
you are as a board member. You are an engaged and influential member of the
community. And you vote. Make sure the person you’re talking to knows it!
• Make it Personal: Share why you care about your organization and its mission.
Do it in a personal way that makes it real for whomever you’re speaking with.
That’s what they’ll remember.
• Connect the Dots: Make sure that you explain how things are connected. Does the
local, state, or federal government rely on your organization to provide vital
service to the public? Is there a policy decision that could accelerate your impact?
Is there an administrative regulation that is standing in the way of a
good solution? Help them understand how they can help you.
• Coordinate with Staff: Your organization needs to be
coordinated and consistent in its advocacy efforts. Make sure to
communicate with your ED/CEO, so that you can strategize on the
best approach, which may include doing things together.

I don’t have a lot of time.
Can I still be helpful?
You don’t need to make a major commitment of time to effectively engage in
advocacy. In fact, the whole point of engaging as a board member, is that your
community connections and influence may be really helpful in speeding up advocacy
efforts and making them more successful.
Here are some examples of quick ways that board members can make a difference:
• Get a Phone Call Returned: If staff have been trying to get a decision-maker to
respond, you might be able to call to someone you know (or who knows you) that
will ensure that your organization is able to connect with the appropriate person.
• Encourage Attendance: If you’re having an educational town hall or other event
that would be helpful in educating decision-makers about your organization, your
invitation might make a difference in getting them to attend.
• Get a Meeting: If you know a decision-maker, or even if you’re
simply a voter in his or her community, your participation in a
meeting can make a huge difference in whether or not the
meeting takes place
or how it goes.

How much does advocacy cost?
Well, that depends. For some organizations, advocacy is a major part of their strategy,
and they have dedicated the staffing and resources that they need to drive that work,
just like they would for any other program.
But, for many other organizations, advocacy doesn’t take a big investment, because
it’s integrated into all of the other things that they are doing.
Here are some simple, free ways that advocacy could make a difference:
• If you’re hosting an educational session on your program for community members
or donors, consider inviting a decision-maker who you want to educate about your
work.
• If you are talking with a potential donor, consider sharing how
current policies make your work easier, or more difficult.
• If you’re at an event where an elected official or other
decision-maker is present, consider taking a moment to
thank him or her for supporting your organization’s work.

How do I know if it will work?
The short answer is: You don’t. Just like with any program or fundraising strategy,
there is no guarantee that your advocacy efforts will yield the results that you want.
But that’s not the point. The point is that advocacy can help your organization consider
solutions that would otherwise be impossible:
• Sustainable progress that alleviates the core challenges your organization seeks to
address.
• Awareness of the challenges in the community and the commitment of your
organization to dealing with them.
• Meaningful commitments to community needs and values.
• Resources and support for programs that the community relies on to serve its
citizens.
Advocacy can deliver real, long-term solutions that enable our organizations to
leverage limited resources to maximum effect.
The potential is real.
And that’s what makes it worth it.

How can I make sure we’re
following the rules?
There is a lot of confusion about the rules and regulations around nonprofit advocacy,
in part because the legal guidelines are different for different types of organizations.
501(c)(3)
Public Charities
(most nonprofits)
501(c)(3)
Private
Foundations
501(c)(4)
501(c)(5)
501(c)(6)
Electioneering
Working for or against
candidates or a political party.
Prohibited Prohibited Allowed as a
secondary activity.
Must follow federal
and state election law.
Legislative Lobbying
Working for or against specific
pieces of legislation or ballot
measures.
Must be reported and
within legal limits
Use IRS Form 501(h) to
simplify reporting.
Prohibited,
except with
specific
exceptions
Unlimited
Broader Advocacy
Most things related to public
education, research, and
educating policymakers
Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

More Guidance for
501(c)(3) Charities
(not private foundations)
*Or just call the Alliance for Justice!
Definitely OK
• Educating the public and decision-makers
about your work in a nonpartisan way
• Sharing information about how public
dollars positively impact your work and
your community
• Communicating how broader issues impact
your mission and the people that you serve
OK, But Check the Fine Print*
• Voter education, registration and candidate
forums
• Naming legislators who support (or oppose)
a specific piece of legislation
• Limited lobbying on behalf of the
organization
• Lobbying and campaigning as private
citizens
Definitely Not OK
• Organizational support or opposition of a
candidate or set of candidates
• Spending federal grant funds on lobbying

More detailed guidance for…Ifyouarea…
Nonprofit Organizations
501(c)(3)
Public
Charities Can
Lobby
Lobbying
Rules for
Houses of
Worship
Taking the
501(h)
Election
Benefits of
Filing the
501(h)
Election
501(c)(4)
Comparison
of 501(c)(3)
and 501(c)(4)
permissible
activities
501(c)(5) or
501(c)(6)
Types of
Organization
s & General
Guidance on
Advocacy
Rules
Foundation/ Grantmakers
Community/
Public
Foundation
Public
Foundations
& Advocacy
Public
Foundations
Can Lobby
Funding
Charities that
Lobby
Private
Foundation
Private
Foundations
May
Advocate
Funding
Charities that
Lobby
Family
Foundations
Family
Foundations
May
Advocate
Funding
Charities that
Lobby

Your Mission. Your Voice.
www.standforyourmission.org
#StandForYourMission
#AdvocacyNow

What Boards Need to Know

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