The document discusses advocacy strategies for the nonprofit sector. It notes that the nonprofit sector has strengths like favorable public opinion and existing relationships with officials that can be leveraged. However, it says the sector could be more effective by developing shared long-term goals, improving coordination, and increasing its visibility and influence with officials. The document advocates for strong leadership to create a unified strategy that enables nonprofits to better serve communities and create a favorable policy environment.

1. Advocating for
the Nonprofit
Sector
Presented by:
Mary Beth Harrington
Passionate Nonprofit Expert
501c³ – Taking Nonprofit to
the Third Power
June 17, 2013

2. Tweet This!
Tweet comments about today’s workshop to
#mbharrington501
Chat with our presenter anytime @
mbharrington501
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3. BEYOND
THE CAUSE:
The Art and
Science
of Advocacy
http
://www.independentsector.org/beyond_the_cause

4.  Strengths of community of organizations:
 Favorable public opinion;
 A network of hundreds of organizations already
engaged in this work, many of whom know and
communicate with each other regularly;
 Some relationships with key public officials
responsible for oversight and governance of the
sector;
 Growing field of credible research directly
related to key policy issues.
Advocacy & Policy
Issues
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5.  Public policy successes prove that it is possible
for this network to pool assets and achieve
important outcomes.
 Collaborative model not common practice;
most believe more can be done to increase
effectiveness of sector-wide advocacy around
important national public policy issues affecting
the charitable sector
Advocacy & Policy
Issues
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6. Collaborative Model means…
 Developing shared, long-term goals;
 Increasing the number and depth of relationships
with a broader range of key public officials;
 Improving coordination among organizations;
 Increasing the visibility and clout of the sector;
particularly with government officials will increase
the sector’s influence.
Advocacy & Policy
Issues
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7. Advocates call for strong leadership to
organize the sector around a common
agenda to create a more favorable
regulatory and legislative environment to
facilitate the work of the charitable sector.
Summary: We are stronger when we
advocate as the nonprofit sector rather
than as individual organizations.
Advocacy & Policy
Issues
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8. Challenges include:
 Limited resources available to develop a shared,
long-term vision and to sustain the level of
ongoing building activities found among the
most effective advocates.
 Requires shift in the status quo–a reimagined
structure for convening and harnessing the assets
of sector organizations with stronger incentives
for collaboration and an operational model to
sustain level of activity required to achieve
consistent success over time.
Advocacy & Policy
Issues
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9. Congress poised to take a closer look at the
charitable sector through tax reform in 2013
and beyond, it is propitious for the nonprofit
and philanthropic sector to align its efforts by
creating a joint strategy that will enable
organizations to better serve the growing
needs of American communities.
Advocacy & Policy
Issues
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10. Understanding
the Nonprofit
Sector

11.  Pilgrims and Philanthropy
 1950’s to mid 1980’s
 nonprofits benefitted from US excess
 1980’s
 shift in donations, corporate spending,
government programs
 ironically, communities became more
dependent on nonprofits
 2000’s
 while need for nonprofits increase, perceivable
value of nonprofits decrease
 nonprofits increasing asked to do more with less
Brief History of
Nonprofit Sector
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13. WARNING!
Reality check
approaching!

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15. • A nonprofit is a corporation
• A nonprofit makes money
• A nonprofit has employees
• There are just a few nonprofits in Texas
• The purpose of a nonprofit is to “do good”
• “Stakeholder” is another term for vampire
slayer
• Nonprofits do not impact the economy
What is a Nonprofit?
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16. What is a
Nonprofit?
“Nonprofit” is an IRS Designation
•Chapter 22 of Texas Business Organization
Code (aka Texas Nonprofit Corporation Law
(NCL)
•Internal Revenue Code 501 (c)
• 28 types of non-profit organizations
exempt from some federal income taxes
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17. Is It A Nonprofit?
University
Hospital
United Way
Workforce Agency
Hospice
Homeless Shelter
Animal Shelter
School
Nonprofit Quiz
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18. Texas has the third largest number of
reporting charitable nonprofits, exceeded
only by California and New York.
All Nonprofit Organizations
- 70,383 (1998) 100,734 (2008) 43.1% (change)
501(c)(3) Public Charities 3
- 37,715 (1998) 66,104 (2008) 75.3% (change)
501(c)(3) Private Foundations
- 4,007 (1998) 7,103 (2008) 77.3% (change)
http://www.tano.org/attachments/wysiwyg/1/Number_of_NPOS_in_TX.pdf
Texas Nonprofit
Organizations
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19. True or False – Nonprofits employ people but
they really do not make much money,
receive benefits, and usually work part-time.
Nonprofit Quiz
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20.  U.S. charities employed over 9.4 million paid
employees in 2004, or 7.2 percent of the
American employment force, and spent over
$321.6 billion in wages
 + engaged 4.7 million full-time equivalent
volunteers
 = total workforce of 14.1 million
= 10.5% of total US workforce
Employment &
Payroll
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21.  Texas nonprofit sector is a major economic
force employing more than six times as many
workers as the state’s oil and gas extraction
industry and more than twice as many workers
as the state’s real estate and leasing industry.
 384,545 nonprofit employees in Texas earned
over $12.5 billion in wages in 2004, exceeding
total payroll for Texas’ entire state government.
Texas Nonprofit
Employment &
Payroll
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22. Overall weekly wages of nonprofit employees
are lower than for-profit workers. But, in
industries in which nonprofits and for-profits
are both significantly involved, nonprofit
average weekly wages generally outpace
for-profit wages.
Lester M. Salamon and Stephanie Lessans Geller (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies, May
2007). http://www.tano.org/texas-nonprofit-sector/
Texas Nonprofit
Employment &
Payroll
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23. True or False – Nonprofits do not make money.
True or False – Nonprofits do not pay any
taxes.
Nonprofit Quiz
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24.  Texas charitable nonprofits generate over $50
billion in total revenue and hold total assets of
$96 billion.
 Nonprofit sector sizable employer, adding both
paid jobs and volunteer workers at a much
higher rate than rest of the economy.
 Nonprofit organizations not only contribute to
the social and political life of state and nation,
but to its economic life as well.
Nonprofit Sector =
Economic Force
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25. True or False: Nonprofits cannot lobby or
educate others on their needs.
Nonprofit Quiz
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26. Spreading the
Word

27. Advocacy and Six
Degrees
• Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon -
Assumes any individual
involved in the Hollywood,
California film industry can
be linked by film roles to
Kevin Bacon in six steps.
• Posits that any two people
on Earth are, on average,
about six acquaintance links
apart.
• In 2007, Bacon started a
charitable organization
named SixDegrees.org
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28. Local
“Friendraising”
Advocacy
 Introduce “friends” to your organization
 Follow meeting with phone call or note to
“Friend”.
 With permission, “Friend” is added to
organization communications.
 “Friend” is invited for tour of organization to see
programs in action.
 Follows tour with phone call or note to “Friend”.
 “Friend” is invited to call to action event.
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29. Plenty of Pie to
Go Around!

30.  Incorporate stats into corporate solicitations
 Show by contributing to your nonprofit, you
contribute to the communities economic
growth
 Paradigm shift - For profits expected to make a
profit whereas nonprofits expect to work for .90
on the dollar
 Advocate essential role not only your
organization but all nonprofits play in the
community
 By advocating for the sector as a whole you
increase corporate, foundation, and individual
donations!
Get Your Slice!
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31.  Nonprofits not included in health reform
 Included in HIRE act… result of fight to include
NPs in small employer health care credits
 Prepare now for 2013 TX Legislative session
 Legislators watching other states
 states cutting funds
 delays /withholding in paying
 government contract fees
 new fees & taxes
Missing Piece
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32.  Minnesota - Nonprofit Sector and Community
Solutions Act (HR 5533), a bill that will transform
the way that the federal government thinks
about and deals with the charitable nonprofit
community in the United States.
 Toronto – REAL return on investment
for donors!
 Britain – Nonprofit advocate cabinet level
position
More Pie for
Everyone
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33. Get Prepared!
Change your perspective to advocate for
nonprofit sector as a whole
Stay Informed!
Collaborate!
Get Engaged!
The Survival of the nonprofit sector is in the
balance
Small Business
Coke and Pepsi
Start Rolling!
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34. Resources for Advocacy
Information
 The Powerful, Free, and Easy 501(h) Election:
Benefits Galore!
http://www.councilofnonprofits.org/nonprofit-advocacy/501h-election
 Lobbying Rules for 501(c)(3)s
http://www.independentsector.org/lobbying_rules
 Beyond the Cause: The Art and Science of
Advocacy http://www.independentsector.org/beyond_the_cause
 Frontera Strategy - Jason Sabo http://
fronterastrategy.com/About_Us.html
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35. Nonprofit
Favorites
 GrantStation – www.grantstation.com
 Chronicle of Philanthropy - www.philanthropy.com
 Nonprofit Quarterly - www.nonprofitquarterly.org
 Blue Avocado – www.blueavocado.org
 BoardSource - www.boardsource.org
 Idealware – www.idealware.org
 TechSoup – www.techsoup.org
 Nonprofit Risk Management Center – www.nonprofitrisk.org
 Independent Sector – www.independentsector.org
 C-Forward – www.cforward.org
 Texas C-Bar – www.texascbar.org
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36. Free Nonprofit
Advice &
Counsel!
Mary Beth Harrington
mbharrington64@hotmail.com
972-839-9960
www.mbharrington501c³com