On this episode we dive into ways your organization can weigh in on government budgets and legislation, bringing needed change to your communities. Whether you focus on housing, health care, the environment, education, public safety, civil rights, or virtually any nonprofit activity is impacted by the government budget. There are many opportunities for nonprofits to educate policymakers and the public alike about the critical impact government funding plays in people’s lives. Today, we’ll discuss how nonprofits can influence the budget process and more.    Attorneys for the show Vict ..read more

On this episode, we once again turn to your questions on nonprofit advocacy with another edition of Ask Us Anything. We’ll cover topics like employing newly elected officials, how small c3s can impact legislative policies, accepting donations, and tracking lobbying.    Attorneys for this Podcast  Victor Rivera  Leslie Barnes  Quyen Tu    Questions:    We received this call to our hotline asking whether a c3 nonprofit needed to let their communications director go after the director won their election to city council in November.  Don’t fire y ..read more

On this episode, we’ll discuss how your organization can prepare to maximize your advocacy and impact in 2023. With several states gearing up for new legislative sessions and the 118th United States Congress about to head to work, the time is ripe for ensuring that your organization is ready to boldly advocate on behalf of the communities and causes you care about. That’s why today we present to you the Top 10 things your public charity can do now to get ready for 2023.    Link -     Our attorneys for this episode  Tim Mooney  Natalie Ossenfort  Quyen Tu  ..read more

On this episode we revisit the ways nonprofits can create a policy agenda to advance their missions. Now that the election is over, we have to begin looking forward to what’s ahead and what we want our local, state, and federal policymakers to consider in the coming year. Originally podcast December 16, 2020. Our attorneys this episode Jen Powis Shyaam Subramanian Natalie Ossenfort Resources Transition Team Advocacy  Amplify Your Voice: Lobbying Do’s and Don’ts  Bolder Advocacy’s TA hotline: 866-NP-LOBBY  Email us at advocacy@afj.org  Our website is bolder ..read more

Tis the season for giving thanks, and we here at the Rules of the Game podcast are immensely grateful for the amazing work done by nonprofits across the country to advocate on behalf of ballot measures during the midterm elections. On this episode, we’ll highlight several noteworthy wins. From protecting reproductive rights to expanding education access for Dreamers, it was truly a remarkable year for rallying public support and seizing policy wins at the ballot box. Our attorneys for this episode Leslie Barnes Natalie Ossenfort Tim Mooney   Shownotes   Ballot Measures: A Quick Revie ..read more

Following the 2022 midterm elections, nonprofits can work with newly elected officials on policies to advance their communities’ missions and policy agendas. That transition advocacy is the focus for most of the country, but in Georgia voters have 3 more weeks of non-stop political ads, commercials, texts and direct mail to look forward to thanks to a December 6th runoff election for US Senate. On this episode we discuss the special rules for the Georgia runoff, and what the rest of the country’s nonprofits can do in the transition period to get a jump on 2023.   Our attorneys for this ep ..read more

On this edition of the pod, we conclude our three-part series on nonprofit election advocacy and focus on post-election advocacy activities. After election day there are a wide array of opportunities to protect voters and the election itself. Whether it’s working with state and local officials to ensure that all ballots are counted or litigating potential violations of state or federal election-related laws, nonprofits have a big role to play in the days following November 8, 2022.   Our attorneys for this episode   Leslie Barnes Tim Mooney Natalie Ossenfort   Shownotes &nb ..read more

We talk a lot about advocacy, but what’s advocacy without some wins? On this episode, we highlight some of the victories nonprofit advocates have achieved at the state and federal level. Attorneys for this episode Nona Randois Victor Rivera Tim Mooney   California This summer California made history as the first state to agree to fully remove exclusions for Medi-Cal health coverage (California’s version of Medicaid) for all who are income eligible, regardless of immigration status. This year’s budget removed the final exclusions for that population, who will be eligible to access healt ..read more

On this episode, we tackle election days advocacy. We intentionally say “days” since many states offer vote by mail or early in-person voting well before election day. This means that voting doesn’t just happen on election day itself, even though the election is on November 8th this year. We talked about the role nonprofits can play leading up to this period a few weeks ago — on this episode we talk about their big role in helping people vote during this "election days" period. Attorneys for this Episode Leslie Barnes Tim Mooney Victor Rivera   Why should 501(c)(3)s do this work ..read more

On this episode, we’ll discuss how different types of tax-exempt organizations can ensure the right to vote is protected by engaging in election protection activities and assisting voters at the polls. and potentially afterwards. Whether it’s poll monitoring, ballot curing, staffing an election protection hotline, or providing rides to the polls, we'll discuss the rules that apply to 501(c)(3)s and 501(c)(4)s so that your organization can ensure that all eligible voices are heard this election season.  Attorneys for this episode   Tim Mooney   Natalie Ossenfort  Quyen Tu&n ..read more