Lobbying & Electioneering for Nonprofits

Lobbying and Electioneering for Nonprofits

Wednesday, September 18 | 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM | Webinar

Presented by: Don Kramer, Esq., Montgomery McCracken

Moderated by: Tish Mogan, Standards for Excellence Consultant, PANO

Offered in Partnership with: Nonprofit Issues

*CPE & CLE credits are available for this program for accountants and lawyers; to receive credit you must register through Nonprofit Issues.

The upcoming elections this November will shape the future of our country. Nonprofits and their stakeholders have an interest in the outcome. But what can nonprofits actually do when it comes to public policy?

While most webinars on lobbying and electioneering for nonprofits concentrate on what charities may not do, this will focus on the opposite – what charities and other nonprofits can do in elections and policy development throughout the year.

Charities exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Tax Code are prohibited from endorsing or opposing candidates running for public office at any level of government and are limited in how much lobbying they can do in supporting or opposing specific legislation. But “social welfare organizations” exempt under section 501(c)(4) of the Tax Code do not face such limitations. With that in mind…

• Should your charity set up a (c)(4) for political activity? And how would you do it?
• Even if you don’t have a (c)(4) to work with, a public charity can run a nonpartisan voter registration drive. How could you set one up?
• Can your public charity have candidates speak to your constituents?
• Can you publish a voters’ guide to their positions?
• Can you drive voters to the polls on election day?
• Should your executives set up a political action committee?
• Can you take a position on a referendum or state constitutional amendment?
• How can you differentiate between lobbying and advocacy?
• How much can you spend on lobbying?
• Should you make an election under section 501(h)?
• How can you get private foundation grants to support your activities?
• How can you make your lobbying a year-round activity?
• Do you have to deal with lobbying registration regulations?

In this 90-minute session, nonprofit attorney Don Kramer will cover these and lots of other issues. Participants can submit their specific questions for discussion before or during the program.

Join us to learn how YOUR nonprofit can become (more) civically engaged!

*CPE & CLE credits are available for this program for accountants and lawyers; to receive credit you must register through Nonprofit Issues.

Single Login Cost:
$45 per person for PANO Members | $100 per person for Not-Yet Members

Terms of Participation
Your purchase entitles you to a single login. Please do not share the login information with others, as it may interfere with your ability to join. If multiple individuals from your organization would like to view the webinar, please purchase separate tickets for each person or consider a group screening ticket (below).

Group Screening Cost (4-10 individuals):
$150 per group for PANO Members | $333 per group for Not-Yet Members

Terms of Participation
If you have 4-10 individuals interested in viewing the webinar, please have one person register selecting the group ticket. You can then enter the names and email addresses of up to 10 individuals to add to your group ticket.

This option makes the most sense when you have 4-10 individuals interested in viewing the webinar. For fewer than 4 attendees, a single login ticket for each person is the most cost-effective option. For more than 10 attendees, please email Christina at christina@pano.org to discuss options.

Materials & Login/Call-In Instructions:
Materials (PowerPoint and other handouts), along with instructions on how to login and call-in, will be emailed to attendees a few days prior to the date of the webinar. PANO uses Zoom as our webinar platform; you can familiarize yourself with Zoom and/or join a test meeting prior to these sessions.

Can’t attend? All webinar registrants will receive a recording of the webinar following the live session!

What People are Saying about this Program

The last time we offered this webinar was 2020, and here’s what participants had to say then:

• Well put together
• Well delivered
• Excellent materials
• Great presenter!!
• 100% said they would recommend it to others
• 100% of respondents said they learned things they could use in their own programs.

About the Facilitator

Donald W. Kramer serves as chair of Montgomery McCracken’s Nonprofit practice group.

Don has more than 45 years of experience dealing with the concerns of nonprofit organizations, not only as a lawyer, but also as a teacher, writer, publisher, and board member. He has worked with nonprofits of all types and sizes, helping structure startup situations and restructure multiorganizational health and educational systems. He counsels on a wide range of nonprofit corporate structure and governance, private and community foundations, continuing care retirement communities, exempt organization taxation, low-income housing tax credit transactions, real estate, charitable giving, and other nonprofit issues.

Don has provided legal services to The Philadelphia Foundation for more than 40 years.

Don serves as the editor and publisher of Don Kramer’s Nonprofit Issues®, a national newsletter of “Nonprofit Law You Need to Know,” which he founded in 1989.

Prior to joining Montgomery McCracken in 1972, Don served as deputy development coordinator and assistant to the mayor of Philadelphia.