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A Beginner’s Guide to Lobbying for Nonprofits
Many nonprofit leaders don’t know that lobbying is 100% legal for nonprofits. Here are four steps nonprofits can take now to get smarter about lobbying: accept the importance of lobbying, get the facts, meet with officials, and join a trade association.
How Nonprofits Can Use Private Capital for Public Good
Nonprofits that access capital through instruments like social impact bonds, can help fund solutions to larger social problems.
Lobbying & Advocacy: Five Reasons to Get Off the Sidelines
Nonprofits are often told they need to do more with less. This isn’t going to be one of those tropes; in fact, my goal is for you to see that you are already doing advocacy work, whether you call it that or not. Nonprofits, by thei …
Point-Counterpoint: Too Much Influence or Not Enough – Should Nonprofits Be Allowed to Support Political Candidates?
After signaling his intentions to do so at the National Prayer Breakfast in February, on May 4, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at weakening the Johnson Amendment, an act that has received mixed reaction from the nonprofit world. …
How do Federal Funding Threats Affect you?
It’s time for our next Blue Avocado Poll. Does your organization rely on federal funding? Are you discussing the possible budget cuts at the federal level? What are your contingency plans? Please take a minute to tell us what you are seeing, and …
Robert Egger: “Our Sector Is About To Be Hit, And Hit Hard” A Blue Avocado Interview
For 24 years, Robert Egger served as president of the DC Central Kitchen, which has created more than 30 million meals and helped 1,500 men and women gain full-time employment. Today he runs the astoundingly successful L.A. Kitchen on the same m …
How Do You Count Employees… to Determine Which Laws Apply?
Dear Rita: We are a small nonprofit that provides summer day camps for youth. We have 6 full-time employees, and hire about 40 or so seasonal workers who staff our summer camps. We also hire a few administrative workers through a temporary agency to he …
Contract Wizardry: Conjuring Impact from Government Contracts
Have you ever tried to piece together eleven government contracts for overlapping programs, trying to make them fit together to fund all the costs? Or have you had six foundation grants, all for the same program area, but each requiring different line …
Endorsing Candidates. Illegal. How to Do It.
Discussing restrictions on nonprofit 501c3 organizations that prohibit them from supporting or opposing candidates running for office.
Court-Ordered Community Service: Volunteers or Prison Labor?
Court-ordered volunteers perform a wide variety of roles in nonprofits. Susan Ellis discusses when to accept them, and how to do it right.