Advocacy & Civic Engagement

David Heinen, Vice President for Public Policy and Advocacy

The Racial Equity Message Guide grew out of a request from advocates to advance both equitable policies and conversations about structural racism with decisionmakers. The guide includes tested messages to secure racial equity language in public policy. (American Heart Association's Voices for Healthy Kids, 2021)

A bipartisan panel of state legislators will discuss state policy priorities in 2021 and give a preview of the process for developing the state budget. The panel will also share tips on effective ways for nonprofits to advocate for their missions and insights on opportunities for nonprofits to engage with elected officials during the pandemic. We will have a moderated Q&A session to allow participants a chance to get input from the legislative panelists.

Racial Equity Toolkit: An Opportunity to Operationalize Equity can be used by community-based organizations to engage with government officials to advance racial equity. The appedix also includes a "Racial Equity Tool Worksheet" for guiding discussions. (The Local & Regional Government Alliance on Race and Equity, 2015)

On March 11, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (American Rescue Plan) into law. Because of the widespread and persistent advocacy of nonprofits (thank you!), it includes many important provisions that directly affect nonprofits and the communities they serve. Here are a few highlights.

Get an overview of the latest federal COVID-19 relief plans – including the American Rescue Plan Act – the state budget and major legislation affecting nonprofits, and potential policy solutions that could help nonprofits during the 2021 NC legislative session.

Watch now!

Triangle Community Foundation hosts the podcast series, What Matters, that are conversations between TCF staff members, community leaders, and people doing incredible things in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in our community.

Lisa Hazirjian, Ph.D., Win Together Consulting

While written to help nonprofit leaders think strategically about public policy advocacy, these seven steps are useful to follow when developing fundraising asks, internal programmatic or organizational policy proposals, or other kinds of requests. (Shared with permission by Lisa Hazirjian, Ph.D., Win Together Consulting)

When COVID-19 hit, our world changed. Organizations had to decide how to move forward while dealing with unanswered questions about what this would mean for your team, for your stakeholders, and for your partners. While nonprofits’ missions are more important than ever, the public, media, and funders are focused on work and messages directly related to COVID-19.