Answers to common questions about what types of election-related activities North Carolina nonprofits can and can’t do.
Voter Education
- This guide provides answers to frequently asked questions that North Carolina nonprofits have about advocating for or against state constitutional amendments and other ballot measures.
- Five simple ways to help your clients and others overcome the most common obstacles to voting.
- Empower our communities during the elections process aligns with every nonprofit's mission. Get clear on what nonprofits can and can't do during elections and get to work educating your community about voting.
This spring and fall, voters across North Carolina will go to the polls to elect new members of Congress, the state legislature, judges, and local officials. These elected officials will be entrusted to make decisions on laws and policies of critical importance to the work of every NC nonprofit. This webinar will provide an overview of the 2022 election for nonprofits, including:
501(c)(3) organizations can engage voters and candidates through nonpartisan activities and still maintain their tax-exempt status.
Rules of the Game: The Bolder Advocacy Podcast - "Nonprofits are important advocates on issues critical to every community, but sometimes the rules and regulations of advocacy can be barriers to entry. In Rules of the Game, Bolder Advocacy attorneys use real examples to demystify these laws to help 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) nonprofits be bolder advocates, whether holding elected officials accountable, educating candidates, engaging voters, or lobbying for policy change."
- An Essential Role for Nonprofits Why should your nonprofit get involved? It strengthens your nonprofit’s voice. Elected officials know who votes. They pay less attention to communities with low voter turnout. People trust nonprofits. The people served by your nonprofit are more likely to listen to information from you than from any other source. If your nonprofit doesn’t provide them with information about where, when, and why to vote, then they probably won’t sho
Nonprofits are trusted in our communities, making us the ideal messengers to provide people with voter guides.
© North Carolina Center for Nonprofit Organizations, Inc. From Common Ground, a publication of the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits, www.ncnonprofits.org.
The Internal Revenue Service released formal guidance related to nonprofit political activities in "Revenue Ruling 2007-41,' which describes 21 real-life scenarios. It is particularly useful for when nonprofits consider election-related programs and activities, since failure to comply may put at risk a nonprofit organization's tax-exempt status. (IRS)