Engagement and Advocacy
Many organizations ask the question “when does our advocacy work on policies or legislation become lobbying that our 501(C)(3) has to report to the IRS?” We think that the difference between “lobbying” and “advocacy” is very important to understand so that organizations can maximize their impact while staying within the limits of their charitable status.
At a press conference in Baltimore today, Heather Iliff, Executive Director of Maryland Nonprofits, announced that over 200 nonprofit organizations and leaders are joining to call on the state to devote at least $1 billion of the $4 billion projected budget surplus to services for families and communities affected by the Covid pandemic and its economic effects.
Maryland Nonprofits has prepared a letter on how the state’s surplus should be allocated to the diverse communities we serve and in partnership with the nonprofit sector. Maryland Nonprofits advocates that this targeted relief include extending services and benefits that address the human service needs of individual Marylanders, families and communities that have been most burdened by the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences, in addition to direct cash stimulus payments.
By Henry Bogden, Public Policy Director, Maryland Nonprofits Charitable giving through donor advised funds (“DAFs”) is on the rise in America, accounting for an increasing share of all charitable giving. Community foundations across the country pioneered donor advised funds as a way to engage donors in supporting local charities over the long-term. United Ways and […]
By Neil Bergsman, Senior Policy Analyst, Maryland Nonprofits Andrew Schaufele, the State’s chief revenue estimator, just presented the most upbeat briefing I have ever heard from a reputable economist. The close-out results of the fiscal year that ended in June, plus new revenue estimates for the current and upcoming years add up to $4 billion […]
On March 16, 2021, Governor Hogan received a letter from Maryland Nonprofits and Maryland Latinos Unidos signed by more than 500 signatories, including 221 organizations and 287 individuals. The letter urges more equitable vaccine access across the state and requests that nonprofits have a role in the distribution process.
