Community engagement and get out the vote efforts by nonprofits are critical to elections and shaping what will happen in the coming years, yet too many nonprofit leaders are under the mistaken impression that nonprofits cannot participate in voter engagement or talk to candidates about issues vital to bettering their communities.
Nonprofit Nonpartisan Voter Engagement Guide
Nonprofits are trusted sources of nonpartisan resources. This Voter Engagement Guide provides a roadmap for how charitable nonprofits can effectively engage in elections on a nonpartisan basis.
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Charitable nonprofits are uniquely positioned through their credibility and deep knowledge of their communities to inspire voter participation. Research proves that when nonprofits use their legal rights to – on a nonpartisan basis – encourage people to vote by, among other ways, registering to vote and getting out to vote, people vote at significantly higher levels than if nonprofits did nothing. Thus, encouraging nonprofits to encourage people to vote is not an empty ‘feel good” activity – it truly makes a difference.
To encourage more community engagement and voting, the National Council of Nonprofits has curated and will continue to update trusted resources for reference.
Elections and Community Engagement Resources
IRS guidance
- The Restriction of Political Campaign Intervention by Section 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Organizations, Internal Revenue Service
- Political Campaigns and Charities: The Ban on Political Campaign Intervention, Internal Revenue Service
- 501(c)(3) Tax Guide for Churches & Religious Organizations, Internal Revenue Service, Publication 1828, pages 7-18
Permitted Nonprofit Nonpartisan Activities
- Protecting the Johnson Amendment and Nonprofit Nonpartisanship, National Council of Nonprofits
- Permissible Election Activities Checklist, Nonprofit Vote
- Keeping Nonpartisan During Election Season, Alliance for Justice
- Election Checklist for 501c3 Public Charities, Bolder Advocacy
Voter Registration and Voting
- Register and Vote in Your State, US Elections Assistance Commission
- Voting and elections, USA.gov
- National Voter Registration Day 2024, Nonprofit Vote – September 17, 2024
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Voting Outside the Polling Place: Absentee, All-Mail and Other Voting at Home Options, National Conference of State Legislatures
State Voter Engagement Guides
- Alaska, The Foraker Group
- Arizona, AZ Impact for Good
- Delaware, Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement
- Florida, Florida Nonprofit Alliance
- Hawaii, Hawaii Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations
- Idaho, Idaho Nonprofit Center
- Illinois, Forefront
- Iowa, Iowa Nonprofit Alliance
- Kentucky, Kentucky Nonprofit Network
- Massachusetts, Massachusetts Nonprofit Network
- Minnesota, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
- Montana, Montana Nonprofit Association
- Nebraska, Nonprofit Association of the Midlands
- New Jersey, NJ Center for Nonprofits
- New Mexico, New Mexico Thrives
- North Carolina, North Carolina Center for Nonprofits
- Oregon, Nonprofit Association of Oregon
- Tennessee, Tennessee Nonprofit Network
- Washington, Nonprofit Association of Washington
More State-by-State Information
- Voting and elections, USA.gov
- Voting in Your State, Nonprofit Vote
- State Law Resources, Bolder Advocacy
- Everything You Need to Vote, Vote.org
- State Profiles: Elections, National Conference of State Legislatures
Poll Workers
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Poll Worker Resources for Election Officials, US Elections Assistance Commission
Ballot Information
- Sample Ballot Lookup Tool, Ballotpedia
- How to use the sample ballot tool (brief video), Ballotpedia
- www.vote411.org, League of Women Voters
Nonprofit Nonpartisan Election Tips
Make sure your nonprofit is informed on the impacts of shifting election laws and actively sharing the information with the service community.
Tsiporah Nephesh, Executive Director at New Mexico Thrives, shares resources for staying informed of registration and election day requirements in your state, and stresses the importance of nonprofits being involved in election season.
Organize a candidate forum for your community.
David Heinen, Vice President for Public Policy and Advocacy at North Carolina Center for Nonprofits outlines the logistics and details of how to plan a successful candidate forum that informs both voters and future elected officials.
Use your connection with underserved communities to ensure they are registered to vote.
Lydia Camarillo, President at the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, shares their strategies and techniques for ensuring all eligible Latina and Latino voters are registered to vote through in-person and virtual registration events.
Encourage staff to become poll workers.
Donna Murray-Brown, NCN’s Vice President of Strategy and Development, shares her experience as a poll worker and encourages other nonprofits to support their staff in pursuing the opportunity.
Be a Community Partner of National Voter Registration Day.
Sign up by September 3rd to become a Community Partner of National Voter Registration Day and commit to promoting the civic holiday on September 17th or hosting a voter registration drive. Chyann Sapp share why and how nonprofits can get involved to ensure every community is ready for election day.
Discover if your state allows for online voter registration and share resources to encourage registration.
Mary Alice Scott, Public Affairs Manager at Maine Association of Nonprofits (MANP), shares how impactful the implementation of online voter registration has been for Maine and easy ways nonprofits can utilize regular communication channels to share online voter registration details with their communities.
Stay informed on the ballot measures that will be on your ballot.
Meg Mikolajczyk, Executive Director at Nebraska Civic Engagement Table, explains what ballot measures are, how nonprofits can support their creation, and how to be aware of ballot measures that may be on your ballot. She also goes into how nonprofits can be involved in the creation of ballot measures that support their communities.
Inform your audience through non-traditional media.
Rina Risper, Executive Director of The New Citizens Press Community Action Network and Annie Hamaty, Public Policy and Government Relations Manager at Michigan Nonprofit Association, share how nonprofits can collaborate with niche media services to connect to more communities on nonpartisan voting information.