Advocacy from the Ground Up
The recognition of the need for advocacy comes from many sources. Scandals and bad press motivate politicians to champion reforms. Court rulings can lead to public outcries that result in revisions to statutes. In-depth research can uncover injustices, inconsistencies, or unfair outcomes that cry out for changes. And then there are discoveries that the laws on the books just don’t mesh with reality and turn ordinarily law-abiding citizens into scofflaws. That was the case in Washington State this year, and nonprofits got the law changed for everyone’s wellbeing.
Until recently, Washington State law required nonprofits to have fifteen “voting members” in order to run a legal fundraising raffle. Since most nonprofits do not have voting members, this meant in practice that a nonprofit had to have fifteen board members, or not hold the raffle fundraiser. Getting the rule off the books was important for Washington Nonprofits, the state association in the Evergreen State, both because the law prevented many nonprofits from utilizing the fundraising technique and because there is no research showing that larger boards govern more effectively.
The problem in the law became apparent during a webinar with nonprofits about the rules governing liquor, cannabis, and gambling as they relate to various nonprofit events. It was during questions to and cooperation from the Liquor and Cannabis Boards and Gambling Commission of the state that nonprofits found they may be in unintentional noncompliance with the raffle law.
This led to a coordinated advocacy campaign to change the law. Washington Nonprofits and its allies scoured already proposed legislation to find an accessible entry point, an existing bill on which a legislative fix could be included. The advocates pointed out that there is no research showing that larger boards govern more effectively. They also stressed that nonprofits have every intention of complying with the law, but that burdensome and unnecessarily complex laws and regulations make it impractical to do so.
These arguments carried the day and the Governor signed the reform bill into law on April 27. Moreover, throughout the process, Washington Nonprofit gained teammates in government agencies, legislators, and other nonprofit leaders for future advocacy campaigns – and future victories.
