Making Moves on Capitol Hill

Everyone who has ever walked around Capitol Hill knows that there’s movement everywhere. The U.S. Capitol really does sit on top of an actual hill - one that can look like a busy ant hill with perpetual motion as people, thoughts, legislation, and everything else are constantly moving. On June 5, members of the National Council of Nonprofits joined that movement to raise the voices of nonprofits from throughout the country for the work they do in their communities back home.

Representative Maloney (D-NY) kicked off our Advocacy Day by discussing the soon-to-be-introduced Nonprofit Relief Act and desire to partner with the nonprofit community to force changes in Congress and elsewhere to create a better policy environment so nonprofits can focus more on missions and less on taxes. See this article for specifics on the legislation. Then, representatives from the state associations in our network headed off to meet with nearly 100 House and Senate offices to advocate for co-sponsorship of the Nonprofit Relief Act, repeal of the tax on nonprofit transportation benefits, full funding for the 2020 Census, and expanding charitable giving incentives.

Having so many people on the Hill showcases not just the great work of nonprofits across the country, but also how we are all connected to one another and dedicated to leading movements in our communities. Branden Haralson of Nonprofit Connect, which works with Kansas and Missouri nonprofits in the Kansas City area, stated it best: “The greatest highlight of Nonprofit Lobby Day was the opportunity to build relationships with other nonprofit associations… who are working in other parts of the country to help their members affect change. Though our geography may be different, the struggles and successes of our organizations and our members’ organizations are shared by a common theme of striving for the greatest good for the greatest amount of people. We work every day to help our members achieve their missions through education, resources and community-building, and we advocate on behalf of our members and their missions to the elected officials who can either lift them up or stand in their way.”