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Rules of the Game: The Bolder Advocacy Podcast

Rules of the Game: The Bolder Advocacy Podcast

De: Bolder Advocacy
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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 at Alliance for Justice 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. Entertaining legal education, not legal advice!CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Economía Gestión Gestión y Liderazgo
Episodios
  • 2026 Resolutions

    2026 Resolutions
    Jan 7 2026
    Happy 2026! As policy shifts and new advocacy opportunities emerge, the Bolder Advocacy team is here to guide nonprofits so they can continue to advocate boldly while remaining compliant and effective. We're kicking off the year with our Top 10 nonprofit New Year's resolutions to help your organization thrive. Attorneys for This Episode Monika Graham Victor Rivera Labiosa Natalie Roetzel Ossenfort Top 10 2026 Resolutions: 1. Deepen Mission Alignment Clarity fuels momentum. Revisit your mission statement to ensure that every project, partnership, and expenditure aligns directly with your core purpose. The National Council of Nonprofits hosts a hub on its website that provides nonprofits with tools, research, and resources needed to operate a nonprofit more effectively, efficiently, and ethically. 2. Conduct an Advocacy Check-Up Identify opportunities to enhance your organization's advocacy activities, and raise potential issues about compliance with the tax, lobby, election, and other laws that govern your work. The Advocacy Check-Up is a self-assessment tool for 501(c)(3) public charities to review compliance with federal and state advocacy rules and identify opportunities to strengthen advocacy capacity. 3. Invest in Staff Well-Being A supported team propels progress through good times and through bad. Prioritize mental health, provide professional development opportunities, and maintain a culture of appreciation. Encourage continuous learning to ensure that your team is constantly growing and expanding its expertise on the issues facing your communities and potential policy solutions. For tips on how to better invest in staff well-being click here. 4. Strengthen Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Commit to measurable actions to ensure your staff, board, and programs reflect and serve your community's diversity authentically. Resources for strengthening DEI practices are available through the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Justice and the Council of Nonprofits. 5. Improve Financial Transparency Publish clear annual reports, be open about how resources are used, and communicate outcomes to maintain trust. For tips on how to demonstrate clear financial accountability take a look at the NCN's post on financial transparency and public disclosure requirements. 6. Embrace Digital Transformation Technology can amplify reach and efficiency. Adopt digital mechanisms for donor management, storytelling, virtual events, and operations. Refer to BA's Influencing Public Policy in the Digital Age for best practices on engaging in online advocacy. 7. Build Sustainable Fundraising Strategies Diversify revenue streams. Combine grants, recurring donations, sponsorships, private donors, and other opportunities for long-term financial health. If you are a foundation interested in expanding your advocacy funding, explore our Focus on Foundations hub. 8. Measure What Matters Data-driven decisions help refine focus and prove impact. Develop and track meaningful metrics that demonstrate actual outcomes. Check out our Advocacy Evaluation Resources hub for sample benchmarks and guides to help your nonprofit assess its strengths, identify areas for growth, and become more effective in its advocacy. 9. Strengthen Community Partnerships Collaborate rather than compete. Coalitions, community, local governments, and businesses can all amplify their missions through shared resources and reach. Find other like-minded organizations and work in coalition to register voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and to advance legislative and other policy priorities. Our Coalition Checklist provides information about common joint advocacy activities, resource sharing, and how to safely partner with other tax-exempt organizations. 10. Prepare for Midterm Elections Remember: 501(c)(3) public charities may engage in nonpartisan voter education, issue advocacy, and civic engagement, so plan your election-season activities early to ensure the organization is impactful while remaining compliant. Browse Rules of the Game: A Guide to Election Related Activities for 501(c)(3) Organizations for a deeper dive on best practices for engaging in nonpartisal election season advocacy.
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    15 m
  • Celebrating Advocacy Wins

    Celebrating Advocacy Wins
    Dec 24 2025
    It's been a long year, and while progressive movements have faced real setbacks, that's not the whole story. Across the country, nonprofits and the communities they serve pushed for justice and secured meaningful victories worth lifting up. On this episode, we celebrate several advocacy wins from 2025. Attorneys for this episode: Maggie Ellinger-Locke, she/her Susan Finkle Sourlis, she/her Melissa Marichal Zayas, she/her Link: https://traffic.libsyn.com/rulesofthegame/ROTG147-celebrating-advocacy-wins.mp3 Show Notes: · Economic Justice o In May, Washington became the third state to adopt a statewide rent stabilization law. Washington Low Income Housing Alliance and its network mobilized thousands of people to support passage of this legislation. o Colorado enacted new renter protections for victims-survivors of gender-based violence nonprofits. The Women's Foundation of Colorado supported this legislation through direct lobbying, grassroots lobbying, and public education. o Colorado also saw voters pass Proposition MM increasing taxes on the state's highest earners to fully fund free breakfast and lunch for all K-12 public school students. o In Texas, Every Texan, a 501(c)(3) public charity, helped defeat the adoption of new Medicaid enrollment barriers. Every Texan also helped pass a law requiring hospitals to provide clear information to parents. · Gender and Reproductive Justice o Ipas US and its local partners, successfully advocated for the city and town councils of Philadelphia, PA; Baltimore, MD; Atlanta, GA; and Carrboro, NC to adopt resolutions or proclamations that recognize reproductive rights as human rights, acknowledge the obligation of the U.S. to protect human rights under international law, and declare December 10th as Human Rights Day. They also championed similar executive proclamations issued by the mayors of Mount Rainer, MD, and Austin, TX. These victories reflect a growing movement to recognize abortion as a human right at the local, state, and federal level. · In Montana, transgender youth and medical providers, represented by counsel including the ACLU of Montana and Lambda Legal, won a lawsuit challenging a state law banning evidence-based care for children experiencing gender dysphoria. The Montana Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutional, ensuring Montana's transgender youth continue to access to medical treatment, despite the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in U.S. v. Skrmetti. · Democracy and Voting Rights o Nonprofit Vote and its partners helped 300,000 voters register or update their registration on National Voter Registration Day 2025. In New York, HeadCount's youth-led community engagement helped the state register nearly twice as many voters as were registered during 2024's National Voter Registration Day. o Nonpartisan voter registration drives like the one led by Nonprofit Vote can help increase voter turnout, and it did just that in several November elections, including races in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. o In Maine voters rejected Question One, a ballot initiative that would have imposed strict voter ID requirements and gutted the state's popular vote-by-mail system, keeping intact one of the most inclusive voting infrastructures in the country. · Advocacy Reminders o Legislative resolutions and proclamations voted on by lawmaking bodies are considered legislation by the IRS, while executive proclamations and orders are issued by mayors, governors, or the President are not considered legislation by the IRS. Seeking the passage of executive proclamations and orders does not count as lobbying under federal tax law. o When seeking to influence legislation, track your lobbying based on the lobbying test your organization follows—either the insubstantial part test or the 501(h) expenditure test—stay within your organization's lobbying limits. Also be sure to review the lobbying disclosure rules for the jurisdiction you're lobbying in to confirm any additional registration and reporting requirements. o 501(c)(3)s can support democracy by engaging in nonpartisan voter registration drives, get-out-the-vote campaigns, and other educational activities that encourage voter participation. Always check your state's voter assistance rules before registering voters or assisting voters in other ways. o 501(c)(3) private foundations can support nonpartisan voter engagement, but they must follow special rules when funding voter registration. o Ballot-measure campaigns offer communities opportunities to bypass legislatures and taking their issues directly to voters. The IRS classifies ballot-measure advocacy as direct lobbying under the 501(h) expenditure test. Remember to review the campaign finance rules for the jurisdiction where the measure will be on the ballot because ...
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    15 m
  • Nonprofits Under Siege: Don't Panic, Prepare!

    Nonprofits Under Siege: Don't Panic, Prepare!
    Dec 10 2025
    In recent months, the threats facing nonprofit organizations have continued to develop at a furious pace. In the face of challenges like funding reductions and congressional investigations, nonprofits are taking the time to shore up their defenses and prepare for what's to come. On this episode, we'll discuss several recent events that have the sector talking so that your nonprofit can take the steps necessary to ensure your continued ability to boldly advocate on behalf of your communities. Attorneys for this episode · Brittany Hacker Leonard · Tim Mooney · Natalie Ossenfort Shownotes · In recent months: o Federal Executive Orders & Memos: § March 7: EO entitled "Restoring Public Service Loan Forgiveness", which makes employees of organizations with a "substantial illegal purpose" ineligible for public service loan forgiveness benefits. · "Targets orgs supporting terrorism and aiding an dabetting illegal immigration" § August 28: EO entitled "Use of Appropriated Funds for Illegal Lobbying and Partisan Political Activity by Federal Grantees", where the President directs the Attorney General to investigate whether federal grant funds are being used to support lobbying initiatives. § September 25: National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM-7)+ Sept 22 EO designating Antifa as domestic terrorist org: designating domestic groups as terrorist orgs. o Congressional Oversight (Letters and Hearings): § October 6: Ways and Means Committee Letter to IRS requesting investigation of specific nonprofits and revocation of their tax-exempt status § October 28: Letter sent to three 501(c)(3) foundations regarding their compliance with nonprofit tax law § November 5: Letter sent to the Environmental Protection Agency regarding its funding of "far-left" organizations via the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund § Check out the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law's congressional investigations tracker for additional examples. o State-Level Actions: § Texas: November 18 Executive Order designating certain organizations "foreign terrorist organizations", barring them from purchasing property in the state. · Stay alert: o Be on the lookout for new state laws related to foreign contributions to ballot measures. At least 19 states have enacted bans on contributions from foreign nationals to ballot question efforts, nine during the 2025 legislative session alone. o Expect a possible uptick in I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) Enforcement. Employers are required to timely and properly complete and retain Form I-9 for each employee they hire. · What you can do: o Don't fall for the sternly worded "Letters to Santa" by Members of Congress. o Conduct a compliance self-assessment with AFJ Bolder Advocacy's "Advocacy Check-Up" tool. o Take advantage of the Nonprofit Legal Defense Network (created in partnership with We The Action). o Brush up on federal and state election season advocacy rules in advance of the 2026 Midterms, and adopt an election season advocacy policy for signature by staff, board members, and volunteers. o Lobby against legislation that would create new barriers to your nonprofit's advocacy. Just remember to stay within your public charity lobbying limits. o Go on the offense. o Reach out to AFJ's Bolder Advocacy team for free technical assistance. Resources · Break in Case of Panic! hub · Preparing for Politically Motivated Attacks on-demand webinar · How Nonprofits Can Fight Back Against Trump's Harmful Executive Orders blog · Advocacy Check-Up: compliance self-assessment tool for 501(c)(3) public charities · Nonprofit Legal Defense Network
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    21 m
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