Minnesota Council of Nonprofits

Legislative Update 2006

Volume 11, Issue 4, February 27, 2006

The Update is available by fax or by e-mail, or can be viewed at www.mncn.org/legupdate.htm

To make changes to your subscription, please call 651-642-1904 x250 or e-mail josh@mncn.org

IRS Issues Statement Clarifying Nonprofit Practices in Elections

On Friday, Feb 24, 2006 the IRS issued a helpful report clarifying the guidelines that govern 501(c)(3) nonprofit nonpartisan voter engagement activity. In addition, details of its investigation into complaints of 82 churches and charities nationwide that violated election activity limits on nonprofits in the 2004 election cycle were made public.

For several years, MCN has encouraged nonprofit organizations to engage voters through voter registration, voter education, and Get Out the Vote activities. Obviously, nonprofits need to know and comply with the rules for doing this work in a rigorously nonpartisan manner. Nonprofits play an important role in facilitating civic engagement. Nonprofits support people in being a voice in their community and honor their right to vote by aiding them in exercising that right.

MCN offers three steps that nonprofits can take to understand the IRS rules on electoral activity and ways to do nonpartisan voter mobilization effectively:

Review the IRS Guidelines for Election Year Activities and the Prohibition on Political Campaign Intervention for 501(c)(3) Organizations.

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=154712,00.html

Also see the Executive Summary and the full report of the IRS investigations.

http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=154622,00.html

Sign up for the MCN-Alliance for Justice Training on lobby and election laws.

Worry Free Advocacy is sponsored, and conducted, by the Washington D.C.-based Alliance for Justice - a national association of environmental, civil rights, mental health, women's, children's and consumer advocacy organizations. Since its inception in 1979, the Alliance has worked to advance the cause of justice for all Americans, strengthen the public interest community's ability to influence public policy, and foster the next generation of advocates.

Worry Free Advocacy Schedule:
Morning session – lobbying rules for 501(c)(3) public charities. Afternoon session – election-related activity and the rules on coalitions and affiliated organizations.

Date: Friday, March 10
Time: 8:30 a.m. – approximately 3:30 p.m.
Location: Model Cities Brownstone Room, 849 University Ave. W., St. Paul, 55104 (4 blocks west of Dale on University Avenue)
Fee: $50
Registration: To register, go to http://www.allianceforjustice.org/events/

3. Sign up to join in MCN’s Minnesota Participation Project (MPP), a national model for nonprofit nonpartisan voter engagement. MPP offers training, materials, and support for voter registration, education, and GOTV activities. To sign up, please contact Joshua Schenck Winters at josh@mncn.org.

Joshua Schenck Winters

Public Policy Associate

Minnesota Council of Nonprofits

651-642-1904 x250

josh@mncn.org