This morning, Linda Czipo, President & CEO of the Center for Non-Profits, and Sherise D. Ritter, CPA, CGFM, CGMA, PSA, a Managing Director of The Mercadien Group, spoke about nonprofits and advocacy as part of our continuing education series for nonprofits.

The seminar, Advocacy: What Nonprofits Can and Can’t Do, was sponsored by Borden Perlman Salisbury and Kelly.

Linda and Sherise spoke about the rules governing advocacy, explaining which activities are permitted, and in some cases, the limits that may be placed on those activities.

Here are four rules governing 501(c)(3) public charities. These organizations:

  • MAY NOT be involved in electioneering or partisan political activity or contributions to political candidates, committees or parties
  • MAY conduct nonpartisan voter education/engagement activities by public charities and provide technical assistance to legislative body
  • MAY engage in advocacy (general discussion of issues that does not involve lobbying) without limit
  • MAY do limited lobbying so long as it is an “insubstantial” part of their activities.

Click here for a link to the slides from the presentation.