Lobbying & Advocacy – Major Issues | Myths Defined

The federal government, including Congress and the Internal Revenue Service, supports lobbying by 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Congress sent that unambiguous message when it enacted the generous provisions in the 1976 lobby law. The same message came from the Internal Revenue Service in regulations issued in 1990, which support both the spirit and intent of the 1976 legislation.

Lobbying and nonpartisan voter engagement are not only legal, but essential to building high-impact organizations. We will explain the law, tell you how to do it right, and dispel the myths and fears.

People sometimes confuse the words "lobbying" and "advocacy." Lobbying is one form of advocacy, comprising efforts to influence specific legislation with legislators and their staff. Advocacy covers a much broader range of activities such as influencing executive branch actions to implement the laws and public education. One way of differentiating between the two terms is to understand that lobbying always involves advocacy but advocacy does not necessarily involve lobbying.

People also are confused about whether and what type of voter-related activities charitable organizations may engage in. That is with good reason. The IRS rules do not provide any bright line guidance here, and CLPI is working with our partners to clarify the rules. The overarching rule is that charitable nonprofits must be nonpartisan. We will tell you more about that here as well.

In sum, the resources available in this section will help you recognize when you are and when you aren’t lobbying, and how to track and report funds spent on lobbying. You also will learn the law on nonpartisan voter engagement. This section will provide do’s and don’ts both for nonprofits and the donors that support them.