Yes, the end of February is the time to think about warming weather and ditching the sweaters and parkas for the next eight months or so. But for a very special subset of us – and I hope for everyone reading this month’s Voices for Good – it is also the time to think about visits to Washington, DC and trekking through the halls of Congress to engage lawmakers and staff on the issues important to our sector.
It is, after all, “Hill season.”
One of the larger scale Hill Day efforts focused on charitable issues is Foundations on the Hill, presented by United Philanthropy Forum and Alliance for Charitable Reform. Over a period of three days (March 11-13), hundreds of foundation leaders will come to DC to inform lawmakers about issues impacting philanthropy and communities across the nation. I encourage you, if you haven’t already done so, to explore how you can add your voice to this group of leaders and advocates.
This and other Capitol Hill “fly-in programs” give us the biggest megaphone we have all year on the issues that matter to us, among them: repealing the new taxes imposed on nonprofits in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017; keeping partisan politics out of our sector by preserving the Johnson Amendment; and addressing the damaging consequences tax reform has had on charitable giving.
Walking the halls of Congress is an easier lift for some than for others. It is, perhaps, the hardest form of advocacy. But, at a time when it has become increasingly difficult for the sector to break through all the noise on Capitol Hill, your voice is critically important and needed now perhaps more than ever.
While not a comprehensive list, here are some of the other, large nonprofit advocacy days, sponsored by people and organizations in our community.
- The National Arts Action Summit, March 4-5, 2019, organized by Americans for the Arts
- YMCA National Advocacy Days, March 4-6, 2019, organized by YMCA
- Urban Soccer Symposium Capitol Hill Day, March 14, 2019, organized by the U.S. Soccer Foundation
- Alzheimer’s Impact Movement Advocacy Forum, March 31-April 2, 2019, organized by the Alzheimer’s Association
- NAMM Music Education Advocacy D.C. Fly-In, May 20-23, 2019, organized by the National Association for Music Merchants
Even earlier this week, American Alliance of Museums hosted the 2019 iteration of their signature advocacy event, Museums Advocacy Day. If you know of other upcoming Hill Day events worth noting, please post them in the comments section below. Thanks for helping us build the list!
We hope to see you on the Hill this Spring! And, as always, thanks for spending some time with Voices for Good.
