It’s On Us: The Nonprofit Voter Empowerment Project
The Leave No Power on the Table initiative is an educational series and nonpartisan pledge campaign that equips nonprofits with the resources and support they need to strengthen their influence and better serve their constituents through advocacy, civic engagement, and voter participation.
Nonprofits’ Case For Civic Engagement & Advocacy
It’s no secret that nonprofits’ natural engagement assets and deep community roots make our institutions the most effective in helping our constituents participate in civic activities that bring about meaningful change. Because nonprofits are among the most trusted institutions in their communities, there is widespread support for nonprofit civic engagement and advocacy. In fact, a public poll commissioned by Independent Sector revealed that voters overwhelmingly want to see nonprofits actively participating in civic engagement in the communities they serve.
Actively engaging in democratic processes can yield a significant return on investment for nonprofit organizations and constituents alike.
Long-term benefits include:
- Strengthening trust between nonprofit organizations and the communities we serve
- Broadening nonprofits’ base of potential donors, funders, volunteers, and advocates
- Building political power and electoral accountability during and after an election year
- Increasing our public policy influence and impact through nonprofit advocacy and civic engagement
Nonprofits aren’t the only critical players in this work. In fact, philanthropy can be a catalyst through increased investment in nonpartisan civic engagement and advocacy. From Census engagement to voting, philanthropy provides critical resources that frontline nonprofits need to help their communities participate in civic and democratic activities. During the 2020 election, foundations engaged in responsive philanthropy by investing additional and flexible funding to address civic needs that were exacerbated during the global pandemic. Many of these needs not only remain but have since been compounded by new policies that seek to undermine, deter, or even criminalize nonpartisan civic activities. Democracy works best when all nonprofits, regardless of mission, work to expand and protect it. As stewards of public trust and philanthropic resources, It’s On Us to promote civic participation through social innovation.
Charitable Nonprofit Case Studies
Join a growing list of nonprofits across the nation who are committed to advancing their individual missions and the sector’s collective impact through Nonpartisan Voter Engagement.
If Not Us, Who? And If Not Now, When?
The answer is simple: It’s On Us as nonprofits to use our voting power to fulfill our missions of promoting public good. The 2020 election yielded unprecedented levels of voter turnout that helped to reduce participation disparities nationwide. This was accomplished in the midst of significant uncertainty, including a global pandemic that prompted a series of changes to state and local election laws. Research indicates that voter engagement conducted by charitable nonprofits made it easier for new and existing voters to navigate a wide range of policy changes and pandemic concerns.
Despite significant progress, nonprofits’ work is far from over as many prospective voters continue to struggle with navigating newly enacted policy changes and procedures. These challenges create downstream problems in terms of nonprofit and community voice as candidates and elected officials are more inclined to engage communities with high voter participation rates. Therefore, when the communities we serve are unable to vote, policymakers are less likely to prioritize the needs of nonprofit constituents nor the policy priorities of nonprofit organizations that serve them. Without a concerted effort to increase voter turnout, we face the grim prospect of people in our communities losing their voices, and nonprofits losing their policy influence, donors, and volunteers.
Action is needed. While there are no perfect solutions or easy fixes to rectify systemic challenges, collective progress cannot be further delayed. If not the nonprofit sector, who will step in to help? If not now, when is a more appropriate time to protect our communities and missions? It’s On Us to protect our missions by ensuring that every eligible voter, regardless of political affiliation, can cast their ballot and by rising to the challenge again, nonprofits can protect the civic gains we worked tirelessly for decades to achieve.
It's On Us
Nonprofits’ ability to advance our missions hinges upon our constituents’ ability to cast their ballot in every election.
The Nonprofit Voter Empowerment Project ,developed in partnership with Nonprofit VOTE, seeks to support nonprofits’ efforts to increase voter participation among our staff, grantees, volunteers, and constituents. There is strength in numbers! By working together to develop an informed electorate, the nonprofit sector can further our missions and create communities where all people thrive.
The Nonprofit Voter Engagement Playbook
The Nonprofit Voter Engagement Playbook is designed to support the development and implementation of voter engagement strategies that can be tailored to meet the unique needs of every nonprofit, regardless of experience, expertise, or organizational capacity. Use the enclosed recommendations and best practices to strengthen your nonprofit’s voter engagement efforts. Share the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Playbook with other organizations in your network to inspire action.
