Psst. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s an election year. What? I know. If you can’t say something nice, at least be glad that people are participating and paying attention.
But what does this mean for us, as professionals, and for the missions that we serve? Here are some interesting things to consider this election year.
- In March, Blackbaud released a research study entitled “Giving in an Election Year: How Political Giving Impacts Nonprofits”. There are some interesting takeaways from the study, namely that philanthropic giving actually seems to increase by those who give to political campaigns. So that idea that scarce donor funds are going to politics and not to nonprofits, isn’t exactly true. It’s also interesting to note that high profile election years might also be a good time to engage young donors. Read more and download the full white paper here.
- We’re all embarrassed by low voter turnout and often the people we serve are those most hurt by the lack of voice. It turns out that nonprofits can play a critical role in getting out the vote. When staff or volunteers reach out to their clients and supporters, they can increase voter turnout across all demographics. A recent Tufts study, in collaboration with Nonprofit Vote, showed increased turnout amongst Latino voters (5 points), black voters (10 points), and Asian-American voters (16 points). Also, those with incomes lower than $25,000 turned out at a rate 9 points higher. To read the full report, and help get out the nonpartisan vote, visit: nonprofitvote.org/engaging-
new-voters - Did you know that the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) has the only philanthropy-focused PAC in the country? Your PAC is nonpartisan and works diligently on all issues related to philanthropy and our governing bodies. The charitable deduction? You bet. The IRA Rollover? Yep. Recently, the PAC mobilized grassroots efforts and helped ensure that the IRS rescinded a proposal to require nonprofits to collect social security numbers for all donors. Holy donor-centered, administrative-nightmare Batman! Just let the implications of that piece of proposed legislation sink in for awhile…
Finally, in this election season, in the midst of hash tagging, debating, crying, and obsessively refreshing your Twitter feed (just me?), also remember what Jason Sabo, @texassabo, of Frontera Strategy famously told us many moons ago, “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.”
See y’all at the dome!
Sally Blue
Board President
AFP Greater Austin Chapter